by Brooklyn Bridge Park on Jul 13, 2011
Skills clinics, camp sessions and league play to enhance popular courts
Brooklyn Bridge Park is pleased to announce a summer 2011 partnership on volleyball programming at Pier 6. Beginning July 18, the three regulation-sized sand volleyball courts will host camp groups, public skills clinics, a limited number of slots for reserving courts, and league play, in addition to walk-up play. The courts opened on May 28 as part of an expanded 1.8 acre section of Pier 6 including 15,000 square feet of lawns and new concessions on summer weekends. The courts, featuring professional net systems with in-ground poles, along with spectacular lighting and sweeping views of New York Harbor, have proved popular with park visitors since their recent opening.
The main not-for-profit programming partner for the park, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, will work with adult and youth sports activity provider Metro Beach Sports to provide free programming for the public and the City’s free summer day camps. Camps will be invited to the courts twice a week for free coaching and facilitated games staffed by Metro Beach Sports.
Regina Myer, President of Brooklyn Bridge Park said “We’re thrilled to partner with the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy and Metro Beach Sports to offer these terrific courts for youth recreation programs, free skills clinics and league play as well as retaining the popular walk up play that has grown steadily since the courts opened on Memorial Day weekend. This partnership helps to maximize the value of these new courts with the assistance of two organizations with proven track records of excellence in public programs and youth education.”
Free public skills clinics for children and adults will be offered four times per week. The clinics will feature instructors who will review the fundamentals of beach volleyball, as well as teach more advanced techniques, including serving, setting, spiking, passing and ball control, and diving and rolling drills.
Two evenings a week and one weekend day a month Metro Beach Sports will organize adult recreational volleyball leagues on the Pier 6 courts. The fees charged for teams to play will underwrite the cost of providing camp programming and public clinics, as well as provide funding for court maintenance. For more information, www.metrobeachsports.com
In addition, a limited number of courts will now be available for reservation online at bbpprod2020.wpengine.com. Permit fees are $25 per hour, with a maximum of three reservations per user permitted over the season. Only one court, of three, can be reserved, with the other two being dedicated to walk-up play.
“We are excited to partner with Brooklyn Bridge Park and Metro Beach Sports to enhance beach volleyball on Pier 6,” said Nancy Webster, Executive Director of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy. “The courts have already proven popular, and the addition of public clinics, camp sessions, and a limited amount of reserved play will ensure the fullest use of this great park amenity.”
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Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation, known as Brooklyn Bridge Park, is the not-for-profit entity responsible for the planning, construction, maintenance and operation of Brooklyn Bridge Park, an 85-acre sustainable waterfront park stretching 1.3 miles along Brooklyn’s East River shoreline. More information is available on the park’s official website, bbpprod2020.wpengine.com.
Brooklyn Bridge Park is one of the nine waterfront destinations that comprise NYHarborWay, an initiative of the Bloomberg Administration to make the New York Harbor a major recreational destination for New Yorkers and visitors. Spearheaded by NYC & Company, the initiative eventually will connect the nine major waterfront points of interest by ferry or bike greenways. In addition, NYHarborWay will develop a cohesive programming, marketing and communications platform which will drive visitation to the nine waterfront sites. In addition to Brooklyn Bridge Park, the destinations are Governors Island, Hudson River Park, The Battery, Ellis Island, Liberty Island, Atlantic Basin, the East River Esplanade and Liberty State Park.