Aussies Abroad #5 – James Weir
In this installment of the Aussies Abroad Series, Volleyball Australia caught up with Volleyroo James Weir who is thriving in the international competition.
Growing up in Canberra, James’ volleyball career began in high school, where the Australian Volleyball Schools Cup in Melbourne helped to grow his love for the sport.
“I first started playing when I was in Year 8 at Lyneham High in 2009,” Weir said.
“I think I was pretty lucky to have some great coaching and encouragement early on to get me going in the sport.
“Danny Tyrell – former national team statistician – was coaching me at school and encouraged me to go along to ACT state team tryouts and to get involved with Belconnen Volleyball Club.
“From there I fell in love with the sport and kept progressing through ACT juniors and Canberra Heat pathway.
“This led to opportunities to play with the Canberra Heat AVL (Australian Volleyball League) team in 2012 and from there was invited to train with the AIS (Australian Institute of Sport) program.
“Two years later I left the AIS to go to Brandon University (BU) in Canada on an athletic scholarship.
“I ended up playing five years there in total, winning the conference championship in my last year.
“Midway through my time at BU I started to get invited to Senior National Team training camps.
“This then opened up opportunities to play professionally post university, and I signed my first professional contract to play in Germany in 2019 and have been competing at the top level overseas ever since.”
As a middle blocker, Weir’s international career has provided him with many accomplishments he can be proud of.
“One of my proudest accomplishments so far was making my national team debut against Poland in front of 10,000 Polish fans,” he said.
“Another highlight was winning the Conference Championship with Brandon University in 2019.
“We won a five setter in a packed out home gym and everyone stormed the court as soon as we won – it felt like something out of an American movie.
“If I look back at the beginnings of my journey, competing internationally and playing overseas as a professional was never really something that I thought that anyone could do let alone be something that I could do.
“I sort of took every opportunity one step at a time, with the mindset of ‘what next?’
“Around the time I was finishing high school in 2013 I knew of a few athletes from the AIS and from Canberra who had gone to play college volleyball in Canada.
“They put the idea in my head that I could do the same, so I wrote some emails to coaches over there and eventually settled on going to Brandon University in 2014.
“Which makes it 11 winters overseas now – five in Canada, three in Germany, one in Czechia, and two in France.”
Relocating overseas was a fun challenge for James, that provided him with many new learning opportunities but also the incredible experiences of being able to compete in front of new communities.
“The transition when I first moved overseas was fun,” he said.
“It was a bit of a steep learning curve since it was my first time living out of home and starting uni all at once on the other side of the world.
“But I was there with a team full of guys all around the same age, who were all going through the same things as me which helped make the experience easier and way more enjoyable overall.
“The opportunity to make a career out of the sport at the highest level is what led me abroad and has kept me here.
“I really enjoy the opportunity to experience and learn about the culture of the country I’m living in and of my teammates too – since we’re often from all over the place.
“Also seeing the real value it gives others in the communities that I’m living in has been amazing too.
“I’ve happened to play for a number of clubs in smaller towns where the club served as a real unifier and huge source of pride for communities which otherwise might not have too much going on.
“Feeling like you have some value helps you feel more at home and less of a stranger in foreign lands.”
To any developing volleyball players back home in Australia, James’ advice is to be patient and enjoy playing the sport you love while you’re on your journey.
“Whatever you want to accomplish, don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t happen straight away,” he said.
“There are plenty of opportunities out there that you probably haven’t even realized yet.
“If you focus on enjoying the sport and being the best that you can be you’ll end up where you want to be.”
