Finestrat returns this Easter to host Volabola, the largest national grassroots volleyball tournament in Spain

As a novelty in this 5th edition, the best players will be awarded with the option of sports and academic scholarship in the USA

The godmothers of the 2026 tournament are Cristina Llorens, player of the Spanish national team and Rebeca Fernández, runner-up in the beach volleyball world championship

On April 3 and 4, Finestrat will once again host VolaBola, the largest grassroots volleyball tournament held nationwide. The 5th edition of this sporting event with great tourist projection coinciding with Holy Week was presented to the media by the Mayor, Nati Algado, the Councilor for Sports, Beatriz Quintillán, the technical coordinator of the Finestrat Volleyball Club, Juan Vicente Llinares, the manager of the Volabola brand, David Agulló and Yainel Chávez, technical director USA Scholarships. And the great novelty of the tournament is the presence of this entity that will reward the best players with the possibility of a sports and academic scholarship in the USA.

After several record editions for this year, the participation of more than 110 teams from all over Spain is expected. In the first month of registration, the figures of 600 players between the ages of 13 and 18 have already been exceeded. Among the confirmed teams, Playas de Cartagena, Madrid, Grau de Castellón, Conqueridor Valencia and several Andalusian and Aragonese teams.

The Councilor for Sports, Beatriz Quintillán, highlighted the progression of the Tournament, “since its 1st edition VolaBola has been growing exponentially, with about 400 participants in 2022 and almost 800 in 2025. For our part, together with the Finestrat Volleyball Club and the Volabola brand, we continue with our commitment to promote grassroots sport from Finestrat and in one of the most important tournaments in all of Spain”.

The technical director of the Finestrat Volleyball Club, Juan Vicente Llinares, explained the details of the organization of this tournament “which, as a singularity, concentrates 180 matches in 36 hours so that about 1,000 boys and girls can play”. To this end, 9 volleyball courts will be set up on the artificial turf field. There they play the benjamín, alevín and infantil silver categories in volleyball-grass format, “which is very attractive for these ages because of the novelty”. The gold categories of male and female children, cadet and youth-junior are played entirely in the municipal sports pavilion, where there will be 3 courts for simultaneous matches. In terms of schedules, the tournament begins on Friday, April 3, “Good Friday”, at 10:00 a.m., until 00:00 a.m. On Saturday 4 the competition resumes at 9:30 a.m. until the finals conclude on Saturday afternoon. There will be a trophy for the first 3 classified in each category. To liven up the two sports days there will be no shortage of inflatables, entertainment and music. Special mention to the godmothers of the 5th Volabola Finestrat Tournament: Cristina Llorens, player of the Spanish Volleyball Team and Rebeca Fernández, runner-up in the beach volleyball world. “Last year we hung the full sign 2 weeks before the competition,” said Llinares. “And this year the bet is to reach that figure of 1,000 players.”

For his part, the manager of VolaBola, David Agulló, explained that “Finestrat is an objective marked on the calendar. It is a more than consolidated 5th edition. It is already known within the world of volleyball. And from the Volabola brand we will continue working to maintain the high level of play and also of extraordinary coexistence between teams and families”.

The great novelty of this 2026 edition is that the company specializing in scholarships to study in the USA, Usa Scholarships International Management, joins the event. “The VolaBola de Finestrat is a perfect tournament because it brings together hundreds of players from all over Spain in 2 intense days of volleyball. This makes it easier for us to meet young talents and offer them the option of projecting them internationally to study in the U.S. with sports scholarships that range between 70 and 100% of the expenses,” explained Yainel Chávez, technical director. “In this way, they will be able to continue training as great athletes, in addition to continuing their academic and English training in the USA.”

With this, the Finestrat Volleyball Club becomes the 1st in the Valencian Community to sign a collaboration agreement with this company specialized in sports scholarships in the USA. In addition, on April 18 the Finestrat pavilion will host a Technification day for players and also informative for families.

The mayor, Nati Algado, said that “we are facing a first-class sporting event. The Volabola Tournament is a true Festival of Sport and, in addition, of the Base Sport that for this City Council is essential because it is about promoting this healthy habit from a young age”. As an important novelty in this edition, the mayor highlighted the signing of the first agreement in the entire Valencian Community between the Finestrat Volleyball Club and Usa Scholarship, “This means rewarding academic performance and sports performance by giving the option of achieving a sports scholarship in the USA. Without a doubt, an opening of horizons and an injection of motivation for our entire academy”. Finally, Nati Algado pointed out, once again, the success of the Sports and Tourism binomial “because we are making Finestrat known through Sport. The expected participation is 1,000 players. Together with their families we are talking about more than 2,500 people visiting Finestrat in the middle of Holy Week”.

(PRESS OFFICE.24.2.2026)