Action in one of about 150 games of volleyball in the new arena at Taradale last weekend. Photo / Paul Taylor
Action in one of about 150 games of volleyball in the new arena at Taradale last weekend. Photo / Paul Taylor
The new $20 million indoor stadium opened alongside the Pettigrew Green Arena in Taradale just four months ago has passed its first big test with flying colours in staging the national interprovincial volleyball championships over the King’s Birthday holiday weekend.
More than 150 matches were playedacross the six grades and at least 12 courts during the three days, starting at 8am on Saturday and finishing with the finals on Monday afternoon.
Volleyball New Zealand business administration and events manager Amanda Isada said the “playing space”, developed to meet a rapidly growing need for more indoor courts in Hawke’s Bay for sports such as volleyball, basketball and indoor soccer variety futsal, was “amazing”.
“Overall it was an awesome tournament, the venue was fully utilised, we were able to move around the seats to give each court space for spectators, the equipment was top quality and the playing space was amazing,” she said.
The teams were excited to be playing in a new facility. They were also pleased to be able to drive around Napier without the congestion that occurs in the bigger cities with suitable venues for such a large tournament, she said.
Regional Indoor Sports and Events Centre Trust chairman Craig Waterhouse said the event, in the Rodney Green Foundation Arena, was “exceptional”, both as an event and for the region, bringing about 700 people to Napier for at least three days and nights.
“I hope they come back again next year,” he said, anticipating increaed use of the facilities, which are supported by both the Napier city and Hastings district councils. “Basketball and volleyball growth continues to be massive.”
The Rodney Green Foundation Arena in Taradale is an extension of the existing Pettigrew Green Arena and is one of the country's largest indoor sports centres. Photo / Paul Taylor
On the courts, the men’s honours were shared, headed by Harbour, who successfully defended the open title in commanding fashion, dropping just one match all weekend and beating the Canterbury Invitational team 3-0 in Monday’s final.
Canterbury beat WECA (Waitemata, East and Central Auckland) in the under-19 final, and Waikato beat Bay of Plenty in the under-17 final.
Waikato blocked a Harbour domination of the open titles, winning the women’s final 3-2, while Bay of Plenty claimed both under-19 and under-17 girls titles.
While Hawke’s Bay was represented in all six grades, in which 12 of volleyball’s 13 regions had teams, none of the host association teams reached the finals.
