Courts at Barn Elms now open

Beach volleyball courts that have been created using sand from this summer’s Olympic Games are now open at the council’s flagship sports complex at Barn Elms.

The 52-acre sports venue has used 1,000 tonnes of sand from the beach volleyball venue in Horseguards Parade to provide a long-lasting Olympic legacy for the borough.

Barn Elms now boasts four recreational courts, which can also be converted into two international standard courts and could even stage matches involving the British national team.

When volleyball is not being played the courts will also be available for other sports events like beach soccer, tag rugby, beach ultimate frisbee and footvolley.

The £45,000 cost of the project was met in full by a grant from Volleyball England, following a successful funding bid to Sport England.

The courts were officially opened by the Mayor of Wandsworth Cllr Adrian Knowles at a ribbon cutting ceremony last week.

The council's spokesman on sport and leisure Cllr Jonathan Cook said:
"This brand new facility for beach volleyball at Barn Elms is one of only a small number in the country and has ensured a fantastic Olympic legacy for Wandsworth. Barn Elms is already a superb sports venue with really excellent facilities. Now we are adding this exciting Olympic sport plus a range of others to its long list of great attractions."

The riverside venue offers a diverse range of sports and leisure activities for local people and schools. It offers a number of grass pitches for rugby, football, cricket, aussie rules and rounders as well as specialist facilities such as archery, athletics, field events, a gym and boathouse for rowing. It also has artificial surfaces offering tennis, netball and hockey.

Volleyball is already a well established sport in Wandsworth. There are a number of volleyball clubs operating in the borough including the Men's National League Champions Mallory Eagles.

Wandsworth is also a centre of excellence for junior volleyball, having won both the boys' and girls' London Youth Games trophies on several occasions over the last five years. Both Ernest Bevin College and Graveney School have PE teachers with firm links to local clubs.

Ernest Bevin has also been successful in National School Championships and has provided several pupils to England Volleyball Cadet and Junior squads, while a former pupil at Graveney was a member of Team GB for the London 2012 volleyball squad.

September 24, 2012