A volleyball promotion held at the Villa Marina in Douglas attracted at least 50 participants and a number of spectators.
The occasion was part of a wider UK initiative by the Volleyball England Association which saw similar events taking place around the British Isles to promote the sport.
The plan was to cash in on the interest in sport after the 2012 London olympics and the promotion, known as Go Spike takes its name from ‘spiking’ which is an attacking shot in volleyball.
Roberto Villani, a member of the Isle of Man volleyball club and one of the organisers said he was pleased with the interest they had generated.
‘We certainly picked the right day for it,’ he said.
‘Some of us even got sunburned. It was a great day.’
The club set up two volleyball courts in the grassy area in the Villa Marina Gardens and during the course of the day a steady flow of people took part.
‘Most people took quite naturally to it. It was very informal game play really and as some people left others would join in and take their place,’ he said.
The court set up a men’s court, which has an eight-foot net and a women’s court which has a net six inches lower.
‘It was very well received and a lot of people did not know there was a club in the island. It was nice to have some exposure and in that respect it was very successful for us. I think we will be able to judge our conversion rate (into new members) in the next few weeks. It was certainly a big benefit being in such a prominent location.’
The Isle of Man Volleyball Club meets Monday evenings 7pm to 9pm at Onchan community centre. For more information see www.iomvolleyballclub.co.uk or email volleyballisleofman@manx.net
