Pittsburgh Grass Volleyball is excited to announce one of western PA’s largest outdoor volleyball tournaments is back for its 8th year! The 8th Pittsburgh Grass Open will again be a three-day grass volleyball event. On Friday 7/26 we have 18U, 16U, 14U, and a new 12U juniors division as well as a new adult mens and womens “Masters” divisions (ages 40+). Saturday 7/27 features men's and women's doubles divisions from BB thru Open. And Sunday 7/28 features coed doubles divisions from BB thru AA + coed quads divisions also from BB thru AA. The Pittsburgh Grass Open in 2024 is also featuring the largest prize we’ve ever offered...an $8,000 PRIZE PURSE split equally between Saturday’s men’s and women’s Open divisions! Offering that kind of prize money puts The Pittsburgh Grass Open on the AVP Next Tour (formerly known as the AVP America Big Money Tour) for the 3rd year in a row!     

As for where the event takes place, our partnership with Allegheny County Parks has allowed us access again to the historic and scenic venue at the South Park Oval AKA “South Park Fairgrounds” located in South Park, Pennsylvania.  The inspiration to start Pittsburgh Grass Volleyball came from years of attending the Pottstown Rumble Volleyball Tournament (Pottstown, PA), therefore, we follow the same format/rules as they do.  Old school rules.  Side out scoring.  No net serves. Pittsburgh Grass Volleyball is a proud partner of AVP America.

When:  Friday July 26th, Saturday July 27th and Sunday July 28th, 2024
9:00AM-9:00PM (check-in is 8:00AM)

Where:  The South Park Fairgrounds/South Park Oval
2390 Corrigan Drive South Park, PA 15129 OR “South Park Oval” OR “South Park Fairgrounds”
*The field is at the corner of Brownsville Road and Corrigan Drive in South Park. The field doesn’t have an exact address. Typing any of the 3 options listed above into your Maps app should get you very close to the field.

Cost:
Boys/Girls 18U/16U doubles - $70/team
Boys/Girls 14U triples (3 v 3) - $90/team
Boys/Girls 12U quads (4 vs 4) - $100/team
Mens/Womens Masters (40+) - $90/team
Open level doubles (Saturday 7/27 only) - $130/team ($8,000 Prize Purse) 
All other doubles divisions - $90/team
Quads - $160/team

Divisions: 
Friday (7/26)
Men’s Masters Doubles (40+)
Women’s Masters Doubles (40+)
*Boys - 18U doubles, 16U doubles, 14U triples, 12U quads
*Girls - 18U doubles, 16U doubles, 14U triples, 12U quads
*USA Volleyball Age Chart & Definitions
Saturday (7/27)
Men's Doubles - Open, AA, A, BB
Women's Doubles - Open, AA, A, BB
Sunday (7/28)
Co-ed Doubles - AA, A, BB
*Co-ed Quads - AA, A, BB
-at least 1 woman per quads team (any mixture of men and women for quads is totally acceptable)
-Note - at the highest levels (A, AA) quads teams will likely be 3 men and 1 woman.

Levels of play:
“Open” division (mens and womens )
-Most difficult - Expert level doubles
“AA” division (mens, womens, co-ed and quads)
-More difficult - Advanced level doubles
“A” division (mens, womens, co-ed, and quads)
-Intermediate level doubles
“BB” division (mens, womens, co-ed and quads)
-Easier - Between beginner and intermediate
“Juniors” division (boys and girls)
-18U, 16U, 14U, 12U divisions
“Masters” division (mens and womens)
-Must be age 40 or older to participate

Refunds:
WE WILL PLAY RAIN OR SHINE. NO REFUNDS FOR WEATHER. NO REFUNDS AFTER 7/12/24

Levels of play FAQs: 1) Playing up is always allowed
Examples:
-14U Juniors that feel they’re capable of playing in the 16U division
-Juniors that feel they’re capable of playing in adult divisions on Saturday and Sunday
-”A” division adults that want to challenge themselves and play “AA”

2) Playing down i.e. “sandbagging” is NEVER ALLOWED
What is sandbagging? As defined by the Pottstown Rumble, sandbagging is “hiding the strength, skill, or difficulty of something or someone.”
Examples:
-18U Juniors playing in the 16U division
-Open level adults playing in the “A” division

3) As a rule of thumb (except for juniors which is age based), you should sign up at the level of the best player on your team. If the best player on your team is an Open level player and you normally play A, you should sign up for “Open.”

