After a tough season in the Volleyball England Sitting Volleyball Grand Prix, the 2 teams from the East Midlands, Loughborough Lions and Lincoln Imps, have both qualified for the end of season playoffs.

The competition, which features many of the players who represented Paralympics GB at London 2012, is contested across 5 events, with 10 teams playing 4 matches at each event and accumulating points across the season.

Both sides went into the final event in February with a chance to finish inside the top 4 and after both teams beat a strong Battleback side, qualified for the final and faced each other to determine their final placing. Lions came out on top, finishing 3^rd on the day and 3^rd overall which means they will face runners up Ashcombe Surrey Gators in the semi-final whilst Lincoln will face East London Lynx who topped the table after the regular season.

Congratulations to the Lincolnshire Sitting Volleyball Association, also known as Lincoln Imps, who have become the first English stand alone Sitting Volleyball Club to gain Volley 1 accreditation. The club, founded four years ago, has developed rapidly driving sitting volleyball at school level but also offering high level competition to its senior members, who include players who have represented Great Britain. The club is truly inclusive, promoting sitting volleyball as a great sport for able-bodied and players with a disability to enjoy together.

The third Sitting Volleyball Grand Prix was held at the National Volleyball Centre in Kettering on 11th December 2011. Lincoln Imps previously gained promotion into Tier 1 for the first time while the Volleyball England Youth Forum were participating in their first official competition. Eagles and Gators were the only team going into the Grand Prix unbeaten. Rob Richardson (Great Britain and Eagles and Gators Captain) enthused "We are unbeaten so far this season, and we hope to continue that today".

When a back injury forced Andrea Green to give up playing her beloved volleyball and take three months off work, the Littleover woman hit a low.

But a chance meeting with GB officials of sitting volleyball – the Paralympic equivalent to standing volleyball – have set Green on the road to next year's Games in London. 

Although the inclusion of sitting volleyball on the Paralympic programme has yet to be rubber-stamped, with substantial funding and a Channel 4 documentary about the GB sitting volleyball squad to be aired in September, getting the thumbs-up for London 2012 seems merely a formality.

Loughborough Lions forms part of the East Midlands Sitting Volleyball network which aims to provide people from all over the region with the opportunity to engage in this sport.

As a club we are committed to volleyball for the disabled therefore our sessions aim to cater for people with all disabilites. We train every Wednesday 7.00 .9.00pm at Limehurst High School, Loughborough

Website - Loughborough Lions sitting volleyball club