Kilkenny Mystics is a volleyball club with a powerful mission: to provide an outlet for isolated people in the community. The club has grown significantly, now boasting 40 active members from a broader group of 50, with a notably transitional membership – many members work on short-term contracts but maintain strong connections to the club.
"Our ethos is giving an outlet for isolated people in the community," explained Chiara Trench from Kilkenny Mystics. "We're a group of men and women, and it's very transitional – people working on 6-month contracts – but they always keep in touch.".
The club's evolution has been remarkable. It operated as women's-only for three years before becoming mixed last summer, and the response has been transformative. "We laid a national league team last year that was exclusively women. Now we've got loads of men coming," Chiara said. "We've also got two coaches from different clubs who are bringing the concept of moving to Carlow as well.".
The club is now establishing a national league team in Carlow for the coming September – a significant expansion that required spreading the word to potential players..
Volleyball is an expensive sport, with hall hire being the primary cost driver. "It's one of the reasons we didn't go into national league this year," Chiara explained. "We charge €55 a month for one training session, but we offer better prices with bigger numbers – two nights, two sessions per week – and we do pay-as-you-go for people who can't commit to a full membership".
The club attracts a diverse age range, from people in their 20s to 48-year-olds. "I'm 48 and used to play as a teen and I loved going back," Chiara said. "I thought in my 30s there's no way I'm playing sport, but volleyball has opened my eyes to how inclusive it is. People are coming out of the pockets of their own communities.".
The sport itself is dynamic and demanding. "It's very competitive – they're mad for it," Chiara explained. "They bounce off each other. You've got people at two ends of the world just having great fun and connection. It's a dynamic sport, it's fast, it's a thinker's game – it's all about tactics. You need skill, athletic ability, jumping, diving, hitting – it's all involved.".
The club's diversity reflects the community it serves. "We have great cross-overs between communities – Brazilians, Eastern Europeans," Chiara said. "It's a sport that truly brings people together.".
The Cash4Clubs grant will support hall hire and help reduce membership costs, making the sport more accessible to those facing financial barriers.
Learn more about how your club and community can benefit from a grant from Cash4Clubs
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