A shortfall in funding that could have ended the aspirations of young national team volleyball players hoping to represent Bermuda overseas this summer has been turned into a team-bonding opportunity.Teenage players from the Bermuda Volleyball Association’s (BVA) youth programme will swap the volleyball court for the open road in next week’s May 24 Half-Marathon Derby to raise the necessary money to keep alive their ambition of competing in the upcoming Junior Eastern Caribbean Championships.The youth programme has grown rapidly since it was created in January. It was hoped a sports grant from Government would cover the cost of sending players to compete in the regional championships, which are taking place in St Martin and Anguilla. However, like many other sports on the Island, the level of available funding from Government turned out to be lower than expected due to budget cutbacks.Undaunted, the teenage players and their coaches swiftly came up with ideas to overcome the cash shortfall. Last weekend some players gathered sponsorship as they helped with the Keep Bermuda Beautiful clean-up. Next Tuesday both the boys’ and girls’ teams will compete as relay teams in the May 24 Half-Marathon, collecting further sponsorship.Boys’ national team coach Mark Hamilton said the cost of sending players to the championships was about $1,000 per player. The girls are set to compete in St Martin next month with the boys travelling to Anguilla in July“This will be the first time the BVA Youth have taken part in an overseas competition. The youth programme was only started in January and now we have all these talented players and want them to have the opportunity to represent Bermuda,” he said.“When we found out the funds we were getting would not be enough, the coaches came forward to find ways to make up the difference.”Wearing national team jerseys, the players, who are aged 14 to 17, will compete as four-person relay teams covering the May 24 race route having gathered sponsorship pledges beforehand.Coaches Bill Bucci, Donna Smith and Stacey Dorush helped come up with the sponsorship-raising ideas.Bucci said: “Our parent body, the BVA, has been very helpful. We got some Government money, although it was less than expected but that just means we have to raise more ourselves, which is a good thing as it makes you work for something rather than just have it handed to you. This is going to be good team-bonding.”The youth programme players also intend to hold a fund-raising beach volleyball clinic at the start of June.Coach Hamilton said the players were anxious and excited at the prospect of travelling and playing as an international team. He encouraged any company or individual wishing to match the sponsorship of a player to get in contact with the youth programme team through the BVA’s website at www.bermudavolleyball.bm