Beach Volleyball

Beach volleyball, although growing, does not yet attract the same numbers of players as it does in many other European countries. Nonetheless, numerous ULU players are involved in the beach volleyball in England and have continuously performed very well. For the latest details check out the news.

Beach Volleyball Student Cup

The only competition in beach volleyball in England for students is the Student Cup, which commenced in 2006. ULU made their mark by winning the 1st place in the men's competition both years and the women's competition in 2007.

Info about the event can be found here.

Beach Volleyball in England

The Volleyball England Beach Tour (VEBT) is the official national beach volleyball tour in England. Established formally in 2006, the VEBT has replaced the old "Grand Prix Series" and has been growing and spreading very rapidly, with tournaments being held at 11 locations throughout England in summer 2007. Tournaments are known as Opens, Grand Slams and Finals and 2007 has 7 Opens, 3 Grand Slams and a Finals tournament in the schedule. This is a record number of events for a beach volleyball tour anywhere in the UK. Entry is open to anyone wishing to participate For up-to-date information on what is happening with the VEBT, full details on registering for all events and general information on beach volleyball in England and the UK, see the Volleyball England beach pages.

There is also a UK Urban Tour, a series of four events taking place in large cities in each of the four UK Home Nations, which was first set up in 2006. This is a high profile, promotional Tour and entry is by selection only. Information on the Urban Tour is available here.

For photos from English beach volleyball tournaments in 2005:

With the London 2012 Olympics only a short time away now, the Volleyball England Beach Commission is looking forward to increased interest in the sport as well as sponsorship possibilities.

Beach Volleyball in London

Beach volleyball in London is currently in an encouraging expansion period. A permanent court has been set up in central London at Shoreditch park (nearest tube Old Street on the Northern Line) which is run by the London Beach Volleyball Club. Players of all skill levels are welcome to come to one of the many training sessions which run regularly between May and September. In order to contact club directly and more details are available here. Many past and present ULU players are members of the London Beach Volleyball Club so questions can also be directed to one of the ULU committee members.

Beach volleyball is currently one of the fastest growing sports in the world and was the second most viewed sport at the Olympics in Athens in 2004. It is a sport that can be enjoyed by all since it is low cost and easy to learn. Visiting any of the numerous permanent beach courts in countries such as Germany, France or Switzerland (often far from any real "beaches") shows how popular the sport is amongst beginners, intermediate and professional players alike. Take Berlin as an example, where the beach centre, ''beachmitte'', has existed for almost 10 years now and has expanded the number of courts to 36, all of which are full every weekend and evening. Recently, another two centres have been set up, both of which offer 20 courts. Additionally, there are 10 indoor beach courts and further courts can be found in many clubs and parks.

The English Beach Volleyball scene has recently seen some small, yet very significant steps forward in expanding the Beach Volleyball availability. Opportunities to play have been boosted by the opening of the Nivea Sun Yellowave Beach Courts in Brighton in 2007 and the first permanent central London court set up by the London Beach Volleyball Club in coordination with the Hackney Council in Shoreditch Park in 2006. The summer of 2007 saw London's first major Beach Volleyball events in Regent's Park and Ruislip Lido featuring many of the UK's top players and future Olympic hopefuls. Additionally, a temporary court was set up in the O2 Centre during the months of July and August, attracting good numbers of players wanting to learn more about the sport. Due to increased demand in beach volleyball in the UK, the prospects for another permanent beach volleyball facility similar to the Nivea Sun Yellowave seems likely to soon come to central London...fingers crossed!

ULU Volleyball, in cooperation with the EVA Beach Volleyball Commission (the attentive reader might have noticed the overlap) is currently trying to expand the number of beach volleyball courts in London. We are looking for willing collaborators, who could provide a flat and reasonably secluded area of about 15m x 25m (for one court), be it in a park, on an unused plot of land or even on the roof of a building! We currently possess the knowledge and experience on how to build beach courts. All that is lacking is space and the financial resources. If you think you can help, we would love to hear from you. Please contact Mark Kontopoulos (EVA Beach Commissioner) or one of the other ULU officers.

<Athina> s.masouros@ic.ac.uk mail to webmaster do you ULU?