An international gathering of sportsmen and women will descend on Perth at the end of the week.
The high-profile 30th Scottish Open Volleyball Tournament – the event is played out in full public gaze on the city’s North Inch – looks set to break records once again.
Already the UK’s largest volleyball tournament with more than 700 participants in 100 plus teams, there will be the added attraction of international beach volleyball on the same site.
“Once again it will be a free spectacle for the people of Perth to enjoy and hopefully the weather will play ball too,” said tournament director Dave Munro.
“The Scottish Open has gone from strength to strength over the years bringing a substantial annual revenue to the local area in terms of hotels, guest houses, shops and restaurants.”
On the 40 grass courts on the North Inch teams from Germany, Belgium, Faroe Islands and all corners of the UK will compete in seven divisions of competition with the mixed divisions drawing the most entries.
As well as the hundred or so teams from the UK there are two women’s teams from the Faroe Islands (Torshavn and Toftir) along with a mixed team from Darmstadt in Germany and the regular Belgian men’s team from Leuven.
Saturday’s competition starts in earnest at 10am with teams fighting it out to qualify for the Sunday sectional games which start at 9am. Following the sectional rounds on Sunday the competition enters a straight knockout en route to a final in all seven sections.
The SCD European Beach Volleyball Competition which will run alongside the open starts on Friday and among those taking part is Seain Cook of Perth.
He started playing beach volleyball while on holiday in Florida and the Perth event marks the beginning of Seain and his beach partner Robin Miedzybrodski’s journey towards qualification for the Commonwealth Games in Australia’s Gold Coast in 2018.
“Volleyball has taken large steps to promote its image in Scotland and for a minority sport it punches above its weight in terms of fun and participation,” said Mr Munro.
“Get your sunscreen ready, your beach towel dusted down and your sunshades polished for a spectacular weekend of volleyball from grass roots level to full international level.”
