Richmond Volleyball celebrates 10 years of Beach Volleyball in Teddington
On Saturday Richmond Volleyball Club celebrated 10 years of beach volleyball at the beach courts in Teddington. From humble beginnings of just a few training sessions a week, the club has grown over the years to using the courts to near full capacity, running up to six summer training sessions every weeknight as well as hosting weekly open sessions and tournaments as part of the UK Beach Tour on weekends and junior beach volleyball camps during the school holidays.
Richmond Volleyball is a Volleyball England accredited Beach Volleyball Development Centre producing many national champions and several players currently representing England at international competitions such as the Commonwealth Games, European Beach Volleyball Championships and on the Beach Pro Tour started their journey at the courts in Teddington.
In September 2014 the current Richmond Volleyball Beach Manager Martin Rees together with the late Andre Montenegro organised the first ever Saturday open session with a group of just 8 players. The aim was to provide fun; all year-round beach volleyball for all levels, with club members as well as non-members from the local community welcome. 10 years later the sessions have grown into three separate sessions with regular attendance often over 60 players every week.
To celebrate this achievement the club invited all members, friends and family for a fun day of Beach and Grass Volleyball with music and lots of great food including a barbecue.
Martin Rees commented: “It was fantastic to see so many players that were there from the beginning as well the current and next generation of players, all coming together to celebrate, enjoy playing the sport and have fun on the sand. I would like to thank everyone who attended, contributed food and all the volunteers that helped organise this great event. Finally thank you to all the players, parents, coaches, volunteers, partners and the staff at Teddington Sports Centre for their dedication and support that helped make it such a successful 10 years.”
If you feel inspired and would like to try this sport, the Saturday open beach sessions are the best place to start and include sessions for complete beginners. Click here for more information or come and see us at the courts at Teddington’s Broom Road Recreation Ground.
Click here for more photos from the event.
Photos by Rob Addis Photography.