Tettenhall Tigers are a roaring success

Tigers, based at the King's Church of England School in Wolverhampton, have around 60 members and can boast of stars that have represented England.

I went along to one of their training sessions and mucked in with fellow coach Steve Cousins, who taught me the basics and got me involved with a practice match.

Hitting 'digs' and 'spikes' is not as easy as it looks, but the sport is certainly an entertaining one.

A great one to play with mates and one that, once you learn the techniques, sees you sprint around the court trying to pull out all kind of outrageous shots.

Shaffery, who set up the club 21 years ago, is delighted at how established the Tigers have become.

But he's also searching for ways to ensure they continue to represent Tettenhall for decades to come.

He said: "We started with 16 children back in 1994 and they brought their friends along and the club just grew from there.

"They have obviously now moved on and we're getting the next generation through which are friends of friends, and that's how we've evolved.

"I was a qualified coach, but you never stop learning do you? I've developed expertise as I've got older with a real interest in coaching children and youth rather than the adult elite.

"It feels like a good thing and it's just gone on and on. We love the volleyball so we just keep it going."

The PE teacher admitted that it was wanting to help coach his own kids that drew him into the idea of launching a club.

Shaffery added: "I teach PE and I was doing lots of volleyball for everybody else's kids so I thought that I'd do some for my own. So the club started and Steve's daughters came along as well.

"We started with 16 and I presume about five or six years down the line we were up to 30. There's probably about 60 altogether now which isn't too bad.

"That's just about the right size to play a league and also develop the younger ones."

Shaffery's current aim is to push the 'middle' age range of the club, those between 14 and 16, to progress into helping the younger stars out.

As I took in their intense training session, there was a wide range of age groups bounding around the sports hall.

Llittle ones as young as six or seven were trying with all their might to smack the ball with the palm of their hands. Even more pleasing to see was that core group of middle teens coaching.

The coach added: "The really diddy section is run by 14 and 15-year-olds who are doing their Duke of Edinburgh Award or just want to help out with a bit of coaching, which is great.

"I hope that the club can continue thriving as it has done. The next step is to find the coaches that are going to take over from myself and Steve in years to come for it to keep rolling.

"That's our plan, at the moment. When they are aged nine and 10 until 13 or 14 you can have two-a-side and three-a-side matches – it progresses with the age.

"The kids seem to be quite keen even when they go through their teens. We lose a few when they go off to university but generally we keep the majority.

"Some will come along and find out it's not for them, but not many to be fair. We also try and encourage them with the refereeing and coaching so it's the whole sport rather than just playing.

"Anyone can come here and help out with different things."

The Tigers team up with local sides Redhill Club, from Stourbridge, and Cleobury Mortimer to form an alliance – Black Country Volleyball Club.

That side plays in the National League, which involves travelling around the country for games. But the Tigers' own side play in the West Midlands League.

He added: "The Black Country Club is an extra step for those players and a chance to push on and play at a good standard.

"The West Midlands League is pretty strong. Some clubs have national league players playing for them. We have three.

"There are three men's divisions, and we have a team in Division Two, and we're in the top tier of the two ladies divisions.

"We've won about four national titles on the girls' side and over the years we've had about a dozen or so go and play with England. It's a really good record."