Birmingham 2022 medallists to open beach volleyball courts

[Communications Team]

Birmingham 2022 medallists to open new legacy courts at Birmingham Moseley Rugby

Beach Volleyball twins Javier and Joaquin Bello are set to formally open three new community legacy courts that will use the sand they played on when winning bronze medals at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

They will attend a day of celebration at the new facility - based at Birmingham Moseley Rugby - on Bank Holiday Monday, 28th August, from 10am to 5pm.

The central focus of the day will be a pilot tournament that will feature players from clubs who are members of the West Midlands Volleyball Association (WMVA).

The Bello brothers – who finished in a historic fifth place at the recent EuroBeachVolley 2023 tournament in Vienna – will also play an exhibition set and lead a quickfire coaching clinic.

"The Birmingham Games were a fantastic event for the whole city and region - and the beach volleyball at Smithfield was a wonderful addition for all of us involved with volleyball in the region. Between local players, refs and coaches volunteering, a standout team of West Mids juniors as courtside assistants and plenty of us heading down to watch matches, you couldn't be at Smithfield without seeing someone from the volleyball community. But the best thing of all was seeing all of the new people to volleyball getting hooked on the action," said WMVA Chair, Kara Griffiths. 

Now it's time to capitalise on that and ensure we continue to grow participation in the sport across the region, and beyond, and these courts are a fantastic step forward to help us do that. We're all really excited to have the first Birmingham 2022 legacy venue open for bookings and it's fantastic that the Bellos – who captured the hearts of the people of the region last year – will be in attendance to officially open it,”

“We are all really looking forward to engaging with the local community and helping them make the most of what will be a wonderful facility, that can, one day, hopefully produce the next generation of England international players, as well as a host of recreational players.”

With work on the courts completed, they are already available for clubs and the public to book.

The rate is £25 per hour, per court and bookings can be made via... (details of how to book in here)

Robin Johnson, Birmingham Moseley Rugby Director, is delighted to welcome the new Beach Volleyball courts to the club and said: “Birmingham 2022 was such a phenomenal event for our city, so we were only too delighted to get involved in this legacy project.

“We already have very strong links with the local community and people in our local area, and this will enable us to spread our reach further and help even more people get active and try a new sport.”

Members of the public are invited to attend the opening of the courts to watch matches, while there will also be time to set aside for people to take to the sand and have a go themselves.

The bar at Birmingham Moseley Rugby will be open, with food and drink available to purchase throughout the day.

The new courts are just one part of a Birmingham 2022 legacy project and have been made possible by funding from Sport England, while Volleyball has assisted with the build.

There are future plans to build more Beach Volleyball courts adjacent to the site of the city’s Alexandra Stadium, which was also used during last summer’s Games.

“After Javier and Joaquin’s success at Birmingham 2022 last summer, we have been extremely keen to take advantage of that interest in Beach Volleyball to build a lasting legacy,” said Volleyball England’s Birmingham 2022 Legacy Consultant, Jake Sheaf.

“The facility at Birmingham Moseley Rugby forms a key part of that vision and it is really pleasing to see the courts up and running and being used by local people.”