Alex Porter

Eleventh year Men’s Head Coach Alex Porter is the first performance coach in the program’s history. During his tenure he’s grown both the men’s and women’s teams to be amongst the top university volleyball teams in the country, culminating in two BUCS National titles, six BUCS Premier South Championships, four BUCS Premier South Silver Medals and four Volleyball England National Student Cup titles.

In 2024 Coach Porter lead the men to a Bronze medal at the Super League Final Four competition and in 2023 the men’s team to the first ever National Cup Final where they won a siler medal.

In 2019 the men’s team became the first team from any sport at Essex to win a BUCS National Championship. The feature was almost repeated in 2022 and 2023 when the men reached the final but won silver medals.

During the early stages of his Essex coaching career, he guided the men’s and women’s teams to win back to back promotions from BUCS Division two to the BUCS Premier South without dropping a set, with both winning the BUCS South East Conference Cup in 2015.

After winning four titles in the 2014-15 season Coach Porter was awarded the Essex Sport Coach of the Year.

Coach Porter’s philosophy is focused on developing people, both athletes and staff. Of the 152 athletes that he has coached at Essex, 30 have won their first National Team cap since joining Essex and 26 have gone on to sign professional contracts.

He has worked with Coach Chinery since 2020, mentoring him as a volunteer coach, and through two promotions Coach Chinery was elevated to the position of Women’s coach in 2023. In 2024 he will take on two new young coaches to mentor them, helping to expand their knowledge and gain valuable experience.

Coach Porter was a member of the England Senior National team from 1997 until 2006, and then the Great Britain team until he retired in 2009. He played professionally in Sweden, Austria and was part of the GB team that played in the Dutch Eredivisie. In addition to this, he was a member of the Sport Sheffield volleyball program from 1998 to 2003 and won back-to-back BUCS gold for Sheffield Hallam University.

Whilst at studying at Sheffield Hallam University he started his coaching career in 1999 and has coached at every level including the England Senior National teams.

From 2009 to 2021 Coach Porter coached at Tendring Volleyball Club, helping their men’s team to win back-to-back promotions from National League Division 3 to Division 1, and then finally to the Super League. During this period the team won the National Shield twice and reached the National Cup semi-finals.