Sam Dunbavin from Fireball Beach Volleyball has been keeping busy during lockdown with a series of blogs. This week the focus is on the Queen Square Bristol.
It’s been a while since we did a club spotlight, and we’re back with an absolute cracker: the story behind the club that plays on Queen’s Square over the summer in Bristol. Lots of the Bristolians that play on the grass are committed players across the Southwest, in Croyde and Cardiff, and it was fascinating to find out where the club started and how it runs.
Here’s my Q & A with club organiser Anthony Balson:
Please introduce your club: where is it, and what do you do?
Volleyball in Bristol is a group of around 60 regular players (mostly NVL 2) from Bristol. It is organised via Facebook (more details below) and meets over the spring, summer and autumn to play grass volleyball on Queen Square in Bristol.
Describe Queen’s Square-why is it a great place for what you do?
Queen Square is the best volleyball court in the world: the Wimbledon of volleyball with its own ball boys/girls/grown adults and passing wannabes, and it’s own wind break – 4 walls of Georgian Housing creating a stillness and near perfect volleyball conditions. 100 foot trees surround us; we can play under them in the rain or use them as shade during the week of hot weather.
Sunbathers and children (among others) save our legs and throw the ball back… (every time!) Music and mellow smells with the yearly August wafting-by of a 100 balloons; that’s a king of courts, that’s Queen Square!
What does a typical year look like?
Every year’s different; they are always coloured with the skills and laughs of various groups and individuals! This year was Uni of Bristol year, 2019 was UWE, 2018 was playing for 4 weeks against and with an Italian team.
We now play with people from every club in Bristol. We have developed a few players from scratch, acted as a catalyst to further participation and have seen many friendships made.
See the full post at: https://fireballbeachvolleyball.com/volleyball-in-bristol/
