North Bay will be home to the Volleyball Canada Senior Beach Nationals again this summer.

The event was held last summer at the Canor Molson Sand Centre and returns August 17th to 20th.

VSE Canada President Amedeo Bernardi says it’ll bring in plenty of athletes from right across the country.

“It could be up to about 30 or 32 teams, again it’ll depend on ranking and registrations. The addition this year is they’re also using it as a venue to train and bring the officiating staff from across Canada in,” he said.

As for other events, Bernardi says the Grand Slam will be taking place at the same time as Summer In The Park, they’re looking at other marquee events with Volleyball Canada, registrations will likely get going for the league next month and they’re working with the Ontario Volleyball Association for youth training camps.

Bernardi says this will be the third year since the Sand Centre opened and expectations have certainly been exceeded with the facility and North Bay being elevated to this level in Canada and the World.

“The Rio Trials last year really put us on the global map because it was the only spot in the world that had a trials for beach volleyball and we had a fantastic turnout,” Bernardi said, noting they’re very pleased.

He says that all comes down to the location, volunteers and fan support.