Paul Lotman watches the ball hit the sand after a hard spike by Brigg Busenhart at the Seaside Beach Volleyball tournament in 2019.

SEASIDE — The Seaside Beach Volleyball Tournament began more than 40 years ago to raise funds for a new lifeguard tower.

Founders Joe Hart, Steven Hinton and Debbie Hauger organized the first tournament as a single-day gathering.

Since then, the volleyball tournament has grown to include more than 150 courts and over 1,000 teams in recent years. Players travel to Seaside from all over the U.S. to participate.

This year’s tournament, organized by the Seaside Chamber of Commerce, will be held on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The event will include double and quad divisions for youth players and adults, organized by player experience level, as will a parent and child division.

For more information and to register as a player, visit www.seasidebeachvolleyball.com.