This week the sand that formed the London 2012 beach volley ball courts at Horse Guards Parade has been transferred to Brentwood. The sand will be used to construct a new outdoor sports zone on the grounds of the Brentwood Centre. There are plans to construct a small stadium so that it can then host regional, national and maybe even international tournaments.
The Brentwood Centre is not the only site receiving Olympic sand – there are 6 sites across the UK. Around 800 tonnes of sand were used to build the beach volleyball arena in Greenwich – this is valued at around £61,000.
The Brentwood Centre is planning to use the sand to construct two beach volleyball courts. These will both be available for public hire as well as tournaments. In addition to beach volley, beach football tournaments may also be held.
Sport England are heloping to finance the new project by injecting £50,000 towards the £120,000 development costs. It is expected to take around 2-3 months to complete the new courts, which means that they facility should be open to the public in early 2013 – if planning permission is granted.
Essex has a very strong volley ball presence. If you are interested in trying beach volleyball or volleyball, get in touch with some of our local clubs;
Essex Volleyball Clubs
- Southend Volleyball Club – Play from 5.15 to 8.30 every Sunday. Contact Andy Frith on 07753 882484 or [email protected] for information.
- Brentwood Volleyball Club – all types of volleyball are plays – Standing, Sitting, Indoor, Outdoor and Beach Volleyball. They sometimes play at Shenfield Common, Brentwood. Contact the club for details. Web: www.volleyballbrentwood.com
- Chelmsford VC – Chelmsford train at 7pm on Thursdays. Their home court is Anglia Ruskin University Sports Hall. For more information contact Steve Peacock on 01245 262710. Web. www.volleyball.co.uk/chelmsford
- Tendring Volleyball Club – based at Tendring Technology College in Frinton on Sea. Court and beach volleyball played. Contact [email protected] for information. Web: www.tendringvolleyball.com
- Thurrock Volleyball Club – On Saturdays we play socially and train more seriously and play matches in the Essex leagues. Contact (after 4pm) – Deji Adeaga on 07956 372344 or Luis Pereira on 07523 706389. Email: [email protected]
Learn more about volleyball in Essex from the Essex Volleyball Association. The Essex Volleyball Association is the governing body of all forms of volleyball within the Essex county. Website: www.volleyball.co.uk
Essex Volleyball Teams
There are currently 8 clubs in Essex that provide 14 teams for the Essex League. Here are the teams with contact details. They will be able to tell you about opportunities for training and playing.
- Billericay – Amity Ashley Parsons 07896 300276
- Brentwood 1 (Woofs) – Ricky Peagram 07922 092818
- Brentwood 2 (Whackers) – Rhino Rob Ellis 07818 045368
- Brentwood 3 (Bombers) – Brendan Osborne 07880 731053
- Brentwood Divas – Lorraine Bartlett
- Chelmsford 1 & 2 – Steve Peacock 07732 272250
- Exiles – Amanda Pollard 07986 946857
- Harlow – Ilia Kalanov 07881 936597
- Southend Comets 1 – Mark Davies
- Southend Comets 2 – Ailsa Miller and Graeme
- Stowmarket – Mark Ames
- Tendring 1 – Liam Chinnery 07956 857386
- Tendring 2 – Alex Porter 07930 433344
Source: www.volleyball.co.uk
Photo by Francisco Antunes.
