Indoor beach volleyball centre to open in Birmingham
It will be built at Birmingham City University.
Last updated 12th Jun 2024
Birmingham is to become home to the first-ever year-round beach volleyball centre.
An agreement between Volleyball England and Birmingham City University (BCU) will see the facility built on the Perry Barr campus.
The indoor facility will help develop the sporting stars of the future, benefiting elite athletes, students and the local community.
The £250,000 4-court facility, due to be constructed by the end of 2024, will be open year-round to allow UK athletes to continuing their training into the winter months.
As part of the construction, the facility will reuse sand from the beach volleyball courts set up for 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
"It has always been an integral part of our Commonwealth Games legacy plans to establish multiple facilities in and around Birmingham that provide an outlet for local, regional, national and international activities and events,” said Volleyball England chief executive Charlie Ford.
“This new facility at BCU will be a huge help in strengthening the infrastructure and awareness of beach volleyball in England, particularly in the West Midlands.
“There is also a firm commitment from BCU and Volleyball England to develop a high-performance programme that provides educational and athletic development opportunities for aspiring beach volleyball athletes.”
Mark Jeffreys, Director of Sport and Physical Activity at BCU, says the centre will benefit the local community as well as elite players.
“You wouldn’t expect to find a world-class beach volleyball facility in the heart of the Midlands, so this is a very welcome addition,” he said.
“This investment means we will be able to help identify talented individuals from the local area who may not have otherwise experienced the challenging and engaging sport of beach volleyball”.
Former beach volleyball professional Jake Sheaf, now a 2022 Commonwealth Games legacy consultant, said the centre will have a massive impact.
“I was lucky enough to compete for England for over a decade on the World Tour, European Tour and at the Commonwealth Games,” he said.
“One of the biggest challenges we faced as full-time beach volleyball athletes based in England was all-year-round access to a suitable facility that allowed us to train at the frequency and intensity we needed to continue climbing the world rankings.
"This new facility will make a huge difference to our ability to compete at the top level.”