The BVF receives performance funding from UK Sport to assist the development of named athletes on their performance programme. The BVF assists with funds for these athletes under their home nation banner for training and competitions including National Tours, FIVB Pro Tour Events, European and World Beach Championships. The BVF also fund these athletes under the GBR banner for events like World University Games and Championships, Youth Olympics and Olympic Games.

Athletes

Below is a list of the athletes that have received funding or support from the BVF.

Senior Men

Joaquin Bello

DOB: 20/07/2000
Hometown: Richmond
Height: 186 cm

Represeting England at the Commonwealth Games 2022
NEVZA Zonal Tour - Oddanesand 2022- 1st place
World Tour 1* - Nijmegen 2021 - 3rd place
World Tour 1* - Cortegaca 2021 - 1st place
Commonwealth Youth Games 2017: 1st place

Joaquin’s beach partner is his twin brother Javier. His ambition is to achieve new heights for British volleyball, having already won gold at the Youth Commonwealth Games in 2017.

Joaquin is currently studying medicine at the Imperial College London School of Medicine.

The Bello twins have come through the Volleyball England pathway playing both indoor and beach volleyball. They have competed on the UK Beach Tour and FIVB World tour, as well as Under 20 CEV European Championship and Under 19 FIVB World championship. They won gold at the Youth Commonwealth Games in 2017 and finished 5th in the the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires 2018. They are now competing predominantly in the FIVB Pro Tour and are representing Team England at the Commonwealth Games in Bimringham 2022.

Javier Bello

DOB: 20/07/2000
Hometown: Richmond
Height: 180cm

Javier hails from a volleyball family. His father is a former professional player, and both of his cousins compete at elite level.

Javier has recently concluded his studies in Philosphy, Politics and Economics at the Royal Holloway university.

Freddie Bialokoz

DOB: 23/07/2000
Hometown: London
Height: 204 cm

Pro Tour Futures - Ios - 3rd place
NEVZA Zonal Tour - Oddanesand 2022- 2nd place
Pro Tour Futures - Klaipeda - 5th place
World Tour 1* - Cortegaca - 5th place

Having grown up around volleyball it took Freddie until he was 14 to properly start playing volleyball.

He then started playing both indoor at Malory Eagles and beach at Deep Dish in Crystal Palace. At the time being the only junior at the club in Crystal Palace. He then played for the Cadets and Juniors respectively indoors representing England at multiple NEVZA age group competitions. At 17 he made his senior debut on the beach and made his first main draw on the world tour at 18.

His studies took him to Berlin where he carried on playing indoors in the 3rd Bundesliga and beach during the summer. Injuries as well as the opportunity to take beach volleyball more seriously lead to him stop playing indoors. Nowadays he’s still studying physics and also playing full time with aspirations to climb the ladder of international beach volleyball and push the envelope for English beach volleyball.

Senior Women

Issa Batrane

DOB: 09/04/1996
Hometown: London
Height: 176cm

Pro Tour Futures - Ios - 3rd place
NEVZA Zonal Tour - Oddanesand 2022- 2nd place
Pro Tour Futures - Klaipeda - 5th place
World Tour 1* - Cortegaca - 5th place

Born and raised in London where he started playing volleyball for local club of Richmond Volleyball Club around the age of 13. From there Issa went through the representing the junior and senior mens teams.

At 17 hemoved to the LeAF Elite Athlete academy in Bournemouth and captained my England regional team to a gold medal at the 2013 Sainsbury’s UK School Games along with beginning the beach volleyball journey and joining the England Talent pathway on both the beach and indoors.

Issa competed at BUCS level while studying computing at the university, wining multiple BUCS titles on the beach as well as the indoor student cup whilst winning MVP awards along the way.

Issa was on TASS all my years at university and appointed to be one of 9 athletes in the UK on the TAAG (Talented Athletes Advisory Group) to help athletes across the UK have a voice when it comes to all things TASS.

Today Issa trains and competes full time, while coaching for the local club Deep Dish Beach Volleyball and working on other projects around web development and digital media.

Other fields of interest for Issa include climate change and sustainability as well as social issues based around equality which he actively have roles in trying to impact positively via different sponsors and partners for his team.

Katie Keefe

DOB: 2003
Hometown: London
Height: 184cm

NEVZA U19
FIVB BPT Futures, Latvia 5th place

Katie is currently in her senior year at Grand Canyon University (GCU) in the states competing for her university in the NCAA. Previously she spent her freshman year at Stenson University.

Anaya Evans

DOB: 10/13/1998
Hometown: Croyde
Height: 173cm

Ios Island 2019 (WT1*): 3rd place
CEV Continental Cup 2019, Round 1: 3rd place
VEBT 2016: 20th place
CEV Continental Cup 2015, Round 4: 4th place
VEBT 2014: 18th place

Having made her way through the England Talent Pathway, representing her country in both indoor and beach volleyball, Anaya is now moving into senior selection. At youth level, she captained England numerous times.

In 2019, Ellie Austin and Anaya made the podium in a World Tour tournament. She is the first British beach volleyball athlete to take up a beach volleyball scholarship in the USA. Anaya has previously competed at CEV Youth Continental Cup 2013, CEV U17 World Championships Qualification event 2014, FIVB U19 2014, CEV U18 2014 and 2015, FIVB U21 and U20 2016, CEV U20 and U22 2016.

The BVF receives performance funding from UK Sport to support the development of named athletes on their programme that are on a trajectory to major competitions culminating in an Olympic journey. The BVF funds athletes under their home nation for training and competition including National Tours, FIVB World Pro Tours, European and World Championships. The BVF also funds athletes under the GBR banner for World University Games and Championships, Youth Olympics and the Olympic Games.