Jaiha Birkett is grateful for the opportunities she has been given while playing the sport she loves. Photo: Roy Meuronen.
Jaiha Birkett first picked up a volleyball at the age of 14 and hasn’t looked back since.
The now 21-year-old has dedicated the past six years to playing as a passionate middle blocker for numerous teams across the national capital including the Canberra Heat in the Australian Volleyball League (AVL).
Starting off in her school team at Lyneham High School, Jaiha says she loved the sport from day one.
“I originally joined the team because a few of my friends were playing so I decided to join them. We had a great time playing for the school and going on trips to Melbourne to compete in national competitions,” Jaiha says.
“After high school I started playing for the Belconnen Volleyball Club which was great and eventually I moved on to play for the Canberra Heat.”
The Heat opened up opportunities for Jaiha all the way to Sweden where last year she played professionally for Lindesberg Volley.
“It was such an amazing opportunity, I was there from September until April basically training every day and playing every weekend in the Elitserien league season.”
Jaiha has played for the Canberra Heat every year since finishing high school and is hoping to continue in 2024.
“We have trials coming up soon and I’m hoping my experience will help me get over the line to play for them again.”
Jaiha says the best part about playing the sport is the teamwork that goes into it.
“I think volleyball is very unique in how much you depend on your teammates to get the ball over the net and defeat your opponents.”
According to the Australian Sports Commission, volleyball is the nation’s most gender-equal sport, boasts 240,000 participants, and is the third biggest Olympic team sport.
Jaiha says she is lucky to be turning her passion for the game into a future career.
“I definitely want to pursue it on a more professional level, I am lucky enough to be training full time at the AIS [Australian Institute of Sport] with some more senior players and great coaches,” she says.
“The training has been really beneficial for me and I’m hoping it will help me in the long run for my career.”
She is extremely grateful for the support of Canberra Heat and Volleyball ACT over the past few years.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support of Volleyball ACT and the community, I am extremely fortunate to have such a great support system behind me.
“It is a great sport and I have made so many friends in my time playing. I can’t recommend giving it a go high enough.”
Volleyball ACT welcomes new players of all ages year round. For information on how to get involved, visit Volleyball ACT.
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