From September, major events such as Cup Finals, the Junior Grand Prix Last 8, the Sitting Grand Prix, Student Cup Qualifiers and Opening Weekend will be staged on campus for at least the next five years.
The National Indoor Talent Programme training camps will also be hosted at the Leicestershire site, as well as a selection of courses – such as some Club Coach Award and Assistant Coach Award dates – and the HEVO Conference.
The National Beach Performance Programme, meanwhile, will move to Birmingham City University (BCU), where a new indoor beach facility is to be built, as has been previously confirmed.
Volleyball England Chief Executive Officer Charlie Ford says unlocking access to “world-class facilities” heralds an “exciting new era” in the bid to move the sport forward in line with the organisation's The Game Plan strategy.
“What was most appealing about the proposal Loughborough put to us is the university’s considerable ongoing investment into sport and facilities, in particular performance sport,” he said.
“The Loughborough campus hosts a whole host of facilities that vary in size and scope, which will give us real flexibility to cater for the specific events and camps we are hosting in a cost-effective manner.
“Loughborough University’s SportPark has been the home for our Hub team for a number of years now and it’s fantastic to be able to centralise our operations, allowing us to take advantage of other opportunities around, people, research and volunteering.
“The central location, right next to the M1 and a stone’s throw away from East Midlands Airport, is another distinct advantage as we continue to step up our interest in hosting major international events in England, particularly as there are three hotels on-site.
“As we move into our 70th anniversary year, we are looking to take things up to the next level and we believe this exciting and progressive partnership with an organisation that has such a fantastic sporting reputation as Loughborough University can help us achieve that.”
Several other national governing bodies (NGBs) already host events or have national training centres at Loughborough University including cricket, netball, swimming and triathlon.
It is part of an ongoing strategy to establish the campus as a major sports hub for all sporting activity, not just university sport.
Professor Jo Maher, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Sport at Loughborough University, said: “We are thrilled to strengthen our partnership with Volleyball England as the organisation becomes further embedded into Loughborough’s world-renowned sport ecosystem.
“This extended partnership will undoubtedly create unique opportunities for collaboration, sport performance, and community engagement for the next five years and beyond. We’re all really looking forward to continuing to achieve great things together.”
Athletes, coaches and officials competing in or taking part at events staged in Loughborough will be able to take advantage of discounted hotel rooms after Volleyball England has struck a deal with Imago Hotels.
They offer a range of venues on, or close to, the Loughborough University campus, including Burleigh Court Conference Centre and Hotel, The Elite Athlete Centre and Hotel and The Link Hotel.
Hayley Hardy, Head of Business Development at Imago Hotels said: “We’re really excited to support Volleyball England as they make Loughborough University their home for indoor and sitting volleyball.
“At Imago Venues, we specialise in hosting elite sport and are proud to offer the flexibility and service needed to make this partnership a success. We’re looking forward to working together and seeing what we can achieve.”
For more information on Volleyball England, visit www.volleyballengland.org/