4) Can juniors play on Saturday in the Mens/Womens divisions or Sunday in the adult coed divisions?
Yes! Juniors that feel capable can always play up. Juniors should discuss this with their parent/guardian before signing up.

5) If you're still wondering what division to choose, please send us a text (412-353-9838) or message us on Facebook or Instagram before registering. We’re happy to help provide guidance on the best division to choose!
—————————————————————

REGISTRATION STEP 1:
AVP MEMBERSHIP

ALL PARTICIPANTS, INCLUDING JUNIORS, MUST HAVE ACTIVE AVP “SILVER” MEMBERSHIPS. THIS IS A REQUIREMENT BECAUSE PITTSBURGH GRASS VOLLEYBALL PARTICIPATES UNDER THE AVP AMERICA “UMBRELLA.”
To create a new AVP membership, click here
If you’ve signed up for a membership before but forget your ID#, click here

ALL MEMBERSHIP ACCOUNTS FOR PLAYERS UNDER THE AGE OF 18 MUST BE CREATED AND MANAGED THRU A PARENT OR GUARDIAN MEMBERSHIP ACCOUNT (PARENT/GUARDIAN ACCOUNTS ARE FREE)
More details on how to set up a parent/guardian account can be found here

REGISTRATION STEP 2:
REGISTER AND PAY VIA THE VolleyballLife APP

CLICK THIS LINK TO BEGIN REGISTRATION
REG OPENING 5/8 AT 6PM

*VolleyballLife is an app we will be using again this year to enable the smoothest running Pittsburgh Grass Open tournament possible.

—————————————————————

Parking: 285+ parking spots available
-4 main parking locations shown in “YELLOW”
-Number referenced equals number of parking spots per location
-4 handicap spots at field level. Note - this will still require a significant walk to Center Court area. Please call or text 412-353-9838 if special parking accommodations are needed.

If you park in the Upper Lot (100), please note there are steps down to the field from this parking location (shown in pink). If you park in the South Park Children’s Playground lot (80) or Park to Run lot (35), you will have to CAREFULLY cross Corrigan Drive to enter the field (shown in pink). The farthest parking location from the field is the Black and Gold Playground lot (70). You should absolutely check other parking locations before parking there. If you do park at the B&G Playground lot, you’ll carefully walk along the road (there’s a walking path) to enter the field (path shown in pink).

Food/Drink: After many years of great food and service by Matt Kuney’s Secrets Bar & Grill Team, The Pittsburgh Grass Open has decided to go the route of food trucks in 2024. More information will be announced as soon as we can. But lunch and other all day food items will still start around 11AM and be served thru through dinnertime on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Ice will not be sold, so plan on bringing your own.

Hotels that are close to the field:
Hampton Inn West Mifflin (approximately 10 minutes from the field)
1550 Lebanon Church Road
West Mifflin PA 15122
SpringHill Suites by Marriott West Mifflin (approximately 11 minutes from the field)
1000 Regis Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15236

Other rules:
-WE WILL PLAY RAIN OR SHINE. NO REFUNDS FOR WEATHER. FOR CUSTOMER CANCELLATIONS BETWEEN 7/12/24 AND 7/25/24, 50% REFUND. NO REFUNDS BEYOND 7/25/24.
-Alcohol/smoking is prohibited at the field. No exceptions. Keep in mind, the Allegheny County Police building is right across the street from the field. If you’re found smoking or drinking alcohol, you will promptly be asked to leave and not allowed back.

Please contact us with any questions at:
Email:  pittsburghgrassvb@gmail.com 
Call/text our Google Voice number:  412-353-9838
Social Media: "Pittsburgh Grass Volleyball" on Facebook or "pittsburgh_grass_volleyball" on Instagram