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As another beach volleyball season beckons, we are delighted to officially welcome Northern Ireland into the UK Beach Tour family.
Organised by the Northern Irish Volleyball Federation, the beaches of Portrush will play host to a number of UKBT events this summer, with levels ranging from 1 to 3 stars throughout the season. This marks a fantastic milestone for the UK Beach Tour, as we officially operate across all four home nations of the UK in our mission to grow the sport.
The inclusion of the UK Beach Tour is one of many recent milestones for the growth of Northern Irish volleyball. NIVF vice-president Joanna McCrory was recently nominated for a National Women in Sports Award, following her fantastic work with the CEV in delivering a development project to provide volleyball sessions within the schools of Northern Ireland.
This in addition to the notable performances of top ranked men’s pairing Peter Stewart and Jeff Scott (pictured above). The team has been competing within the upper echelons of the UK Beach Tour these past 2 seasons, winning a bronze medal at last year's Scotland Grand Slam. Scott said:
'We are absolutely delighted to be a part of the UK Beach Tour this year. Beach Volleyball in Northern Ireland has been going from strength to strength over the past few years and this is a really positive step forwards in providing opportunities for our players here in Northern Ireland to test themselves against some of the best players from across the UK."
UKBT director Jake Sheaf is also excited about the inclusion of NI to the tour. ‘It has always been a goal of ours since launching UKBT to deliver tournaments across the entire country,’ said Sheaf. ‘It is fantastic for us to be engaging with such a thriving volleyball community in Northern Ireland, and we can’t wait to grow alongside each other this season and beyond.’
You can find more information about tournaments in Northern Ireland, including details of how to enter, by following the link below: