Marryatville Primary School Stepping Up to the Senior School Challenge at Schools Cup

One of the biggest school events in the Southern Hemisphere, the 2022 Australian Volleyball Schools Cup has welcomed almost 4,000 students to the Gold Coast to compete across almost 40 different divisions.

Competing in the Year 7, division 2 category is Marryatville Primary School from South Australia, who brought up to Queensland one team made up of year five and six boys so they could get national level experience against students two to three years their senior.

Marryatville’s coach Bryce Wait said the push to bring such a young team to Schools Cup was largely led by the students, whose passion for volleyball is felt all around the school.

“The boys actually run a lunch time sport competition. They set the hall up every opportunity they get with a volleyball net for other kids as well, so it’s not just about them, it’s for the other kids at the school too,” Wait said.

“We saw a loophole with the year five, six and seven competition option and the boys really wanted to come. It was really parent-driven too, as the parents saw the opportunity to get the boys playing.”

Over the first three days of competition, Marryatville won two games, lost five and drawn one, but Wait says the team’s involvement in Schools Cup is about much more than results on the court.

“It’s amazing to bring the team here, the biggest thing is the social aspect, building a sense of community and having the opportunity to represent the school,” he said.

“The skill set they build up through it all is great, like responsibility.

“They did a lot of fundraising as it’s all self-funded, so they organised things like raffles and sausage sizzles at Bunnings. The boys built this team and helped fundraise to get them here.”

With their families and siblings in tow on the Gold Coast, the Adelaide locals have loved playing against schools from across the country, visiting the local theme parks on the Gold Coast, and even scoring a few selfies with the Gold Coast Suns AFL team, who have been training at the Gold Coast Sport and Leisure Centre.

Follow all the schools cup results at https://avsc.volleyball.org.au/draw/