He is a receive hitter for the Britain volleyball squad which will be taking its first steps on the global stage they make their debut in the first round World Championships at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield next month.

 

The 21-year-old is playing a key role in volleyball’s development performance programme as the team prepares to participate in the London 2012 Olympics.

 

Plotyczer plays professional volleyball with top-flight club Milon in Athens but it has always been his dream of playing for Britain and has been staying in Sheffield over the festive period as the squad prepares for the World Championships with games against Sweden.

 

A number of players from the British squad now reside in Sheffield, including Maria Bertelli, who will be part of the women’s squad which have their own preparation camp by taking on Austria .

 

The 30-year-old plays for national volleyball league side London Malory after making her England volleyball debut against Australia in 1996.

 

Last year she committed herself to the sport  full-time and moved to Sheffield after previously sharing her sporting ambitions by playing professional football at Charlton Athletic.

 

Bartelli even played for Charlton in the FA Cup final before the ladies team was scrapped by the London club following relegation from the Premiership in 2007.

 

She responded by flying out to Switzerland later the same month to begin her volleyball career with the newly formed British team.

 

The World Championship event will be a test of how much progress British volleyball has made and a good performance will help boost their chances of receiving enough fudning from Government agency UK Sport to continue their preparations for London 2012.

 

They were one of eight sports and disciplines overlooked when the first round of funding was awarded earlier this month.

 

Britain's men have been drawn against Belarus and Israel and if they finish top of the three-team group, they will qualify for the next round where they would face Germany, Slovakia and Croatia.

 

In total there are three qualifying rounds before the World Finals which will be taking place in Italy in 2010.

 

The women have been drawn against Israel, Portugal and Montenegro and will be hoping to finish top to reach the next round against the Ukraine, Belarus and Azerbaijan.

 

Their World Finals, which are also in 2010, will take place in Japan.

 

Tickets for the first round event, supported by Yorkshire Forward, are priced at £8 for adults and £4 for concessions.

 

They are available in advance by visiting www.volleyballengland.org, calling 0114 223 5742 or from the EIS - Sheffield reception, Coleridge Road, Sheffield, S9 5DA.