How to Construct Indoor Sand Volleyball Courts

Beach volleyball has been a popular sport since the 1970s, and its inclusion in the Summer Olympic Games has propelled the sport's popularity to the level where both outdoor and indoor beach volleyball leagues exist, as do professional tours. There are some climates where you can play beach volleyball outdoors year-round, and there are those where you're lucky if you can enjoy three good months of outdoor beach volleyball. If you have enough space you can build an indoor beach volleyball court and enjoy the sport year-round, sunscreen optional.

Things You'll Need

  • Measuring tape
  • Volleyball net and poles
  • Plywood sheeting and 2-by-2's to use as supports
  • 150 tons of sand
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Instructions

    • 1

      Find a location with high ceilings--the higher the better, but at a minimum they should be around 30 feet. While there is no restriction for ceiling height, minimizing the chance a ball has of going out of bounds by hitting the ceiling will allow for a good flow to the game.

    • 2

      Measure a perimeter of 45 feet wide and 75 feet long. An actual volleyball court is 30 feet by 60 feet; however, you will need the extra space on the sides for additional players who are resting, and if you are planning on having more than one court in your building you want enough space between the courts to prevent injury from players crossing into other courts. The extra space at the end will allow for players who may use a spike serve, a type of serve in which the player throws the ball into the air, then takes a few quick steps and hits the ball overhand over the net to the opponents.

    • 3

      Measure and mark where the poles will go to support the net. Since the playing surface will be raised by 12 to 18 inches of sand, make sure the polls are long enough to go in to the floor and still reach the legal height. The height at the top of the volleyball net should be 8 feet for men and 7 feet 4 inches for women. The standard width of a volleyball net is 32 feet.

    • 4

      Install the poles by drilling 6 inches into the floor and then cementing the polls in place. An alternative to this method is to create a flat base for the poles so that once the sand is in place it will hold them in place. The weight of the sand at 18 inches deep will be more than 150 tons, which will hold the poles in place.

    • 5

      Build the side walls. Using quarter-inch plywood, build the side walls to match the 30-by-60-foot playing surface. The side walls are temporary and will only be used while the sand is being poured into place. After that they will be removed so players will not injure themselves on them.

    • 6

      Pour the sand onto the court and rake into place. The sand should be deep enough to allow your foot to go into it without touching the floor. Once the sand is evened out across the court, slowly remove the sidewalls. Install the net and you are ready to play.