How To Build Your Own Sand Court

(3) Site Preparation:

We recommend building sand volleyball courts above grade if your surrounding soil becomes wet throughout the year. It’s nice to take the surrounding area and gently grade a slope upwards towards the volleyball sand, sand preservation fabric and gravel added to the existing area.

We do not want any dirty water contaminating the volleyball sand over time. This dirty water continuously adds silt, clay and dust to your volleyball sand every time it rains and will lead to packing and players breathing additional dust with use. Once this dust enters the sand it typically stays and will result in you having to completely replace all of your volleyball sand as the problem gets worse and worse.

If you must build your court in the ground we suggest installing a French drain around the sand with the goal of directing that dirty water away from your volleyball sand. If there is some slope to the area it’s the most important to build the French drain on the high side of the court as this is where most of the dirty water running downhill will try to mix with your volleyball sand. In addition, you can install a plastic sheet barrier vertically to try and reduce contamination also but be aware this dirty water may work its way into your sand from below the court through the gravel and sand preservation fabric.

Below the court you can install several inches up to several feet of round drain rock to prevent dirty ground water from contaminating your sand from below. Angular shaped drain rock is ok but if players happen to contact the gravel through the sand preservation fabric the round drain rock is less abrasive to the skin. The drain rock below will also allow for rain to cleanse your sand of dust giving it a place to go after washing through your volleyball sand.

In some parts of the world, it is recommended to install thick plastic sheeting under your sand to prevent dirty ground water from contaminating your sand from below. We recommend working with a local civil engineer to determine the best way of draining your court in an environment with a lot of ground water. Sump pumps and drywells may be needed.

When you are ready to begin construction, we recommend calling an underground detection company to check your proposed court area for underground utilities before starting excavation.

Courts built below grade should have an area excavated to a 1-1/2 to 3 foot depth depending on how well your future court site drains. Within the court you will need to install single or multiple drainage ditches leading away from the lowest point of the court. Schedule 40 perforated drainpipes should be laid across the court with a clean out on the high side and the other open to the drainage ditch. (Do not use corrugated drainpipe. It tends to collapse under the weight of the sand and will not drain properly once collapsed.) Proper drainage is extremely important! You could find yourself playing in a giant mud puddle without it. (Even if the court is built above ground, sand will still retain water if the ground below is completely saturated!)

(4) Court Drainage PVC & Gravel:

4. Court Drainage PVC & Gravel: Depending on how well your soil drains install a few inches to a one-foot thickness of pea gravel or round drain rock. (If your budget is tight, place pea gravel just around the perforated drainpipe but make sure the surrounding dirt funnels to the drainpipes. Pea gravel around the perforated PVC pipe is important to prevent the holes in the PVC pipe from plugging with fine sand, dust, silt and clay.

Above the pea gravel place United Volleyball Supply’s Sand Preservation FabricTM to prevent sand from washing through into the base gravel. (United Volleyball Supply has tested over 30 different types of geo-textile fabrics to insure that the money you spend on sand isn't washed away with rain. Different fabrics are made for different types of soil. Some fabrics are designed to not allow to flow through at all. Most of these fabrics are black so they all look very similar.

If you would like to purchase our recommended Sand Preservation FabricTM from us please call 1-800-494-3933. (We have an nationwide distribution network and can deliver to your job site prior to your other volleyball equipment arriving.) (Do not purchase soil separation fabric from local hardware stores. Their fabric is not thick enough to prevent sand loss)

(5) Sand:

Sand has become a passion of ours due to the fact that we have seen so many beautiful volleyball courts over the years get built with horrible sand. Building a beach volleyball court with bad sand typically results in a court which doesn't get used. Bad sand for volleyball players is typically sand that compacts that leaves your knees and elbows bloody after diving. It’s abrasive so it scrapes the surface of your skin as you play. It’s dusty requiring you to play in a dust cloud that coats your nose and lungs as you play. Often times bad volleyball sand is compacting, abrasive and dusty. We get asked on occasion why certain courts are built that don’t get used. We will ask those asking the question if they have played on the courts. Often times that answer is no. When we ask them to give the court a try, they typically find the sand is poor quality or that players have to play hit and fetch chasing balls down hills, into bushes or into lakes.

