REGINA -- Regina’s volleyball community finally has a place to call home.

REAL (Regina Exhibition Associated Limited) will be leasing the Canada Centre in Evraz Place to the Summit Volleyball Club and ICP Regina Youth Volleyball, marking the first time there will be permanent indoor volleyball courts set up in the Queen City.

It will be called the Volleybarn.

“We’ve definitely been working on this for the past year or so … there’s so much court time needed,” said Stacey Laing, one of the founders of the Summit Club.

Summit was founded in 2018, while ICP is entering its seventh season.

During this time, both clubs have relied on renting a variety of spaces in and around Regina.

“We were renting at the university, but also renting gym time throughout the schools in Regina,” noted Laing.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it nearly impossible for the volleyball community to find gym time in the city, with most school facilities closed.

“Especially when COVID-19 hit, we realized how important it was for athletes to be able to have access to spaces,” said Laing.

Volleybarn evraz regina

REAL (Regina Exhibition Associated Limited) will be leasing the Canada Centre in Evraz Place to the Summit Volleyball Club and ICP Regina Youth Volleyball. (Claire Hanna/CTV Regina)

Over 500 athletes will use the space, which includes washrooms, change rooms and meeting spaces. It opened in August for summer training.

Taylar Johnston, a 15-year-old middle blocker, travels over an hour each way from Nokomis to practice.

“I decided there’s no school volleyball going on right now, so I was going to come just to keep playing volleyball so I don’t get a little rusty,” Johnston said.

“It does feel a little better to have a place where you know you can come, and you know it’s your space.”

Madison Zimmer, an outside hitter from Regina, said the group feels more empowered knowing it has a permanent home.

“It feels really good knowing you have a full facility with your club,” Zimmer said.

Due to COVID-19, the Volleybarn won’t be accessible to everybody until return-to-play restrictions ease up.

In the meantime, the space will be reserved for the volleyball community in Regina.

“I’ve definitely noticed the athletes taking more ownership of the space that they’re in because it feels more permanent,” said Laing. “It feels more like, this is my house.”