BVUK is bringing the English Masters of the NESTEA European Championship Tour to Blackpool in 2008 and 2009.
The prestigious series attracts some the finest beach players from all over Europe and is the perfect showcase for the sport as the UK moves towards the London Olympics in 2012.
The European Tour, around the European Championships, was established in 2003 and visits up to seven countries each year, so competition to host an event is fierce. Blackpool's successful bid means it joins an exclusive group of European locations which will host the prestigious Tour in 2008.
Supported and sanctioned by the English Volleyball Association, the English Masters 2008 will feature up to 120 top male and female teams, including Britain's top pairings. Significantly more than 100 hours of TV footage of the event will be broadcast across more than 180 countries.
The event follows BVUK's staging of the UK's first FIVB International Exhibition Tournament which took place on Blackpool's iconic promenade in 2007. It was also the first international Beach Volleyball tournament to be held in the UK under floodlights.
To host the English Masters 2008, Blackpool will build a 2,000 seat stadium on the promenade along with extensive facilities for players, VIPs, medical support and the world's media.
Constructing a Centre Court plus four practice and qualifying courts on the promenade will require around 1,000 tons of sand form the resort's famous beach. A total of some 130 staff will be recruited to run the event which will be managed by Beach Volleyball UK Ltd working with a Swiss based team from GSM, the company that markets the tour events across Europe on behalf of the CEV.
The CEV or Confédération Européenne de Volleyball, is the governing body for volleyball in Europe, while beach volleyball events in England are sanctioned by the English Volleyball Association, the sport's English governing body. Blackpool will host the event in 2008 and 2009, and has an option for 2010.
The NESTEA European Championship Tour English Masters 2008 is part of a planned strategy by Blackpool Council and the North West Development Agency to reposition the resort as a premier beach sport destination and is backed by a multi-million pound regeneration programme.
Pictures from 2007 NESTEA European Championship Tour by Mike Ranz/GSM
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