A 16-year-old volleyball prodigy has been given a boost in his dreams of performing at the Olympic Games.

Ryan Poole, from Enfield, is one of just ten sports up and coming stars to be given funding from a new scheme to help them compete at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

Inspired by his father, who played international volleyball for Ireland, the 16-year-old first learnt how to play on a holiday in Lanzarote just four years ago.

“When we returned to England I started training with a regional junior squad and gradually, over the past few years, I gave up playing football and rugby to concentrate on volleyball full-time.” Mr Poole said.

Having already played with the England U18 national side, the teenager has committed his all into getting to the Olympics in five years’ time.

He said: “I want to be the best I can be. I enjoy training, working hard and learning new things and seeing myself improve as a result. I want to achieve my ambitions and realise that the only way I will is to work hard. I also want to raise the profile of the sport and make people realise just how enjoyable a sport it is.”

The funding comes from East Village, the former athletes’ village in 2012, with charity SportsAid to support the best athletes aged between 14-19.

Whilst preparing for his GCSEs at the same time, you might think that it would hard to cram in anything else.

Not so with the volleyball star, who trains with his national league side, his junior team, goes to the gym three times and helps his dad coach other clubs all in one week.

Inspired by Giba, a famous name in the Brazilian volleyball side, Mr Poole hopes the funding from SportsAid will help him to achieve his dream.

He said: “My SportsAid Award will enable me to contribute towards the costs of my participation, which are currently paid for by my parents. This in turn will allow me to attend more training sessions, helping me to reach my performance goals.”

Tim Lawler, Chief Executive of SportsAid added: “This is a fantastic example of the living legacy of London 2012. Young athletes still tell us how much the Games inspired them so we are delighted to be working with East Village to help them achieve their ambitions.”