The Jamaica Volleyball Association (JaVA) has taken another major step in their move to deliver stronger performances by Jamaican teams in the sport of beach volleyball.

Their most recent effort was the preparation of a beach volleyball playing area at the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) managed Fort Clarence Beach. The facility, which was prepared on the initiative of JaVA, with authorisation from the UDC, will provide JaVA with a dedicated area to use for the training of its beach volleyball athletes and to stage competitions.

The UDC General Manager, Desmond Malcolm, revealed that the UDC had further plans to develop Fort Clarence. “The beach volleyball court complements our overall plans to upgrade the existing beach facility as we seek to improve the offerings to patrons.”

Major Warrenton Dixon, President of JaVA, in expressing gratitude to the UDC for its support, stated that the facility will add significant value towards the objective of qualifying teams to major international competitions such as the 2014 Youth Olympic Games and the 2016 Rio Olympics.

“We have been investing a lot of thought and resources into the development of beach volleyball because it is our most marketable product. The completion of the facility was timed to coincide with the start of the Play-Off segment of the ongoing JustBet/TvJ SN Beach Volleyball Tour because this segment will be broadcast on TvJ SN as a part of our marketing strategy. Essentially, beach volleyball now has a dedicated home at Fort Clarence, thanks to the kindness of the UDC, and this will enable us to package and market our sport to the fans.”

Major Dixon, however, stated that the facility was in its basic form and that JaVA is in need of sponsorship to help with improvements such as seating, fencing and other beautification work.

This latest development comes on the heels of a series of activities by JaVA, aimed at making Jamaican teams more formidable on the international stage. In May 2013 the Brazilian winner of the first Beach Volleyball Olympic Championship in Atlanta, Jacqueline Silva, visited Jamaica to conduct training with Jamaica’s U-19 beach volleyball teams.

In June 2013 the U-19 teams were sent to Brazil for training and exposure. This was followed by the first ever appearance by a Jamaican beach volleyball team at the world-level event when the U-19 teams competed in the FIVB World U-19 Beach Volleyball Championships in July.

The signing of a repeat contract with JustBet and TvJ SN for the running of a local Beach Volleyball Tour then ensued and is currently ongoing. The U-19 teams will again see international action when they compete in the Youth Olympic Qualifier in Trinidad and Tobago in November this year.