Featured image credit: Volleyball Australia
The Drive, an outdoor tennis venue in the Australian city of Adelaide, has been awarded hosting rights for the 2025 edition of the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships.
Australia was announced as the host nation for the tournament back in September. Today (Thursday), Volleyball Australia and the South Australian Government have confirmed that The Drive will be converted into a beach volleyball venue in order to host the event.
The tennis courts of The Drive will be replaced with around 1000 cubic metres of sand for the tournament. It will mark the first time that Australia has hosted the event, and Adelaide has also been awarded the right to stage a round of the Australian Beach Volleyball Tour for the next three summers.
The 2025 Beach Volleyball World Championships, which are sanctioned by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), will be held ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Victoria and the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane.
Volleyball Australia president Craig Carracher said: “When it comes to beach volleyball, the biggest events stand out – the World Championships, Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games – and Australia will play host to all three inside the next decade.
“Adelaide has been one of the homes of beach volleyball in Australia for almost three decades with some of our top athletes training here at the SASI-based national training centre, so it’s only fitting that the World Championships are coming to South Australia.
“History shows that having the opportunity to compete at a home World Championships provides a real home court advantage and I know our leading players will be primed to take on the world in front of a home crowd.”
South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas added: “This is the latest in a long list of major national and international events that are fast-recognising South Australia for the proud sporting state it is. The World Championship will expose South Australia to the world, an opportunity to show millions exactly what our beautiful state has to offer.”
The partnership between Volleyball South Australia and the state Government also guarantees Adelaide hosting rights for a further seven national and Asian volleyball competitions between 2024 and 2026.
The most recent Beach Volleyball World Championships took place in Rome last year. This year’s event will be held in Tlaxcala, Mexico.
Share this