For those of you who know a little bit about me, you probably know volleyball is a huge part of my life. For many years it was my main passion, as well as my job – playing for the Canadian Women’s National Team and playing professionally in Europe.

Since retiring from playing, I have stayed involved in the sport through coaching and as a volleyball analyst for CBC and Sportsnet. I’ve had the privilege of broadcasting indoor and beach volleyball for the London 2012 Olympics, as well as the 2016 Rio Olympics and a number of Canada Summer Games.

It’s actually a little-known fact that the best volleyball players in Canada can be found right here in the Ottawa-Gatineau area. Considered superstars in their sport elsewhere in the world, the Canadian men’s volleyball team keeps a pretty low profile here at home. The Centre Sportif de Gatineau has been the host training facility for the team for nearly a decade. In recent years the Canadian men’s team has been skyrocketing up the world rankings to crack into the top ten teams in the world – currently ranked 6^th.

So, I’m very excited to share that the Canadian Men’s Volleyball Team will be hosting one of the biggest international volleyball events right here in Ottawa. On June 8, 9 and 10th – Canada will square off against Australia, Germany and the United States, at the arena at TD Place at Lansdowne Park.

It’s part of the newly created Volleyball Nations League, where 16 of the top ranked teams in the world will battle to become champion by playing in a round robin format. With a total of 130 matches throughout the league season, every team will play a minimum of 15 matches. The league will take place over a series of weekends, with different countries serving as host.

Fans attending the matches can expect a party atmosphere at TD Place, including a live DJ and plenty of spectator participation. The games will also feature new innovation and technology, such as a video challenge replay, similar to what is used in tennis line calls.

Here in Canada, volleyball is one of the most popular sports in terms of participation. In Ottawa alone there are some tremendous volleyball clubs for kids – including the Ottawa Fusion Volleyball Club (who I coach for), and the Ottawa Mavericks . It would be great to see those participation numbers translate to the number of enthusiastic fans in the stands to cheer on Canada in June!

Tickets are now on sale through TD Place’s box office and can be purchased online HERE. Tickets will include two matches per day.

For your chance to win two tickets to Friday’s matches, visit my EMBRACING OTTAWA Facebook page to find out how!