Volleyball
27 August, 2025
Volleyball Horsham celebrates 30 years with milestone tournament
Volleyball Horsham's 30th anniversary annual tournament will go ahead this year, and entries are starting to roll in.
The milestone event was in doubt due to the staging of the World Beach Volleyball Championships in Adelaide in the two weeks around the event.
Still, Volleyball Victoria has given the all clear to run what has become a staple on the Victorian volleyball tournament calendar.
Volleyball Horsham vice president Matt McLoughlin said the tournament has come a long way in its thirty-year history. Starting with ten teams – six men's and four women's in 1994 and again in 1995.
“The tournament has always been seen as a great way to finish the year for most clubs, excepting those who choose to go to Canberra the following weekend, especially for those finishing their year 12 exams, as it came at the right time," McLoughlin said.
By 1996, the tournament had more than doubled its number and did so for most of the rest of the decade, necessitating the use of the Horsham College Gym as the second venue.
Some of Victoria's premier clubs have supported the tournament over its 30-year history, with Heidelberg men's and women's teams proving too strong in the first decade.
The men won four of the first six and their women won six in a row.
The women's spoils went to Melbourne Uni Renegades from 2010 to 2020, who won five titles in that period.
Then along came an amazing group of boys from Mazenod who were the premier team in Victoria from 2010, as they recorded seven successive men's premier titles, only to be denied by a Volleyball Horsham men's team in 2018.
Volleyball Horsham women's premier team has won two of the four this decade to stamp their legacy on the event.
BBJSC Pakenham have won four consecutive premier men's titles, along with their state league victories and National Club Championships in the post-COVID era.
The event reached an all-time high in 2023 when 59 teams entered, necessitating the need for ten courts and, for the first time, the use of the Ian Maroske Hall and Lutheran Junior Hall for matches involving junior teams.
Last year, 47 teams participated, making it more manageable for the association's volunteers.
McLoughlin said the growth in participation not only came from Volleyball Victoria affiliates, but also unaffiliated teams, and these teams have let the tournament down in the past two years due to their failure to understand the required commitment.
"Unfortunately, some teams have failed to play on the Sunday over the past two years, leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of all participants and organisers,” he said.
A seismic change was instituted for the 2025 edition of the tournament, with the tournament now an invitation-only event, with invitations extended to long-time supporter clubs and teams.
"Hopefully, this weeds out those who have let the event down in past years, and they get the message loud and clear that their participation will come with special conditions should they wish to go on a waiting list," he said.
McLoughlin said there are plenty of associations and clubs in Victoria now that look forward to the tournament season, which ensures good numbers for these events.
"We've seen Bendigo and Mornington experience an increase in their tournament numbers in the same period, so we know they are out there," he said.
“We just want to keep our event free of those that see the dollar sign as their only reason to participate, rather than participating in the spirit of the Horsham Tournament that has stood us in good stead over the journey.”
The 30th anniversary tournament will be held over the weekend of November 15 and 16, and will be preceded on Friday night by the seventh edition of Harry's Match.
Tournament entries close on November 1.