Waverley Council on the ball

Years after the topic featured as a prominent point of discussion prior to the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, beach volleyball may finally be legalised on Bondi Beach.

The move comes in response to a petition presented at the March 12 Council meeting, advocating the need for Council to accommodate the growing popularity of the sport and allow it to be played at Bondi.

The petition, numbering 161 signatures, was received and forwarded to the Bondi Beach, Park and Pavilion Plan of Management. The proposal is for a designated area on the beach near Bondi Skate Park. Council is currently negotiating a trial of up to three beach volleyball courts at the southern end of Bondi Beach, but will not be conducting bookings or any commercial volleyball activities during the trial.

Waverley Councillor Dominic Wy Kanak said the issue had arisen as a result of the wide variety of activity at Bondi Beach, and proper boundaries for playing areas needed to be established to minimise the risk of injuries to community members.

“There has been informal volleyball played for years and representations back to Council that those beach volleyball activities conflict with other users. Often it’s players not watching carefully [and] colliding with other people behind them. The dimensions [of the courts] will need to be properly considered,” he said.

Councillor John Wakefield said Council is willing to make provisions for beach volleyball if  the recreational activity occurs in a designated area which does not interfere with other beachgoers.

“I see the beach as a recreation area and playing around with ball games is as valid a recreational activity as swimming or surfing. Volleyball has to be within a designated area – that’s the key,” he said.

Raffaella Bronzi, founder of Sydney Beach Girls Volleyball (SBGV), said there were limited opportunities to play volleyball at local beaches.

“I created the group because initially there was not much [scope] around the eastern suburbs, apart from Tamarama and Coogee. I found this really strange in Australia. You have the weather in Bondi, you have the beach and a lot of space, but no volleyball,” she said.

During his tenure as Mayor, Mr Wakefield encouraged beach volleyball members  in the eastern suburbs to sign a petition and raise awareness about this issue.

“They saw there was an opportunity [and] the door was open for discussion. I think a domino effect might take place and [we might consider] a designated area for a wider range of sports,” he said.

Bondi Beach played host to the beach volleyball events at the Sydney 2000 Games, but was the subject of considerable community uproar prior to the erection of a temporary stadium.

The decision about beach volleyball will be included with considerations on the Bondi Plan of Management to be released to the public later this year, a proposal that Ms Bronzi hopes will be taken into serious consideration.

Ms Bronzi is also the founder of Aquazzura Training Swimwear, a clothes store for beachgoers and volleyball enthusiasts.