Volleyball extravaganza in full swing
Some 12,500 players from across Canada playing in six-day national tournament
The national volleyball community has descended upon Edmonton in the largest gathering of its kind.
On Thursday, the 2018 Volleyball Canada Nationals commenced at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
The six-day tournament features 864 club teams from across the country with over 12,500 players participating. In total, 3,184 matches will be played on 55 courts under one roof.
“It’s pretty large, it’s something that I’m very fortunate to have a strong team on my staff to help prepare for this. We’ve been working on this event for two years now,” said Volleyball Canada director of domestic competitions Sandra de Graaff.
“Also for this event, we hire a team to just come run this aspect. So I’ll have my Volleyball Canada staff that I’m working with, and then we bring in a really strong team. We have representatives from across the country who come in with expertise, because they’ve been part of these events previously or have been running events in their own province.”
The event also features both the Canadian men’s and women’s national teams.
“We do this every three years,” said Mark Eckert, president and CEO of Volleyball Canada. “We might be able to get it down to every two years. The idea was to get every player playing through the cycle of four years through the under-14, -15, -16, -17 or -18 age group, where they would at least get to play in it once or maybe twice, because it really is special compared to a normal year where it’s in one facility and you get only one age group and maybe just one gender.”
The concept of an all-encompassing national event was first put into practice in 2012 with 672 teams taking part at the inaugural tournament in Toronto. Three years later in Calgary, upwards of 780 teams participated.
“When you come to this, there are as many athletes here participating as there is in the Summer Olympic Games,” Eckert said. “You walk into the Expo Centre and it’s neat to see the kids come in on their first day, because their jaws drop. They have never been in a place with 55 courts, let alone all the other diversions. I’m sure it’s a coach’s nightmare, but it’s great for the game.”
Unlike traditional national championships, teams don’t have to qualify for the event through regional or provincial tournaments. The open concept allows players from every volleyball club in the country an opportunity to participate.
“That’s the joy of this business model, this is an open entry,” Eckert said.
“The whole idea, and we did this to stimulate growth in the sport 1520 years ago, is that when you go with that (playoff ) model and you win your provincials, you have to figure out a week later how to fly 3,000 kilometres across the country for nationals. Then you maybe get to play in a tournament with seven other teams or less because they couldn’t afford to go.
“It was a pretty irrelevant thing. I was coaching club in those days and you go to national championships with your kids and they’re not impressed. So this way, a club team forms and, depending on the province, say in September or January, they can make their decision and start their fundraising and register right away. That’s part of the joy of it.”
According to Eckert, the event was nearly filled within a few hours of opening registration. It has become the must-attend tournament for the majority of volleyball clubs across the country.
“It’s about a two and-a-half year planning process and it’s done with some pretty slick partners,” Eckert said. “We have approximately 250 officials and volunteers from every province in the country helping out.”
As added excitement for the event, the women’s national team will be hosting the NORCECA (North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation) Challenge Cup Continental Qualification Tournament.
The six-team tournament featuring Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and Cuba serves as a qualifier for the 16-team Volleyball Nations League. Canada opened the tournament against Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday.
The men’s extended national team, meanwhile, will play a pair of exhibition games against Mexico.
“It’s meant to be a little inspiring, and honestly, our national team athletes love to play in front of an excited house,” Eckert said. “We have our women’s Senior A team here and our men’s extended roster.
“The first half of our men’s roster is in Poland starting in the Volleyball Nations League (Friday) night. And our sitting team, who are No. 1 in the world, are here playing the U.S.A.”