Teen launches Hinckley Roundnet to grow Spikeball in Leicestershire
A 19-year-old built Hinckley Roundnet from scratch after finding no local place to play, and the club is heading to two Leicestershire showcases.
Matt Davison, 19, turned the lack of local places to play roundnet, also known as Spikeball, into Hinckley Roundnet, a club built around accessibility, affordability and a welcoming tone. It has given Hinckley and Bosworth its first community roundnet club, with a setup aimed at players who want to come along socially or test themselves in competition.
The next push will be public. Hinckley Roundnet is set to showcase the sport at Market Bosworth Festival this weekend and at Ravenstone Picnic on the Green on Saturday, July 4, giving Davison two chances to put the two-player, two-team game in front of new players. Market Bosworth Festival describes itself as a registered charity promoting art, music and drama in and around Market Bosworth, while Ravenstone Picnic on the Green is listed as a free community event.
Roundnet’s appeal is easy to explain once people see it. The game is played with up to three touches to return the ball, and British Roundnet says that simplicity is part of the reason it wants a stronger national footprint. British Roundnet describes itself as the national governing body for the sport in Britain, holds registered charity status under charity number 1207089 and says membership is vital to roundnet becoming a registered sport. Its membership page lists 304 members, with fan membership priced at £5 per season and competitive membership from £10.
That national structure matters for a club like Hinckley Roundnet. British Roundnet says it has a three-year development strategy running from 2023 to 2026, along with club-affiliation guidance, starter packs for new university clubs and sanctioning support for events. Roundnet Clubs lists 25 clubs across the UK, but only one in the Hinckley and Bosworth area, underlining how clearly Davison is filling a gap in Leicestershire rather than entering a crowded market.
The wider pathway is already in place. The International Roundnet Federation says it was created to give the sport a unified international home, staged the first official Roundnet World Championship in Belgium in 2022 and launched its Roundnet Rule Revolution in October 2024 to test changes for 2025 aimed at longer rallies and fewer double faults and aces. For Davison, the pitch is straightforward: build regular play in parks and sports venues, keep the entry point low, then turn a single club into the foundation for a Midlands league.
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