Year 3 teacher Mr Read to represent Australia at World Championships in London

Coming off the back of wins in the Sydney Major, the Melbourne Major, and Australian National Championship, Mr Read is competing in both the individual and squad World Championships.

An emerging and fast-growing international sport, sometimes referred to as Spikeball™, Roundnet is a game played between two teams, usually with two players each. 

“The way it works is you get three hits to get the ball back onto the trampoline [without letting it hit the ground]”, Mr Read said.

“It’s a lot of fun.”

After winning the Asian Cup Individual Championship in 2023, Mr Read is excited to take on the world’s best with his playing partner and 21 other Australian athletes.

“My teammate Tom has been over in London for about a month. He’s been playing in tournaments over there which is really cool because neither of us have played outside of Asia previously. We know how good we are against all the Asia-Pacific players, but we don’t really know how good we are compared to the best in the world – Europe and the States. So he’s getting a taste of where we might match up,” he said.

“If the Australian men make top 10 that would be huge.

“In the individual tournament, if Tom and I make top 24, we’d have to be really causing some upsets at that point so that would be ideal.”

After a shoulder injury late last year, Mr Read says the four-month recovery and time spent playing with his non-dominant hand has helped to improve his game. 

“It’s definitely made me a better player. I had to relearn how to use all the muscles in my back. I’ve also had to learn a whole bunch of stuff that I didn’t know how to do before.”

“That was a big process.”

With 35 countries and over 700 athletes competing at Surry Sports Park in London from August 29, Mr Read says he’s ready to take on the competition and test his skills.

“I’m really excited!”

The Shire Christian School community and staff team are behind Mr Read as he leaves the classroom for a couple of weeks to represent Australia. 

“I’m not sure how much my class understands what I’m doing but they seem excited anyway!”

To keep up to date with Mr Read’s progress in the Championships, follow @joelread_roundnet on Instagram.