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Aug 17, 2023

Inside Toronto’s secret beach volleyball game at Ashbridges Bay

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On a Friday evening in May, with the clock approaching midnight, nearly all of the beach volleyball courts at Ashbridges Bay were quiet and empty. The temperature hovered around 10 degrees, the sky dead and black, a silver dollar moon floating off in the distance. Not exactly optimal beach volleyball conditions.

But on one of the outdoor courts along the Woodbine Beach boardwalk, eight people were still playing, smacking the ball back and forth beneath a makeshift set of LED lights. Half a dozen other volleyballers sat courtside, watching the action, laughing and cheering with every rally, waiting for their chance to jump in and play.

This is nightball — Toronto's secret beach volleyball pickup game played under the pitch-black sky, with a few modifications.

Games begin at sundown and continue until everyone tuckers out, sometimes lasting until 3 a.m. Every so often, in the middle of summer, when the weather is warm and irresistible, they’ll play until the sun comes up.

This was the first nightball session of the 2023 season. The players dressed warm, in socks, sweaters and sweatpants — not swim trunks and bikinis. The bravest players went barefoot, feeling the sting of cold sand. This group is so devoted, so hardcore, they’ll play in the least hospitable conditions.

"We’ve played in rain. We’ve even played in winter, in the snow," says Peter Tsirlis, 63, the founder of nightball. "It's actually great in the winter. The snow reflects the light, so the courts are totally lit."

Instead of two-versus-two, the Olympic beach volleyball format, nightball is four-versus-four, with more players covering the court, extending the rallies. And each set is first to 25 points, not 21, making the competition last a little longer. But the games are friendly. The atmosphere is relaxed and partylike, with music blasting through a portable speaker.

"This is more social than typical beach volleyball. It's sort of like hosting a barbecue — people come by whenever they want and hang out," says Tsirlis. "And we don't bother the people in the community, who obviously want a quiet beach at night. We’re off in the distance, past the boardwalk, far from the residential area."

Nightball at Ashbridges Bay can be traced back to 2010. At the time, Tsirlis played beach volleyball throughout the day, flopping around the sand in the hard summer sun. It was great fun. But at nightfall, Tsirlis remembers a lot of the players getting really bummed out.

"They showed up at the courts after work, but it would get dark quickly and they would only be able to play for a few hours," says Tsirlis. "They wanted to keep playing, especially on nice nights."

So, Tsirlis had an idea — a way to stave off the darkness and let the party continue. He built a haphazard set of lights and jury-rigged them to the net posts, illuminating the court.

Over the years, Tsirlis perfected the light set up. He switched from fragile, fluorescent bulbs to LEDs powered by battery packs. "The newest iteration is portable, lightweight and waterproof, and it only takes me three minutes to set up ... and can last for up to three hours," he says.

The sport spiked in popularity during the pandemic. With recreational sports leagues closed, people gravitated toward nightball, like flies toward a bright light, looking for an opportunity to exercise and socialize. In late 2020, Tsirlis started a WhatsApp group called "Nightball," where he continues to post updates for its more than 50 members.

Cherly Hines, 54, is part of the group. "I wanted more exercise, and nightball gave me an opportunity to be active, at a time when there were no rec volleyball leagues happening," says Hines, who joined at the start of the pandemic. "It's an extra thing that really tires me out before bed."

Hines also likes the social aspect. Nightball, like volleyball, attracts all kinds of people. Everyone is welcome. "It's a mixture of people from different backgrounds — Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian," she says. "All different skill levels, from former college players to first-timers, which makes things interesting. I’ve seen random girls in dresses jump off the boardwalk and start playing."

Last summer, Kozma Hamulka, 38, was headed to the parking lot after a long day of beach volleyball. That's when he noticed a group of people playing under the lights. He started watching and, before long, received an invite to play. And he's been at it ever since.

"At first, I thought, ‘Hey, what the hell is this?’" says Hamulka. "At the beach, it's a very welcoming community, more so than any other spot in the city. No one has an ego. No one is mean. I come for the characters, the laughs, the music."

Selena Riseborough, 39, likes nightball because it fits her busy schedule. She started coming out a few years ago when she heard about a "magical man" who set up lights and let people play into the night. Riseborough is an interviewer for Statistics Canada, often working until 9 p.m.

"I had a lot of late shifts, which made it hard to participate in other organized sports. So I just motored down here and played for as long as I wanted. It's a great way to relieve stress," she says. "The volleyball addict is never satisfied. We just need to keep playing."

Shortly after midnight, a few of the players ducked out, tired and cold, eager to get a few good hours of sleep before the sun comes up. On another, warmer night, they might have played for longer, but a bunch of the nightballers didn't want to push their bodies too much on the first night of the season.

After all, the summer is only just beginning.

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