Beach volleyball’s return to the limelight is within touching distance

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We're almost ready for the #FTLMajor!

The Fort Lauderdale Major is so close we can almost feel the sand between our toes!

On Tuesday the first beach volleyball tournament of the year finally gets under way at the Fort Lauderdale Beach Park as stars of the Olympics begin the road to the World Championships later this year.

If you’ve got plans for next week in your diary change them. Change them now and head to the Florida coast to take in some breathtaking beach volleyball played by the best players in the world.

Still not convinced? Well here’s five reasons you might change you mind…

#1 Olympic champs in town

The beauty of beach volleyball is the ease at which fans can turn up, sit down and watch Olympic and World Champions do their thing absolutely free of charge. 2016 Olympic and two-time Swatch World Tour Finals champions Alison Cerutti and Bruno Oscar Schmidt of Brazil will be strutting their stuff on the sand. As will Germany’s Kira Walkenhorst, who will partner Julia Grosβner in Laura Ludwig’s absence through injury.

#2 Hello sunny

What would beach volleyball be without sun, sea and sand? Well the Fort Lauderdale Major will have it all. Not only are we on the Florida coast and right on the beach, the weather forecast tell us the tournament will also be blessed with some scorching temperatures too. Bliss for the fans eager to top up their tans.

#3 Who’s who?

From a pure beach volleyball perspective the Fort Lauderdale Major will be a big deal for the actual teams competing. Did you know that almost half of the teams entered in the tournament are new partnerships? So who will hit the ground running and who still need to work on their on-court rapport? One thing’s for sure, it’s going to be fascinating to watch.

#4 Home town heroes

If there’s one thing you can bet your bottom dollar on when in the United States, it’s the vocal support of the American fans. So the home teams, led by three-time Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross and Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena, can be sure to be roared on by a passionate crowd of thousands on the Center Court. There’s also a number of new US teams to get behind, too, just for good measure – including Casey Patterson and Theo Brunner who we caught up with earlier this week.

#5 Free entry, VIPs, celebrities and more

And finally, of course, there’s more to the Fort Lauderdale Major than just beach volleyball. With free entry, fans can also access the Beach Village and lap up an incredible atmosphere just a stone’s throw from Fort Lauderdale’s beach itself. We’ve got a wave of celebrities dropping by – some of which you’ll get to meet in the plush surroundings of our VIP areas – night matches under floodlights, plus if you can’t get enough of the action you watch it all over again on our BeachStream!