Beach Volleyball centre opens in Slovenia to provide further opportunities for kids to play the game
News
In mid-May, a new Volleyball centre opened in Višnja Gora, a town with some 1,100 inhabitants located less than 30 kilometres from Slovenia’s capital city, Ljubljana. It will be the home of the Modern Volleyball Club.
The club was founded by Miha Plot, a former Slovenian national team player and a member of the generation that won Slovenia’s first EuroVolley silver medal at the event hosted by Bulgaria and Italy in 2015. Already during his professional Volleyball career, Plot began focusing on coaching. He previously worked with kids in the Volleyball Club Kamnik, but recently decided to pursue his long-term dream, embarking on his own journey by opening the Beach Volleyball Centre in Višnja Gora:
Miha Plot“I have fulfilled a long-standing wish. I have been dreaming about my own Volleyball centre for many years, searching for a suitable location and planning the project. It is hard to believe that I have succeeded. I chose Višnja Gora because it has huge volleyball potential. No clubs currently operate in this area, including nearby Ivančna Gorica, but children are already interested in this sport.”
The 35-year-old from Žužemberk, one of Slovenia’s traditional strongholds in the sport, organised a prominent event to celebrate the opening. Children who had never played Volleyball before and those already introduced to the sport at school attended the event. Lara (11), who was playing Beach Volleyball for the first time was among them and she enjoyed the sandy courts: “I really liked it. It was a bit harder to move on the sand, but I got used to it quickly. I am here with my friend, and she is as well enjoying her time here. We are both already looking forward to playing Beach Volleyball during the summer holidays.”
As a step towards the club’s further development, Plot intends to involve elementary schools in the project:
Miha Plot“I am already in discussions with primary schools to start with extra-curricular activities in September and additional training sessions during months when it is not possible to play Beach Volleyball. I have already presented the CEV School Project to PE teachers, and there has been considerable interest. I am excited to develop a new volleyball community and hope that many children will choose to play Volleyball.”
The Volleyball Centre in Višnja Gora is not the only one that will be operating in a new environment. Another such opening is set for the beginning of June when the Volleyball club Sežana will open its doors to children of all ages. The club management has already expressed its wish to participate in the CEV School Project as well.