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January 5, 2024

Youth volleyball tournament expected to draw 28,000 visitors to Hartford in Jan.

Contributed A photo from the 2023 NIKE New England Winterfest Volleyball Tournament at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.
By Andrew Larson

A youth volleyball tournament at Hartford’s Connecticut Convention Center begins this weekend and is expected to bring thousands of players and spectators to the Hartford area.

The 2024 NIKE New England Winterfest Volleyball Tournament will feature 8,000 players on 710 teams from across the Northeast and Canada. 

As of Friday morning, organizers said they planned to move forward with the event as scheduled despite a snowy forecast for Sunday. 

During three consecutive weekends this month, players will compete on 28 courts, with 12 matches per court most days, each lasting about an hour.

More than 28,000 visitors are expected, including athletes and family members, friends, tournament officials, coaches and fans.

The tournament kicks off Saturday and Sunday, with more than 2,600 athletes in five divisions for girls ages 15 to 18, and in seven divisions for boys ages 14 to 18.

“This year’s tournament will be our largest ever in the Connecticut Convention Center, as we will use the entire Exhibit Hall all three weekends, and we still are waitlisting teams,” said Roxann Link, junior commissioner of the New England Region Volleyball Association.

Link said there will be many college recruiters in attendance.

Robert Murdock, president of the Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau, said the event is expected to generate more than $9.1 million in revenue, with visitors staying at more than 35 area hotels.

He said the tournament will support about 2,757 jobs in the region’s hospitality industry. Also, it will generate more than $584,532 in Connecticut taxes.

The event, established in 2010 at the Connecticut Convention Center, has tripled in size over the last 13 years.

Schedule for Weekend #1:

  • Friday, Jan. 5: 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Springfield College Men’s Team will run a demonstration of drills and team scrimmage (Free to the public)
  • Saturday, Jan. 6: 7:40 a.m., Opening serve and National Anthem
  • Saturday, Jan. 6: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Tournament play
  • Sunday, Jan.7: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tournament play and championships

Schedule for Weekend #2:

  • Friday, Jan. 12: 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., College Showcase – 200 athletes will participate in practice drills and scrimmage. More than 50 college coaches are expected on-site to watch and evaluate the players’ skills on an individual basis. At 7 p.m., parents of volleyball players can attend a recruiting seminar where a panel of college coaches will explain what they need to know about college recruitment including calendars, NCAA terms and related topics. The free program is open to all parents of volleyball players, whether their child is in the tournament or not. No reservations are needed.
  • Saturday, Jan. 13: 7:45 a.m., Opening serve and National Anthem
  • Saturday, Jan. 13 and Sunday, Jan. 14: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Tournament play
  • Monday, Jan. 15: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tournament championships

Schedule for Weekend #3:

  • Saturday, Jan. 20: 7:45 a.m., Opening serve and National Anthem
  • Saturday, Jan. 20: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Tournament play
  • Sunday, Jan. 21: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tournament play and championships

Admission information for spectators is available at https://jvctournaments.com/WinterfestWavesandSchedules.

To purchase tickets, go to https://sportwrench.com. Children under 10 may attend for free and must be accompanied by an adult with a ticket.

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