INTERNATIONAL YOUTH BEACH VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS TO TAKE PLACE IN BRIDLINGTON
Bridlington will host the North European Volleyball Zonal Association (NEVZA) Youth Beach Volleyball Championships 2024 later this month.
It’s the first time that such a high profile international competition has been held on Bridlington beach, and it’s hoped that the crowds will turn out to show their support for the home side and the other competing nations.
Taking place between Tuesday 25th and Friday 28th June, the event will feature four competitions across two age categories; U18 Girls, U18 Boys, U20 Girls and U20 Boys.
It’s open to all North European Volleyball Zonal Association (NEVZA) member countries, which are Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Greenland and England, and a maximum of 16 teams will be permitted to enter each competition.
Teams will initially play in a pool format contest before advancing to a knockout phase, which means that they will each play at least five matches.
Charlie Ford, Chief Executive Officer of Volleyball England, said: “We’ve been working hard as an organisation to bring an international beach tournament to England over the past 12 months to 18 months, so we’re thrilled that we’ll be welcoming young players from across the NEVZA region this summer.
“I’m sure our young players will love rubbing shoulders with some of the best emerging talent from overseas, pushing themselves hard to see how they measure up.
“They are also sure to enjoy having the home advantage, which doesn’t happen all that often, so hopefully the crowds can come out to support them, as well as all the countries competing.”
England last hosted a NEVZA event in 2018, when the NEVZA U17 and U19 Championships were held indoors at National Volleyball Centre in Kettering.
Before that, the NEVZA Senior Beach Volleyball Championships were held in Bournemouth in 2016.
Simon Dahl, NEVZA’s General secretary, commented: “We are very happy and grateful to have Volleyball England hosting the NEVZA U20 and U18 Beach Volleyball Championships for boys and girls as the first edition after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m sure that our young players are eager to compete for the titles, will value the experience of playing international teams and will bring us exciting matches.”
The event is being hosted with support from Skyball Beach Volleyball Club, which is based in Bridlington, and supported by Visit East Yorkshire.
Skyball Beach Volleyball Club regularly hosts UK Beach Tour national volleyball events each summer and will also host the Yorkshire Series and Four-Star Northern Open this year.
Chair of Visit Hull and East Yorkshire’s Advisory Board, Chris Blacksell, who is also a Deputy Lieutenant of the East Riding of Yorkshire, said: “We are thrilled to welcome such a high profile, international event to East Yorkshire to showcase some of Europe’s elite junior volleyball players.
“Bringing this event to Bridlington will hopefully help to inspire a new generation of players and supporters, both in the local area and beyond, as well as providing a huge tourism boost to our local businesses.”
For more information about the North European Volleyball Zonal Association (NEVZA) Youth Beach Volleyball Championships 2024, visit www.volleyballengland.org/article/969/bridlington-to-stage-nevza-youth-beach-volleyball-championships-2024.
Volleyball fans are promised yet another exciting weekend of sport on 6th and 7th July, when the 41st annual Bridlington Beach Volleyball Tournament takes place.
More than 700 players from 120 teams will compete in the event on South Beach, which is sponsored and supported by Visit East Yorkshire and free to watch.
The tournament is open to players of all levels of ability and is expected to attract competitors from across the UK and Europe, as well as four teams from the USA, who will return for the third time this year.
