Sand volleyball?

Question

my church is looking to set up a sand volleyball court. i am extremely excited because i play a lot of volleyball and my college pastor also plays quite a bit. we have some money but not a lot. we want a sturdy net, sturdy poles, and a court that doesnt become overgrown with weeds after a month or two. the court is not as much of a problem as the poles are. we dont really want to spend very much on the poles but we dont want anything cheap either and we definately want the net as tight as possible. what kind of pulleys/wenches will we need? how do we set them up? can we just add them to some heavy duty poles from home depot? we do not want any guide wires either. thanks!

Answer 1

I think the easiest solution for you would be to purchase a Spectrum Classic System (they run about $275 to $300).  This is a versitile net system that comes with everything that you would need to play (net, poles, pull down lines with stakes and court lines).  You can use this system on grass or sand (might need to use something under the poles if using in sand to prevent them from sinking) and is very easy to set up and take down.

You can do an internet search for Spectrum Classic and go from there.

Answer 2

Hi,

First off, make sure the court runs North/South instead of East/West. I see that so often. You DON'T see it in tennis courts. North/South means the sun won't blind you in the morning hours or evening hours.

I am not familiar with the Spectrum but from the pictures I don't see how you tighten the net except by having the poles exactly spaced with some kind of tie-down anchored in the ground.

Here are some VERY important questions you will need to answer:

1. Will this be a permanent location? If so, is there any chance your net or lines could be stolen?

2. Is your church near the sea or in a corrosive environment?

3. Is the sand already in place? Improper sand like builders sand can be very course/painful.

4. How wide and long can the court be? Do you want to make it long enough for a good jump serve?

5. How will you isolate the sand from neighboring grass/weeds? Be VERY careful how close you put any border material to the court. I would stay at LEAST 10 feet away from the SIDES of the court with anything like creosote pole liners or something like that... VERY dangerous when you are running or diving.

6. What kind of drainage does your church property have? For example, if you are on clay, you might want to introduce a drainage system UNDER the sand.

7. Will you eventually need lights? If so, I recommend FOUR lights, two on each side and NOT shining directly over the net but instead aimed about 35 to 45 degrees into the court. That way when you go up for a spike you aren't blinded! :-)

Ok, more questions than answers but those are places I would start! PS: I've been playing beach v-ball for over 25 years and still train guys locally on occasion who would like to turn pro. Based om your answers there are lots of options. Hope this helps and I'll keep adding infor as I hear more info from you!

Paul