Without a shadow of a doubt, volleyball is the hottest sport

You swooned over netball girls in school before realising they were just your middle of the road Home Counties huns, who enjoyed being able to say they were wing defence while standing on the sidelines in a frilly little skirt.

Fast forward a few years and you’re tired of the cliché; you’re after something more from your sporting fantasies. You didn’t even mean to find what you were looking for, you just stumbled across the pop-up pitch in the park on a warm summer’s day, or you accidentally walked into the wrong sports hall mid-training session. From the second you laid eyes on those tiny Spandex and watched the knees bend as the long, tanned arm stretched out to serve, you were hooked. Volleyball players are the grown-up netball players you’ve been waiting for.

Their Spandex are the smallest things you’ve ever seen

Who cares if there’s actually a reason their shorts are always so small? All that matters is the tight Lycra showing off their bums, perfectly sculpted after years of squatting. You can’t take your eyes off them as they run around court, slapping each other’s arses whenever there’s an ace.

Teeny tiny

You know there’s probably a thong under those shorts too

If you’ve ever worn Spandex, you know there’s no stopping the wedgie you’re about to get, or the fact you’ll have to pull it out every time you get a spare second. Anything other than a thong only worsens the problem, and you definitely don’t want four bum cheeks.

Volleyball players are so exotic

From the Philippines to Croatia, South East Asia to Brazil, volleyball teams are incredibly diverse. It’s not a massive sport in Britain, but that’s what makes volleyball players so special right?

Beach volleyball is a whole other level

Just when you thought they couldn’t get any more tanned, toned or fun, they invent a sport which shows you their ridiculously tight core and is played on a beach where everyone dives in the sand and then goes for a dip in the sea. It just makes you want to move to Spain really.

So tanned, so toned

You never knew you had a thing for girls with long legs before

All those leggy 5’10 stunners have you dreaming about their really, really, toned thighs. They are literally never ending: over a metre of bronzed, silky smooth legs which move quicker than anything you’ve ever seen before.

They’re the only reason you watch the Olympics

Bring on Rio 2016. Counting down the days.

They’re feisty as hell

If you’ve ever watched a match, you’ll have seen the coaches slaying them from the sidelines as a block isn’t covered or there’s a foot fault. But you’ll have also seen them give as good as they get. There’s something exciting about watching them bark at each other through the net, or chant in unison when they win a point. It’s scary, but that fire in their belly is something you dream of seeing off court too.

Volleyball players have the peachiest bums you’ve ever laid eyes on

They are literally living proof doing squats lifts, firms and works miracles for your bum.

Peachy

They’re really low maintenance

A manicure is going to snap off within two minutes of stepping on court, and they’re definitely not going to make a fuss about a bruise or two. Try playing a match when you’ve forgotten your knee pads, or having your training session dedicated to digging.

They know what they want, and they go after it with everything they’ve got

There is literally no stopping them when a ball is coming their way.