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23 September 2019
When you think of Beach Volleyball, rarely does a converted Bowling Green on the outskirts of Perth come to mind. But thanks to a partnership between Perth Volleyball Club, the Scottish Volleyball Association, and Perth and Kinross Council, the 2019 CEV SCA Beach Volleyball Finals took place at Darnhall Tennis Club in Perth.
Organisers replaced the Copacabana with the banks of the Tay, the Maracana with McDiarmid Park, and Christ the Redeemer with Scone Palace but the Beach Volleyball was just as fast and powerful as in its natural home of Brazil.
The Small Countries Association brings together fifteen of the smallest Volleyball playing nations in Europe to create a more level playing field. The fifteen are made up of nations such as Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Andorra, Luxemburg and even the Faroe Islands and Cyprus.
For the 2019 CEV SCA Beach Volleyball Finals, there were 15 Women’s Teams and 12 Men’s Pairs representing Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Monaco, Iceland, Cyprus and England (thanks to Wildcard slots).
Events such as the SCA Beach Finals are becoming increasingly important following the amazing announcement that Beach Volleyball will be a part of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. President of the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) Dr. Ary S. Graça F° commented that, “The FIVB is honoured that beach volleyball has once again been selected for the Commonwealth Games after its successful debut in Gold Coast last year.
“Volleyball is an inclusive sport that is enjoyed all over the commonwealth by people of all abilities and backgrounds. As a sports leader in gender equality, we are extremely proud to be part of Birmingham 2022, an event which is set to have the biggest female and para sports programmes in history.”
The Main Draw in Perth began on Friday morning. After completing the modified pool play, the top athletes from the pool phases then moved onto the Quarter Finals and eventually Semi Finals on the Saturday afternoon.
These were certainly not to be missed with teams doing their everything to make Sunday’s Final. The last day was spent hoping for one more day of sun for the Finals over lunchtime on the Sunday, as sadly organisers can only guarantee the sand, not the sun.
Lynne Beattie, the London 2012 Team GB Volleyball Captain and one half of the top Scottish Women’s Pair said;
“As a team we are very excited about this weekends tournament in Perth not only for the challenge of international competition and the prospect of us and many other Scottish teams, playing in front of a home crowd.
This tournament represented the launch of Scotland’s first inland beach volleyball facility, aimed at making the fantastic sport more accessible and more visible across the country.
The facility will bring opportunity to local people of all ages and abilities and will present a platform from which to play sport and get physically active, in a fun, sociable outdoor environment in Darnhall.
As a team we are really keen that our sport is available to everyone. We are delighted to see the build of permanent courts in Perth and hope this can contribute to the continued growth of our sport in Scotland.”
This event would not have been possible without Paterson’s Quarries, the Community Justice team in Perth, and Richards Gardening Maintenance Services as well as Perth and Kinross Council.
Ian Potter is a local professional photographer who has captured many events for Small City in the past, visit his website to find out more.
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