Volleyball
23 July, 2025
Excitement builds for big summer of Volleyball
The excitement is building for a massive season ahead for Volleyball Horsham, with two major tournaments, potential record numbers domestically and new opportunities for our representative teams.
Vice president Matt McLoughlin said with a week to go before entries close for the upcoming winter season, team registrations are at an all time high with 37 teams already entered across all grades.
“This is positive for us as usually teams are a little bit slow between seasons to register, so to have so many at this early stage is a clear indication that we’re on track to have a bumper season," he said.
“Traditionally our winter season sees an increase in numbers, so we are well prepared that if this trend continues, we’ll be seeing record numbers.”
The major focus for the association is the hosting of the Junior Country Championships over the AFL grand final weekend.
The tournament will cater for under 19, 17 and 15 boys and girl’s teams and is expected to attract more than 500 visitors to Horsham that weekend.
Volleyball Horsham’s Kara Johnson said the association has appointed coaches for their six teams with a nice mix of youth and experience taking charge.
“Oscar Jackman and Molly Carter will do the under 19 boys and girls, Justin Brilliant and McLoughlin the under 17 boys and girls, while Tim Carter and Ella Van Duren will be in charge of the under 15 teams," she said.
Johnson said early indications are that there will be an increase in support for the event, with interest from associations that didn’t participate last year.
“We’ve heard from the likes of Goulburn Valley, Bendigo, Surf Coast and Macedon Ranges, all keen to get on board for this year’s tournament," he said.
“These associations will complement the likes of Warrnambool, Sunraysia, Latrobe Valley, Geelong and South Gippsland who participated last year.
“Volleyball Horsham is going all out to ensure the visiting teams and Volleyball Victoria representatives, have a positive experience at this year’s tournament.
“There is talk the tournament may be going to Bendigo next year, so we are doing our best to make sure that Volleyball Victoria, has no reason to take it there just because Bendigo has a great stadium or Bendigo Council are throwing funding at the event.”
Association representative team’s coordinator Tyler Snowden said there will also be other opportunities for juniors with the Volleyball Victoria Junior Open in November split a fortnight apart this year, which will take the pressure off association volunteers supporting these teams.
“The years 7-9 tournament will be held during the week of November 11-13 while the years 10-12 will be held the week of November 25-27," he said.
“We have set up our winter season to finish before these two events, so as not to impact on teams that might potentially make finals.”
Snowden said the senior men’s and women’s teams are looking to take up an invitation from Central Adelaide Volleyball Association to participate in their inaugural tournament in the first weekend of October.
“They attended our tournament last year and had a ball, so they reached out to us and invited us to their tournament, which will make a nice change for our players to play against different opposition," he said.
“Our teams are looking forward to making the trip to Adelaide.”
Snowden said the association is gearing up for 50th anniversary celebrations in 2026, with plans to be unveiled at the season’s end presentation night.
“We’ve been planning this all year, and we’re excited for what lies ahead for all members in 2026.”
With so much to look forward to, any teams or individuals interested in participating in the upcoming winter season are encouraged to do so over the course of the next week, by visiting the association’s website or social media platforms for registration details.