If you want beach volleyball sand you should typically not use golf course bunker sand or washed masonry sand. You want a blend of ideal particle sizes with low dust. We have spent the past 10 years creating a distribution network of beach volleyball sand for sale throughout the United States and Canada to supply you with high quality volleyball sand without incurring excessive delivery costs. (Call 1-800-494-3933 for pricing)

When evaluating volleyball sand for purchase you want to check for abrasiveness, dust and particle shape.

To check abrasiveness you should wear shorts and test the sand with your knees in both dry and wet conditions by kneeling down onto it. If you are sincere about a good test try adding speed to this test and driving your knees into the sand with momentum. Your goal is to recreate volleyball plays and test how soft it is. You should also stomp on it on compacted ground to see if it packs or resists compaction.

To check for dust the sand must be very dry and you will throw handfuls of the sand in the air to see what residual dust cloud stays suspended. Some of the best volleyball sands we have tested have no visual dust cloud with this test.

When it comes to particle shape, I suggest you think of your eyes. There are a few volleyball sand reports online that call out for angular or sub angular sand. I don’t understand why they exist but angular and sub angular sand particles are like diamond shaped rocks. Ocean and river sand particles are typically round or sub round. Which of these sand particles would you prefer to rub on your skin or more importantly your eyeballs? If you play beach volleyball, you will get sand on your skin and in your eyes guaranteed. Ideal volleyball sand particles are round or sub round.

When installing sand to your area you will want to deposit one to two feet of volleyball sand over the area prepped for drainage and rake level. Your budget may dictate the depth of sand used but keep in mind if you go with a lesser depth, plan on raking or shoveling back sand from the sides of your "dished out court" to the middle about once a week or more (depending on how often the court is used).

The playing area alone will consume approximately 100+ tons of sand at a depth of approximately 12 inches. Many customers purchase between 100-300 tons per court depending on the size of their court and the depth they prefer. (Call us at 1-800-494-3933 for more detailed information and pricing)

Since sand is expensive to return once it's in your court, it will be there forever unless you pay to load it out with a tractor and ship it away. Please let us help you with your volleyball sand by calling 1-800-494-3933. We are happy to review gradation reports from local sand and gravel companies you get quotes from. In addition, we have spent years reviewing hundreds of sands from sand deposits all over the United States. If the deposit and manufacturing equipment is up to our standards, we will sell that premium beach volleyball sand for those with high quality standards.

(6) Poles:

Poles supporting the volleyball net should be made of stainless steel, anodized aluminum, galvanized steel, treated wood (6 x 6's or larger are preferred with sanded edges, 4 x 4's tend to bend too much) or other material that will withstand tension and not bend or break when stressed. It is also a good idea to pad the poles to protect players using your court and to give your court that cosmetic professional look.

Selecting Poles

Volleyball Pole Diagram Sand Court Pole Options

Poles should be approximately 10.5-16 feet long and cemented into a concrete footing measuring at least 1 foot in diameter and 3 feet deep (This can vary depending on how compact the soil is). The poles don't have to be cemented in place but should be. Poles should be free of hazardous protrusions. (Avoid making poles with eye bolts since prolonged volleyball net tension often brakes them off and results in sharp, rusty points coming off the poles) If you use guy wires, they should be made of bright colors or padded to prevent injury to players. All anchors for guy wires and boundary lines should be buried at least 12-18 inches under the surface of the sand and free of sharp edges.

 

Selecting a Net

AVP Official Net

(7) Nets: Official outdoor nets measure 32 feet long by 39 inches tall. If you don't have the space for an official size net we can make a volleyball net any size you wish. The proper height for a men's net is 7' 11-5/8" (8 Feet) tall and for women it's 7' 4-1/8" (7 Feet 4 Inches) tall. Aircraft cables with fixed eye loops on both sides should be used on all permanent standing courts. This allows you to padlock your net to your poles and the aircraft cable provides added security since steel cable is much more difficult to cut down than a standard rope cable. Residential courts can use Kevlar cords or standard ropes if you wish to make your net easier to set up and take down.