On behalf of the Board, I take great pleasure to announce the conferring of a new Award at the Volleyball Victoria Three Day Schools Cup. To be presented for the first time in 2019, the Most Valuable Player from Open Boys’ Honours Division will receive the Greg Thomas Award.
The Award is conferred in recognition of the contribution Greg has made to school volleyball and support for Volleyball Victoria events.
Greg commenced the Eltham High School volleyball program in 1996. Rarely heard speaking of his achievements, Greg has nurtured the volleyball program at Eltham High School training teams before school, at lunchtime, and after school in his own time. He encouraged other staff to be involved in the program and takes great pride in seeing ex-students return as coaches, referees, and mentors to give back to the school.
Greg also runs Junior Volleyball programs for Years 7 and 8 students and a Spikezone program after school every Thursday night for the local primary schools. He has also found the time to attain a national Referee accreditation, the equivalent of a Level 3 Referee.
Under Greg’s guidance, Eltham High School has been a successful nursery for volleyball and produced many Victorian and Australian champions.
In addition to his decades of service to Eltham High School, Greg has coached a range of teams, including:
- Assistant Coach of the Volleyball Victoria U19 Men’s Team in 1996 and 1997
- Head Coach of the Volleyball Victoria U15 Boys’ team from 1998 to 2001
- Assistant Coach of the Victorian Institute of Sport Junior Men’s program in 1999 and 2000
- Head Coach of the Victorian Secondary School Sports Association Under 16 Boys’ Team in 2003 and 2004.
Greg has previously received other high honours for his work, including
- Australia Day Award for Service to the Community in 1998
- Northern Metropolitan Region School Sports Award 1999
- Outstanding Teacher Contribution Award – Sporting Blue Award 2007
We commend and thank Greg on his service to volleyball in schools and proudly present the Greg Thomas Award to the Open Boys’ Honours Most Valuable Player.
MAJOR ANNOUNCMENT: The Boys Open Honours MVP Award has been named after Greg Thomas. 'Thommo' has been a significant member of the volleyball family for more than 30 years and is a fantistic ammbasedor for the sport. Congratulations! #VVSC
Posted by Volleyball Victoria on Saturday, 27 July 2019
Geoff Rietschel
General Manager
