Volleyball NI: St Patrick’s Challenge International Tournament

The St Patrick’s Volleyball Challenge Festival took place at – South Lake Leisure Centre – the home of NI Volleyball on Saturday 15 March!

This festival marked the first international fixture between the two federations at the venue. Over 100 athletes, 24 coaches, 12 match officials and 20 volunteers attended the showcase, which saw four Northern Ireland Volleyball teams take on four Volleyball Ireland teams in the U18 Women, U20 Men, Senior Women and Senior Men categories.

Local players, coaches and Craigavon Aztecs Volleyball Club also took to the courts in the championship. Alasdair McGuiness played in the Junior Men’s squad; Mark Christie, Adam Hall and Patrick (Paddy) Dally played at senior level; Aimee Nixon, Olivia Cuthbert, Pippa Harris, Jenna Clarke and Jemma Calvin played in the women’s squads.

Paddy Dally has benefitted from the ABC Elite Athlete programme, training at South Lake leisure Centre and working for local company Giant Leap Sports, to provide volleyball coaching in local primary schools, including St Francis of Assisi Primary School, Keady and Armstrong Primary School, Armagh.

Northern Ireland triumphed overall 3-1 in this year’s sold-out tournament. Lord Mayor Councillor Sarah Duffy presented the trophy to the winning captain. She said: “The atmosphere today was electric on and off the court and it has been a great spectacle for volleyball. It’s also been fantastic to see local representation across the teams! In Council, we are excited about our partnership with NI Volleyball, which will see South Lake Leisure Centre positioned as a world class volleyball facility.”

Northern Ireland Volleyball has agreed a partnership with Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council to establish South Lake Leisure Centre (SLLC) as the home of Northern Ireland Volleyball until December 2029!

Northern Ireland Volleyball will use South Lake Leisure Centre exclusively as their ‘home’ venue for all NI Men and Women indoor international volleyball matches and for a limited number of headline senior club matches.