Beach Volleyball | Keep The Olympic Dream Alive
Chris Gregory & Jake Sheaf
- 90.00 % funded
- £ 4,500.00 pledged
- 0 Days Left
Beach Volleyball | Keeping Our Olympic Dream Alive
This sporting journey has been a roller-coaster with many highs and lows so far for team Chris Gregory & Jake Sheaf
Jake and I embarked on this together knowing full-well the challenges we’d face. Career threatening injuries had been something to overcome and maintain for us both, as well as heart surgery with an on-going arrhythmia problem, and personal financial struggles, along with team ones would only be the start.
Not being UK Sport funded, we knew we had to find a way:
After a first year in 2014, we surpassed even our own expectations achieving beyond anything we could have asked for: Placing 36th in the World Beach Volleyball Season Rankings, winning Round 1 of Olympic qualification and above all, qualifying a place for Team GB in Beach Volleyball at the European Games, it put us in a legitimate position to try and qualify for Rio 2016 over the next 2 years..
Unfortunately all that we have worked for is on the verge of collapse at the most crucial stage.
We are still working to try and find a headline sponsor for the Olympic Beach Volleyball qualification period from now until June 22nd, 2016. However, time is running out.
With the help of the community, (who have already shown great support to us whilst we’ve been competing abroad) and partners who would join our campaign there is still hope in continuing on what has been built to date.
Meet GB beach volleyball duo Chris Gregory & Jake Sheaf
BBC Sport visits GB beach volleyball pair Chris Gregory and Jake Sheaf, who will be representing Britain at the European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The duo, who are forced to train indoors due to Britain’s unpredictable weather, are the first GB men’s volleyball team to qualify by right for an Olympic-recognised event.
But – as with all volleyball teams – they are unfunded and have to work part time and find sponsorship to pay their way.
+Achievements
Baku 2015 - The 1st European Games
To become part of Team GB is something special and it was our ultimate goal of 2014 to reach the top 30 beach volleyball rankings in Europe and qualify for this major event. Together we made a little history, competing for and with another 160 athletes from Team GB across 20 different sports.
+The Project FAQ's
How can you Qualify a place at the Olympics?
There are 3 ways in which to Qualify for the Olympics? 1. Win the World Championships in the year before the Olympics - The World Champions will book their place! 2. Be Top 15 in the World Rankings - Your 12 best results in all FIVB World Events will determine World Ranking prior to the Olympics. 3. The CEV Continental Cup - 6 Rounds of European Play-Offs over 2 years for one place at the Olympics.