When it comes to beach volleyball, Coolangatta’s iconic wide golden beach has become synonymous with the sport. This month Australia’s best volleyball players will go head-to-head, and take on the world’s top teams, in a showcase of skill on the sand over 10 days.
One of the jewels of the southern Gold Coast coastline, Coolangatta beach played host to the first ever Commonwealth Games beach volleyball matches in 2018, and since then has become the new home for Australia’s national beach volleyball championships.
From 24 March through to 2 April, Volleyslam 2023 Festival will take over Coolangatta beach with four separate championship events across 10 days including the Australian Beach Volleyball Championships, the Australian Youth Beach Volleyball Championships, the Australian Beach Volleyball Schools Cup, and crowd favourite – the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour – Futures event.
Major Events Gold Coast CEO Jan McCormick said the annual Volleyslam festival celebrates the best of the best in beach volleyball with some incredible action that you definitely want to be beachside for.
“Beach volleyball is one of those exhilarating sports that you can’t help but get invested in as a spectator, to be able to see the world’s best on one of Australia’s most beautiful beaches, is a not-to-be-missed experience both for volleyball enthusiasts and for the general public,” said Ms McCormick.
In 2022, Major Events Gold Coast in partnership with Tourism and Events Queensland resigned a deal with Volleyball Australia to keep the beach volleyball events on the Gold Coast for another three years.
“Securing these premier national events for Coolangatta until at least 2025 is a major coup for the Gold Coast, both from a reputational and economic point of view for the city but also for many other reasons as we head towards the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Ms McCormick.
“Hosting the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour event in particular not only showcases our natural stadiums to a global audience of potential event organisers but also helps inspire a generation of up-and-coming local volleyball stars providing them with the opportunity to mingle with the best in the world and aspire to be on the beach competing for Gold come 2032.”
Volleyball Australia CEO Andrew Dee said it is fantastic to return to a beach that’s become synonymous with world-class beach volleyball events.
“Last year was the first time we hosted the Volleyslam festival with all four major events which was a resounding success,” Dee said. “To have the Scape Australian Youth Beach Volleyball Championships and Scape Australian Beach Schools Cup on at the same time as the Australian Championships and Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour creates an incredible opportunity for Australia’s future beach volleyball stars to learn from some of the best in the world.
“We’re excited to be back on iconic Coolangatta Beach this month to provide participation opportunities for beach volleyballers at all levels. With the Gold Coast set to host the beach volleyball competition for the 2032 Olympic Games, it provides us with a great opportunity to bring together the next generation of talent as we continue to provide opportunities to identify talent that have the potential to represent Australia on the world stage,” he said.
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said he is excited to see the energy, passion and excitement of this great sport back on the beaches of Coolangatta.
“It’s fantastic to see VolleySlam return to Coolangatta,” said Mayor Tom Tate. “With four separate events to be held across the festival, we can expect some fierce competition as teams strive to take home a championship trophy.
“Major Events Gold Coast and Volleyball Australia deserve applause for bringing together the country’s best beach volleyballers again in 2023. It’s showtime and it’s free for spectators so don’t miss a minute of the action.”
Volleyslam 2023 kicks off with the Australian Beach Volleyball Championships on Friday 24th March and culminates with the World Beach Pro Tour Futures event on from 29 March – 2 April.
All Volleyslam events are free to attend.
The World Beach Pro Tour Futures and Volleyslam Gold Coast is supported by Major Events Gold Coast and the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland and features on the It’s Live! in Queensland events calendar.