England athletes excited by Beach Pro Tour event coming to Bridlington

Last week it was announced that Bridlington will host a prestigious tour event from 25th to 28th June 2026 on the town’s Belvedere Beach (pictured below). 

Volleyball England will partner with East Riding of Yorkshire Council and local club Skyball Beach Volleyball Club to deliver the competition, which will attract professional international players from around the world. 

But there will also be the opportunity for a number of home players to showcase their skills and help inspire future generations of beach volleyball players from across the country. 

“It’s a huge milestone for Volleyball England to host a Pro Tour event for the first time, and another step forward for the growth of the sport,” said London-based Javier Bello, who together with brother Joaquin, reached 10th in the world last year, having won a historic first Elite 16 event in 2024. 

“The Futures event will be an especially great opportunity for the young players who are taking their first steps in international competition, giving them useful experience and ranking points.  

 “Hopefully it becomes a regular event on the calendar, and lays the foundation for more and bigger events to come to England in the future. We always cherish the opportunity to compete at home.” 

Over the last two years, several major international beach events have been staged in England that have helped persuade the CEV and FIVB that the country is ready to stage a Futures event. 

In 2024, the NEVZA Youth Beach Championships for U18 and U20 players was held, while last year that was extended to also include NEVZA Beach England for senior players.   

Alongside that, two Queen & King of the Court events have been held in London where valuable learning has been banked. 

Katie Keefe, one of England’s leading senior women’s players, finished as runner-up alongside Martha Bullen in the women’s section of the NEVZA Beach England event, held in Bridlington. 

She said: “I think this is super exciting news and builds on the recent Queen & King of the Court event in London which was a great success and very fun to play in. 

“Hosting a FIVB World Tour Future’s event on home soil will take British Beach Volleyball to the next level. 

“I am looking forward to it and excited for the home crowd to get involved and get behind our teams and the sport of beach volleyball!” 

Issa Batrane is one half of England's second highest ranked male pair along with Freddie Bialokoz.

After enjoying the back of a ome crowd at Queen & king of the Cirt London in November, he is looking forward to more home support in June.

“Both myself and Fred are extremely excited seeing a Futures event come to England following the hard work that Charlie Ford (CEO) and VE have put put in to push the game and grow it even bigger," he said.

“We have now have Junior NEVZA, Senior NEVZA and Queen & King of the Court, so you can see the steps that have been taken and the youngsters and next generation can now see a true pathway to follow.

“It's a big thing to have events at home where they can play in front of friends and family and use it help them progress on the tour and improve.”

"We can't wait to be battling on home sand again!"

Niko Gleed also has experience on the sands of Bridlington, clinching gold in the male section of NEVZA Beach England last year, alongside Enrique Bello. 

He is eager to take things up a notch and compete against a higher level of player on the East Yorkshire coast in 2026. 

“I'm always beyond grateful for the opportunity to compete on home soil... there's nothing quite like competing in front of friends and family. 

“It is amazing the work Volleyball England has done to make this happen. This is a huge step forward for the sport in England and will inspire the next generation of players to reach the top of the game. 

“Winning the NEVZA here last year gets me excited to strive for a medal this year in the Futures event. Enrique and I know how to play in the Bridlington conditions and we're looking forward to being our best there again!” 

Kirsty Star, who played with Alice Jagielska at last year's NEVZA Beach England, reaching the quarter-finals, added: “I’m so excited to see a Futures event being hosted in England this season.

“The whole team at VE has done an incredible job building momentum in our sport — hosting the senior and junior NEVZAs last year, a KQOTC event, which were all extremely successful events, and now being able to host a Futures event.

“It’s really exciting to see England continuing to put itself on the map in the beach volleyball world, and that simply doesn’t happen without events like this. I can’t wait to play and represent England on our home sand this year!”

If your business is keen to partner with BPT Futures Bridlington 2026, please email competitions@volleyballengland.org for more information.  

Images by Volleyball England photography team and Conny Kurth