OCEAN CITY — The City Council approved a request this week from the Tourism Advisory Board (TAB) to help fund a new amateur volleyball event in the resort.
At this week’s council meeting, TAB Chair Greg Shockley requested the council approve the allocation of $12,500 from TAB’s funding to the Delaware Volleyball Academy for a new amateur volleyball event that will be both indoors at the convention center and outdoors on the beach.
According to TAB, the Delaware Volleyball Academy has signed a three-year contract with the convention center with event dates in early May. The 2015 event will be May 8-10.
The Delaware Volleyball Academy anticipates 1,240 players in addition to coaches, event staff and families attending and 1,100 room nights generated.
When the Tourism Commission was abolished in 2010 TAB was formed to provide an application, screening process, and funding with $300,000 a year allocated by the town for new events to come to Ocean City. Since then, the Tourism Commission was re-established in 2012 but TAB remained
Shockley acknowledged the request is to fund $12,500 to Delaware Volleyball Academy this year but future funding will comply with the council’s request to decline in upcoming years as the event will become better established in the town.
The council voted unanimously to approve the request.
“This is over Mother’s Day Weekend, which is traditionally a slower weekend for Ocean City. The gentleman that brought this forward runs a good organization that will be here for a number of years, and provide a great service to the general area with providing kids the opportunity to play volleyball,” Mayor Rick Meehan said.