ANDREA Green is set to captain Britain in March – at the same time as learning whether her 2012 Paralympic dream is still alive.

Green, from Littleover, is in the Team GB sitting volleyball women's squad who are waiting to learn if they will compete in the London Games.

A decision by the British Paralympic Association is due early next month, at the same time as the team will be heading for Cairo to compete in the 2012 Intercontinental Cup between March 3-9.

The tournament will feature 16 men's and 12 women's teams.

"There was a BPA board meeting in November about the London Games but they deferred their decision on the women's team until the first week in March," said Green.

"There are lots of individual and team targets to meet.

"It's about looking at fitness, weight loss, nutrition – building a consistent programme.

"As a team, we came seventh in the Europeans in October last year and in the 2010 worlds, we came 11th, which isn't too bad.

"Our target in the Europeans was to finish fifth or sixth and I think if we had done that, we would have had the green light for the Paralympics in November.

"We have been going for two years now, while the men's team – which is definitely going to the Paralympics – have been together for four years.

"So we are a new squad with a mixture of people, not many of whom have played volleyball before, so it's a real uphill climb.

"I have been awarded the captaincy for the next tournament, the Inter-Continental Cup in Cairo, which will be held in the first week of March and overlap the BPA's decision. Hopefully, we'll get the go-ahead.

"Until then, we're all working really hard to get where we need to be with the weight loss targets, as well as getting stronger, improving our technique."

A back injury forced Green to give up playing volleyball – she had disc herniation, resulting in nerve damage, that eventually led to a dropped foot.

But a chance meeting with a BPA official at a sitting volleyball awareness day hosted by Loughborough University opened the door for a new sporting challenge.

She went on a six-month talent transition programme by the BPA at Bath University and, last year, was voted GB Women's Sitting Volleyball Athlete of the year, as well as being appointed vice-captain of the side.

Now captaincy beckons and Green, who works at Derbyshire Healthcare Foundation Trust as a specialist community physio, is about to increase her training schedule, doing an extra day on Saturday.

"From February, I will be doing three days a week training with the squad at Roehampton University – Saturday, Sunday and Monday," she added.

"Everything is monitored each week by Volleyball England, who then send their feedback to the BPA.

"For instance, on a Sunday at Roehampton, we do three sets of two hours.

"That involves working on technique, drills, serving and return, lots of game play and a lot of conditioning as well within the games.

"It is very high intensity.

"On Monday, there are a couple of hours in the afternoon and three hours in the evening.

"Then I drive back to Derby later in the evening for work on Tuesday morning.

"It's hard work and hopefully we will get the reward."