Above: Volleyball Victoria development manager Dave Frost and Dandenong community development officer Dave Smythe on one of six new hardcourts that will host state volleyball competitions.By Shaun Inguanzo
FUTURE Australian volleyball stars will set up their success at the nation’s first dedicated State Volleyball Centre.
The new facility will open in Dandenong this weekend after six years of preparation and 12 months of construction.
It is an extension to and part redevelopment of the existing Dandenong Basketball Stadium, and was jointly funded by the State Government and the City of Greater Dandenong.
The centre was built to cope with growth in volleyball participation.
Volleyball Victoria, the state’s peak body for the sport, has made the centre its headquarters.
The State Volleyball Centre has six volleyball courts and three indoor beach volleyball courts.
It also has extra toilet facilities, and the number of car parking spaces for the stadium has been increased from 416 to 532.
The Dandenong Basketball Association will retain 10 courts, but the two associations will borrow court space from one another if either hosts a large tournament.
Victorian Sports and Recreation Minister James Merlino will officially open the new sporting facility this Saturday as up to 400 people belonging to 75 volleyball teams flock to the centre to take part in State League competition, which is now hosted exclusively at the Dandenong centre.
Volleyball Victoria executive director Terry Jones took Star on an exclusive tour of the venue prior to this Saturday’s launch.
Mr Jones said Volleyball Victoria would “hit the ground running” in its bid to capitalise on the unprecedented investment in volleyball.
“This is the first dedicated state volleyball centre in Australia,” he said.
Mr Jones said his goal was to increase the state’s volleyball participation from 5000 to 10,000.
“We have taken on extra staff and costs, so increased participation is necessary because we have bills to pay that we didn’t before,” he said.
The centre will focus on school tournaments and corporate fun days, and will hire out courts to other sports such as indoor soccer to prevent the courts from being left unused.
Volleyball Victoria has hired a community development officer Dave Smythe to visit Greater Dandenong schools to kick-start volleyball programs.
Mr Jones was particularly excited about indoor beach volleyball and said he was expecting the number of social teams to boom and rapidly fill the centre’s competitions.
In November 2006 the main court of the Dandenong Basketball Stadium hosted a friendly volleyball international between Australia and Argentina, and attracted a sell-out crowd of 2000 people.
Volleyball Victoria is now looking for new players – competitive or social – as well as sponsors for its courts.
For more information on school programs, playing volleyball or sponsorship, contact the State Volleyball Centre on 9794 0009.
