Coaches - Indoor Men
Arie “Harry” Brokking
Head Coach (June 2007 - present)
I was born in January 1955 in the small town of Ede in the middle of the Netherlands. My father had his own bakery and my mother was working in the shop. My father worked at night and my mother was in the shop during the day, but I have 7 sisters and 1 brother!
Like most boys in Holland I started to play football, in a club, at the age of six and kept playing till the age of 17, when the family moved to the 'Town of Flowers' Aalsmeer. I went to school in nearby Amstelveen, where I started to play volleyball in the school team. The local club asked me to come to play for them, and from the age of 17 I have played for no other club. The club in questions is Martinus, where the GB Men spent the season 2007-08.
After successfully finishing high school I had to join the army. For one year I learned how to defend my country, in case of an invasion of the Russians…It was almost like a sabbatical year and I have to say, that I had a lot of fun.
After this experience I started a study at the ALO in Amsterdam (Academie voor Lichamelijke Opvoeding), to graduate four years later as a PE teacher. For several years I was combining teaching with playing volleyball at the highest level in Holland and coaching a women’s volleyball team. My daily schedule was, during the week, as follows….teaching from 9 am till 4 pm, training with the men’s team from 5-8 pm and than coaching the women’s team from 8-10.30 pm. On Saturday we were playing our league matches.
I did this for many years, until I became in 1986 a full-time (professional) volleyball coach. In the first three years I was the assistant coach of the Dutch men’s volleyball team and in 1989 I became the head coach of this team.
1986-1989 Asst. Coach, Dutch National Men with Arie Selinger
1987 - 5th place European Championship
1988 - 5th place Olympics Seoul
1989-1992 Head Coach, Dutch National Men
1989 - 3rd place European Championship
1990 - 7th place World Championship, 2nd place World League
1991 - 3rd place European Championship, 4th place World League
1992-1993 USC Munster Women (Germany)
92-93 - vice-champion of Germany
1993-1994 Herentals (Belgium)
1994-1998 PUC (France)
94-95 - vice-champion of France
95-96 - champion of France
96-97 - champion of France, winner of French Cup
97-98 - champion of France, 3rd in Champions League
1998-2002 Tourcoing LM (France)
98-99 - final French Cup
99-00 - 3rd in France
00-01 - vice-champion
01-02 - vice-champion, final French Cup
2002-2003 Dunkerque (France)
2003-2005 Brother/Martinus
03-04 - champion of Holland 1st division
04-05 - 5th place (division d’honneur)
2005-2006 Head Coach, Dutch National Men
2005 - 11th place European Championship
2006-2007 AZS Czestochowa (Poland)
2007-present Head Coach GB Men
Joel Banks
Assistant Coach (September 2007 - present)
Originally from Portsmouth, Joel began his Volleyball career at Purbrook Portsmouth VC under the guidance of PE teacher Terry Potter. Joining Team Mizuno Malory at the age of 16, he later moved to London and represented the National Team at both Junior and Senior level. JB then moved to Sheffield as a founding member of the Sport Sheffield project, this was a great opportunity to combine both studies and a daily training schedule. Having graduated in 1998 from Sheffield Hallam University with a BSc in Management, he moved to Belgium where he played several seasons as a professional.
Over the past seasons, JB developed his playing career into a player / coach role, combining playing and coaching volleyball at national level within the Belgian league. He lists his best sporting achievements as being invited by Jefferson Williams to join Malory at the age of 16, representing England & Great Britain, playing as a professional (which was his boyhood dream) and being a professional coach.
Joel is married to Carlien (van de Kreeke) and has 2 children (Cohen & Skylar).
During the 2007-08 club season Joel worked under Harry with the team based at the Martinus club in Amstelveen. The club season 2008-09 he again assisted Harry with the first GB Men's Development Squad in Sheffield. For the club season 2009-10, JB moved to the Head Coach role of the development squad as Harry went to coach in Greece.
Now for the 2010-11 club season, with no GB Men's Development Squad in Sheffield, Joel has been appointed as Head Coach at Langhenkel Volley, in Doetinchem, Netherlands.