Victory for BU Volleyball

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BU’s Men’s Volleyball team has been crowned champions of the Volleyball England Student Cup.

The BU Varsity First team gained the trophy after winning in straight sets in the final against local team Wessex LeAF.

Dan Hunter, BSc (Hons) Software Engineering student and captain of the BU volleyball team, said: “It was a great feeling as I had never won this but also great as it’s the first time for the University as well.

“The win is a reward for all the hours SportBU have dedicated to all the volleyball people in recent years and it’s great to say we are national champions.”

The Student Cup saw 32 of the top University and College teams from across the country battle it out for the title over two days of competition in Norwich.

The BU Men’s Varsity Team reached the final without dropping a single set to their opponents in any of their matches.

It was a case of third time lucky for the team, who have been runners up in the competition for the past two years.

Dan, who competed in the London 2012 Olympics as part of the Great Britain Men’s Volleyball team, added: “It was a great tournament for the BU Men who have been training together at the University and with the local club Wessex. After last year’s loss in the final we were motivated to go all the way this year.”

Ian Wood, Duty Manager: Health and Fitness Services for sportBU and current BU Master’s student, also played in the winning team.

“It was a great feeling to win, especially against local rivals in an explosive game,” said Ian, who is completing an MSc in Sports Management.

“We’re lucky enough to have a strong team at the moment including Olympians, GB athletes and Super 8 [Volleyball England’s top division in the National League] players due to the overall strength of volleyball as a sport in the South.

“It is now becoming one of the top places for talented players to come and play alongside study and work.”

He added: “The infrastructure provided by the University and their links with the local national league teams – including Wessex LeAF BU and Solent Volleyball Club – allows the players to train and compete regularly together at a high level, which has really benefitted the university team.”

Andrea Ivanov from the BU Men’s First team won the competition’s award for Most Valuable Player.

The BU Women’s Volleyball team also competed in the Student Cup competition, coming 9th in the women’s tournament, while the BU Men’s Second team were placed 15th.

Find out more about the Volleyball England Student Cup

BU and AFC Bournemouth kick off partnership

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A new partnership between Bournemouth University and AFC Bournemouth will create exciting opportunities for students, graduates and the local community.

The four-year partnership between BU and The Cherries is designed to enhance students’ experiences through a variety of exclusive work experience opportunities, giving them a competitive edge when looking for full-time work.

This includes working alongside the AFC Bournemouth Community Sports Trust in delivering an annual season-long project for every year of the partnership, as well as supporting the club’s media and commercial team on match days.

Bournemouth University Vice-Chancellor John Vinney said he was delighted to see two of the town’s biggest institutions working together for the benefit of the students and the community.

“We are very excited about the partnership with AFC Bournemouth and the opportunities and experiences it will create for our students,” he said.

“It is also exciting that our two institutions will be partnering to make a difference in our local community, showing a continuing commitment to the area in which our staff and students live.”

The new partnership will also mean BU’s varsity football teams receive expert coaching from AFC Bournemouth’s Community Sports Trust.

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At the launch of the partnership, the teams were treated to a training session with AFC Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe at the Goldsands Stadium.

“I think it’s a great tie-up,” Eddie said.

“We would love to give people the experience of how a football club works and obviously, from the students’ perspective, that will be something that they will value greatly.

“We’ve already had a few interns getting full time jobs with us, so it’s hopefully a set up that works and hopefully both parties will benefit.”

Megan Cave, from the BU women’s varsity football team, took part in the training sessions at AFC Bournemouth.

“It’s been good to have this experience and see it all, and the coaching will help develop us as players and as a squad,” said the second year Sports Development and Coaching Sciences student.

“I’m interested in working somewhere like this in the future so it’s great to be able to get in here and make those professional links.”

A number of Bournemouth University graduates are already employed by AFC Bournemouth, including the club’s commercial director Rob Mitchell.

AFC Bournemouth chairman Jeff Mostyn said that he hoped the new partnership would also benefit the local community.

“This is the start of what we hope will be a really large and successful partnership, with two of the most esteemed organisations in the area joining forces to create centres of excellence,” he said.

“We like to think that the football club is the hub of the community and the contribution of the university will help this develop into an amazing relationship, bringing both local businesses and students in the area together.

“It is a great opportunity to develop the skills of young people both within the university and the football club.”

BU supporting the inaugural Bournemouth Marathon Festival

This weekend sees the inaugural Bournemouth Marathon Festival taking place on the shores of Bournemouth & Poole with over 9,000 runners signed up. sportBU are supporting event organisers GSI Events on the delivery of all marshal training, local operations meetings as well as leading on managing a key sector of the course.

Over 30 BU students and staff will be marshalling this weekend in Sector 3 (next to Boscombe Pier) ensuring runners and spectators alike have a safe, memorable race weekend.

Any BU staff members and students wishing to support the event and spectate on the day should go to Boscombe Pier Roundabout, where you will find a hub of entertainment and BU presence will be on the Sunday for the 1/2 and full Marathon starting at 8am and 10am respectively.

As well as supporting the delivery of the event, a number of staff members and students will be taking part in the races.

For further information about BU’s involvement in the marathon, please contact Barry Squires, Head of Sport Development on 01202 965789.