Could Volleyball Be Brooklyn's Next Big Sport?

In the world of sports, beach volleyball is the friendly neighbor. 

And now you can visit your neighbor at Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park. The riverfront pier recently added three regulation-size sand volleyball courts where people of all ages and experience levels are warmly welcomed to play pickup games of twos, fours and sixes.

“Volleyball is definitely the nicest sport,” said Pier 6 player Anna Dawidowska, 31. “No matter where you go people will be friendly in volleyball. It’s just the culture of the sport.”

The well-lit courts boast an unbeatable view of Lower Manhattan and some of the softest sand around. Use of the courts is first-come, first-served and they’re open late for under-lights play until 10 p.m. Nets are set up, so all you have to bring is a ball. 

Carroll Gardens resident Kevin Brennan, 29, visited the courts when they first opened in late May, and he was surprised to find only a few people playing. He decided to make a Meetup group for the courts on meetup.com, with pickup games on Thursdays at 7 p.m. The group quickly grew to 107 members who began filling the courts every Thursday night.

“I was like, ‘I’m responsible for this?’ It was pretty cool,” Brennan said. “It just helped organize people of all levels to play.” 

Brennan stressed the laidback nature of the sport.

“It’s all about fun, getting out and enjoying the nice view,” he said. “This isn’t professional beach volleyball. We all make errors and the only way you get better is by playing.”

But the courts attract seasoned players as well.

Dawidowska, who lives in Astoria, has played volleyball for 16 years. She was on her high school and college teams and now plays for the N.Y. Urban Professionals Volleyball League, an indoor traveling team that costs $94.50 for the summer. She said she likes Pier 6 for its nice (and free) facility.

“I’m off for the summer so I don’t mind being here everyday if the right game comes around,” said Dawidowska, who coaches volleyball at Grover Cleveland High School in Queens.

Damiane Nickels, 17, visits the courts early on weekdays to relax and read on the sand before the after-work crowd rolls in around 5:30 p.m. Nickels, who lives in Crown Heights, played volleyball on his high school team and plans to play at Syracuse University next year. He’s using the summer to get a jump on his serving skills.

“I like playing on the sand because it’s much harder than indoor,” Nickels said. “It’s harder to run, it’s harder to jump.”

One thing is easier for Nickels on the Pier 6 courts.

“Watching the girls in bikinis just chilling,” he said, grinning.

Pier 6 player Lauren Schmidt, 29, lives in a Brooklyn Heights building that overlooks the courts. She and her friends, who play volleyball recreationally and for an indoor women’s traveling team, had been watching the courts’ construction closely for eight months. Now they hit the courts a couple of times a week.

“It’s free, it's close to where I live, it has a nice view and good scenery,” Schmidt said. “They did a really good job of building the courts.”

Her only complaint?

“They could build a couple more courts! I bet they’d get used.”