Humble start

In the summer of 2011, 8 close friends and volleyball teammates had an idea. What if we started our own volleyball club? We had all been playing together for years and noticed a lack clubs and organized structures enabling both kids and adults to train and compete in Montreal.

We jumped the gun and Everton Volleyball Club was created! We picked the name over a beer two weeks before our first tournament and inspired ourselves from the branding of iconic Everton FC selecting blue and yellow as our primary colours.

Our first taste of success

We struggled plenty in our first years. I was named GM and managed an operating budget of around $5000, which was all our poor student wallets could afford at the time. I begged everyone I could for free gym time so we could scrap together practices and hopefully perform at tournaments so we could attract more athletes to our cause.

We bounced around a few spots until our luck struck in 2012 with a partnership with ASCCS, a community centered located in Ville-Marie. The director of the center, José Rebello, was a member of the Canadian National Sitting Volleyball team and wanted to partner with a club to help develop the sport locally.

In exchange for free gym time, we promoted sitting volleyball, helped organise clinics, and even assisted the National Team as opponents during their training camps.

Its all about the people

Now that we had gym time secured, our second largest challenge came to bear. We needed to find experienced coaching staff that would enable us to attract new athletes and develop the club into a winning structure both at the youth and adult level.

Our luck stuck again in early 2013 when I posted a job add and received a single application. Sergiu Ilies, an ex-Romanian national team captain with over 20 years pro-volley experience had just landed in Montreal and was looking for his first coaching gig. We connected over a coffee and despite the low pay, Sergiu agreed to help us develop the club because he believed in our long term mission.

Growth

With Sergiu’s expertise and marketable profile, we were able to promote the club and offer high-quality coaching services. Through word of mouth and social media efforts, Everton grew quickly and we put in place a women’s program as well as our first youth program for 8-12 year olds.

Branding

We developed our brand image which now sported a fresh logo design and recognizable wordmark that we made sure to print on all our training tops and jerseys. With the help of our passionate athletes volunteering their time, we developed a website, social media presence and an organic growth strategy based on word of mouth and the quality of services offered. We also began organizing a ton of events that helped develop a fun, social vibe and attracted even more people to our cause.

The club today (2023)

A little over 10 years over its inception, Everton has become a powerhouse of volleyball in Montreal. Stepping outside the exclusively youth or school oriented club structures prevalent across Canada, we successfully capitalized on people’s desire to learn, play and socialize in a way very few clubs have done.

We have over 500 active athletes ranging from 8 years old to adults. We offer lessons for beginners, camps for young athletes looking to take their game to the next level, as well as competitive programs aimed at ex-varsity athletes who want to continue playing after their university careers are over. We hope to continue contributing to the development of young athletes and the growth of the sport in years to come.