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First look at new national beach volleyball centre

Eleanor Lawson
BBC News, West Midlands
BCU A CGI image showing what one of the outside beach volleyball courts could look like. It shows a large sandy court with four nets in the middle of the field, with blue lines marked out on the sand. Grass and trees are seen in the distance.BCU
A national training centre for beach volleyball will be built on the Moor Lane site at Birmingham City University

Images have been released showing the first designs for a new national training centre for beach volleyball in Birmingham.

Comprised of four courts, the all-weather sports facility will be built on the Moor Lane site at Birmingham City University (BCU). The university has described it as a "landmark" facility that they say will "transform beach volleyball performance in the UK".

Designed to support England's elite beach volleyball programme, the university says the facility will be the first of its kind in Europe, enabling year-round training regardless of weather conditions.

Construction will begin once final planning is approved, with completion due this autumn.

BCU A CGI image showing what one of the inside beach volleyball courts could look like, with a white domed roof, sand on the floor and white nets with blue posts running through it.BCU
The project is backed by BCU, Sport England, Volleyball England and the FIVB Empowerment Fund

Purpose-built for elite performance, the centre reuses sand and infrastructure from the 2022 Commonwealth Games, where England's Javier and Joaquin Bello clinched bronze.

Volleyball England chief executive, Charlie Ford, said: "We are delighted to be in a position where work is expected to start imminently after we have worked through some site complexities that have delayed the original timescale slightly.

"Seeing these images, and having met with staff from BCU who are equally excited about this project as we are, it really brings home what a seminal moment this is for beach volleyball in this country.

"In years gone by, it's been difficult to have a joined-up approach without a facility that can bring together our most talented players to train regularly, but that will soon now be a reality ... and we can't wait."

BCU A CGI image showing an aerial view of what one of the outside beach volleyball courts could look like. It shows a large sandy pitch with four nets in the middle of the field, with blue lines marked out on the sand. Grass and trees are seen in the distance, and seats are placed along the outskirts of the sand.BCU
Work on the site could be completed by autumn 2025

BCU's sport development officer, Phil Llewellyn, said: "BCU is delighted to have partnered with Volleyball England on this unique project. We believe it provides a genuine legacy to the city, the West Midlands and the UK.

"We are as excited as Volleyball England to get the centre open and start engaging the athletes using our world class sports science support based at Alexander Stadium. We also want to give local people the chance to take part in completely new sport.

"I'd like to thank everyone for their hard work and dedication on the project so far and we look forward to the centre opening ready for the new academic year."

Backed by BCU, Sport England, Volleyball England, and the FIVB Empowerment Fund, the venue will allow UK athletes to train year-round.

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