Major international beach volleyball tournament to be played in Yorkshire this weekend

Bridlington is hosting the NEVZA (European Volleyball Zonal Association) Beach Championships, with senior and youth events running back-to-back over six days.

The men’s and women’s senior tournaments begin at South Beach today (Friday), with finals scheduled for two days later.

After a rest day to reset, the under-18s and under-20s, including a strong White Rose contingent, take to the sand from next Tuesday to Thursday.

Norway, Scotland, Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Iceland are among the nations taking part, alongside England.

Yorkshire is developing into a bit of a powerhouse of indoor and beach volleyball and the staging of this month’s tournament is a major coup for the Bridlington-based Skyball club after the NEVZA youth competition was successfully played on its home sand last summer.

Skyball’s Maks Makowski and Joshua Cosgrove are entered in both the senior and youth events and also play indoors for Leeds-based Ruth Gorse Academy.

Skyball founder Pete Makowski is a coach at Ruth Gorse and part of the England beach volleyball backroom staff.

“We have worked hard on this beach for the last 15 years and been bringing junior players through for at least the last eight years, so seeing some of those young players representing England here in Bridlington is a dream come true,” he said.

“It shows the amount of work and resilience we have put into the beach programme here in Yorkshire.”

Skyball’s Dylan Parson, an under-18 national indoor champion with Ruth Gorse, will represent England next week.

While the weather is forecast to be warm and dry, Bridlington is known for its blustery conditions, which could give the home-based players an advantage.

“There’s not much you can do about the weather, but if it is tough conditions, it will be hard for everyone,” predicted Parsons.

“I’ve been playing here (in Bridlington) for three or four years now and that definitely helps.”

Spectators are welcome at both events, with no charge for admission. Matches will also be streamed live on organisers Volleyball England’s YouTube channel.