Local teacher Aryan Arvandi has long loved the sport of volleyball.
After playing and coaching the sport for many years — including coaching a rep team that won nationally — Arvandi wasn't disappointed he couldn't find a local league, so he sought to find a way to play it closer to home.
That prompted him to create York Region Volleyball, a non-profit organization running drop–in nights and leagues in the region in 2018.
“I just wanted to play organized volleyball near my house,” he said. “I just wanted to play volleyball with my friends in an organized setting and be able to share my passion for the sport with other people.”
York Region Volleyball is expanding northward starting in January, after primarily serving the south end of York Region. The organization is launching league nights in Newmarket, Aurora and East Gwillimbury on Mondays, offering eight weeks of play.
Arvandi said the organization's success coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, with hundreds of players signing up, made him want to expand further.
“There’s been a lot of interest,” he said. “People want to play organized volleyball, they just don’t have a place to go."
The organization has offered league play and drop-in sessions in its communities over the past two years, using locations like school gymnasiums. Arvandi said they try to make their spaces as inclusive as possible.
“We’re just trying to create a community that’s based around volleyball, but it makes people feel like they belong and are included in their community setting,” he said.
The program has amassed plenty of followers, with 12,800 on TikTok.
The success of volleyball has prompted Arvandi to expand offerings to include pickleball and dodgeball, although those are not coming to Newmarket yet. He said that expansion came with people asking for other sports.
“We take all levels … We really want to grow our community that enjoys volleyball as much as we can.”
The Newmarket league will be at St. Nicholas Catholic Elementary School from 8 to 10 p.m. Mondays. You can sign up by contacting [email protected].
