Ocean Beach Pickup Volleyball
Court setup, required equipment and pickup games at the Ocean Beach volleyball courts.
There is no regular public pickup schedule at the Ocean Beach courts. Some groups organize games independently, and others bring enough players for their own game.
Required Court Equipment
The city provides the poles but not nets, balls or boundary lines.
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Park & Sun BC-400 Volleyball Net
Net only. The courts already have poles, and freestanding net systems aren't allowed.
View at Park & Sun →
Wilson AVP OPTX Volleyball
Official game ball of the AVP. The Tour Replica is a different, cheaper model.
View on Amazon →
Boundary lines
Lines are not provided. Official court size, 26.3ft x 52.6ft, and this set ships with sand anchors rather than augers.
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Line winders
Two hand winders for rolling up the boundary lines.
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Line anchors
Weights or shallow stakes. No screw-in augers at these courts.
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Ball pump
Hand pump with a needle for the ball.
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The net has to attach to the permanent poles, because freestanding net systems are not permitted in the court area. A net with a steel cable along the top and bottom holds tension across the 32-foot span between poles.
Court Setup
- Find an available pair of poles.
- Attach the net to both poles and tension it. The top of the net should be 2.43 m (7 ft 11 5/8 in) for men’s play, 2.24 m (7 ft 4 1/8 in) for women’s.
- Run your boundary lines to the court footprint and secure them with shallow anchors or weights. Deep anchoring is prohibited, so no screw-in augers.
- Remove everything when you finish. Nothing may be left overnight.
The courts open at 8:00 a.m. and close at dusk.
Finding Pickup Games
Mornings and weekends generally give you the best chance of finding other players at the courts.
Local volleyball groups are listed on the leagues page.
If players are already using a court, ask whether they are accepting additional players before joining.
Conditions, Parking and Dogs
Morning usually has lighter wind than the afternoon. Check the current conditions before leaving for the beach.
Parking gets harder through the morning. The same lots also serve Dog Beach. See directions and parking.
If you bring a dog to the courts: dogs are not allowed on the main beach between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. in summer (9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from November to March), and must be leashed at other hours. Dog Beach, just north, is off-leash all day. See beach rules.
Court etiquette
- Walk around courts that are in play rather than through them
- Return balls that come onto your court
- Keep bags and equipment out of the lifeguard lanes
- Do not move the permanent poles
- Take all equipment and trash with you when you leave