Season 2024-2025
As the club looks forward to its 45th year, it can reflect on a memorable last season.
This included an increase in membership, notably with a number of experienced and far travelled players joining us, not only to boost the ranks but also raising the standard of play to the highest level for many years.
As you will see below, this prompted the search for and successful aquisition of a sponsor after a gap of 20 odd years.
It also provided the club with a strong player base to engage in a number of friendly matches, including a couple testing our standards against National League 2 opposition.
Hopefully, as the club goes from strenght to strengh there will be more news to report in the months ahead
The club's official line up in sponsored strips and club's new colour scheme, with Paintline's Kaye and Scott McKinlay
New sponsor - Paintline
The club was delighted when Rutherglen based Paintline decided to become the latest in a long, distinguished line of sponsors. The company's logo now adorns the custom designed strip, and subsequently a change in the club colours. Handing over the strips prior to a match with Glasgow Mets, the compnay's co-owners, sister and brother, Kaye and Scott McKinlay, were not only delighted to back a local club but impressed by it's incredible history.
Managing director Kaye admitted that after sponsoring a number of different sports it was fitting that in view of a family link with volleyball, it was an obvious move to financially back and create a link with Motherwell Volleyball Club.
Welcome back Ladies
After an absence of 21 years the club finally welcomed its first female player when Lenka Irvine joined us in 2023. When she arrived in Motherwell from her native Czech Republic, Lenka not only brought her vast experience from her country's regional volleyball league, but paved the way for more females to join us.
In early 2024 former player Kay Morrison rejoined the club, coincidently the last women to represent the team in competitve action in 2003.
At the end of last season, Aileen Hall retired from National League volleyball after an incredible career spanning over 40 years. Keen to maintain an active interest in the sport, Aileen decided to join a club that she knew well since her school days in Newarthill when the club was based in nearby Taylor HS.
Challenge Matches
For the first time in several years, due to the size and quality of the playing squad, the club was in a position to confidentally approach National League 2 teams and arrange a series of games. The first of these was against Galsgow Mets, which coincided with the presentaion of the new sponsored strips, was a keenly contested afair. Suffice to say that although a bit court rusty, the club gave a good account of itself, with Motherwell becoming the first team to take a set off the Glasgow club, which went on to win the National League 2 title.
A return game in Easterhouse proved equally close, with Motherwell's naivity on court proving to be the biggest difference bewteen the sides.
Bolstered by that experience the club played host to another NL2 side, NUVOC, before finishing off the season with what has become an annual fixture against a former Su Ruggazi select.
After testing themselves against NL opposition the aim this season is not only to arrange more games but ultimately prove themselves equal to NL2 standards.
Action from the match v Glasgow Mets (November 2023)
And - not quite the news
As a few of our recent members started their volleyball careers with Brannock VC/Grangeburn, and possibly played against Motherwell in the 1990's, we felt it would be remiss not to include some vintage footage of the teams in action.
This game dates from November 1994, when a few of our current members weren't even born!
Well, at least it's in colour (just)!