Secondary School Volleyball Champs ecured in Manawatu

Friday 8 April 2016

New Zealand Secondary School Volleyball Championships secured for another two years in the Manawatu.

Volleyball NZ are pleased to announce the 2017 & 2018 NATIONAL SECONDARY SCHOOLS VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS will be held in Palmerston North.

Paul Cameron, CEO Volleyball NZ, was pleased to announce that the high profile Secondary Schools Volleyball event will be returning to Palmerston North for at least the next two years.

Paul believes it is due to “the incredible support from the Palmerston North City Council and Sport Manawatu, alongside funding support from NZCT, and a family of sponsors.”

In its 48th year, the 2016 championships begun on Sunday 3 April and are taking place at the Central Energy Trust Arena, with finals beginning from 3.30pm on Friday 8 April.

A record number of teams entered in this year’s event, with 172 teams from around the country and several from Australia taking part in playing over 19 courts at the Arena, extending into Massey University using 3 courts. It has been fantastic to have Massey University on board for the 2016 Championships event, as it is collaborations like this that ensure these events can continue to return to the Manawatu.

The event team numbers have grown over 20% in the last two years, and it is now the largest Indoor Secondary Schools event in the country.

Teams from as far south as Dunedin and Whangarei in the north will be vying for the national titles at stake. Ninety seven girls’ teams, across six divisions, will be seeking to topple defending 2015 champions Burnside High School, while the seventy five teams competing across four divisions in the boys’ competition have Western Heights in their sight who are aiming to retain their winning ways of last year when they won their 10th title.

Sport Manawatu CEO Trevor Shailer said the announcement reflects our strong working relationship with Volleyball New Zealand, and the part that Sport Manawatu plays in coordinating volunteers, as without these dedicated community members, events like this wouldn’t come together as they do.

“A big part of retaining these events includes working alongside our stakeholders, to add value by ensuring that young people and their families who are visiting our region to compete in these events have a great experience”.

Palmerston North Mayor Grant Smith also added “Palmerston North is fast becoming the Secondary Schools Sports capital of New Zealand. Volleyball is the country's largest indoor competition school sports event, and with our excellent facilities and support here at Central Energy Trust Arena, we will help the sport to grow. We are very pleased to see the New Zealand Championships return to the city and region in 2017 & 2018, and possibly longer. It is a win-win for us all”.

ENDS

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