Your Guide to the Manhattan Beach Volleyball Tournament This Weekend

Most tournaments happen on the sand courts near the Manhattan Beach Pier, though some larger events spread across additional courts further down the strand. The pier area tends to host the higher-profile matches because of the permanent bleachers and easy spectator access. Smaller club or youth tournaments sometimes use courts near Marine Avenue or other designated beach volleyball zones along the coastline, depending on permits secured by the organizing club. Parking near the pier fills up fast on tournament mornings, so arriving at least 30 minutes before check-in gives you a much better shot at a close spot. Street parking is metered, and there are a few paid lots within a short walk. If you're coming from out of town, rideshare drop-off near the pier roundabout tends to be simpler than trying to find parking yourself. Always confirm the specific court location with the tournament organizer, since events do rotate between the main courts and secondary sand areas based on scheduling and other bookings that weekend.

Pack sunscreen, a reusable water bottle, a beach chair or blanket, and a hat, because you'll likely be outside for six or more hours with limited shade. Bring cash or a card for concessions, since not every vendor near the courts takes both. A portable phone charger is genuinely useful; you'll be taking more photos and videos than you expect, and battery life drains fast in direct sun. Comfortable footwear matters too, since sand walking for hours is more tiring than it looks, and you'll want something easy to slip on and off near the courts. If you're a player, bring a spare set of clothes, extra ankle braces if you use them, and any personal gear you can't rent or borrow last minute. Families often bring pop-up canopies for shade between matches, which also doubles as a home base for gear and snacks. Don't forget a camera or phone with enough storage — you'll want clear shots for later, especially if you're planning to turn any of them into keepsakes.

You can absolutely upload photos the same day you take them, and the ordering process itself only takes a few minutes once you've picked a shot you like. That said, cards print on premium card stock and ship in 2-3 days, so you won't have a physical card in hand before the tournament ends. What you can do is upload photos Saturday night after finals wrap up, choose a template that matches the team's colors or the moment captured, and have cards arriving early the following week while the excitement is still fresh. Many parents and coaches do exactly this, ordering Sunday evening so the cards land before the next practice or a following weekend tournament. If you're planning a banquet or awards night a few weeks out, this timeline works perfectly. If you need something in hand at the actual event, you'd need to plan ahead using photos from a previous tournament or practice instead.

A single card is one photo turned into one trading-card-style print, starting at $17.99, and it's ideal for commemorating one standout moment. Packs bundle multiple cards together, running up to $49.99, which works well for teams wanting different photos of the same player or several players from one roster. The MEGA card is a large 11 by 15 inch poster-style print priced at $49.99, and it's meant for a statement piece — think a team photo, a championship moment, or a standout action shot blown up for a wall or a coach's office. Choosing between them really depends on what you're trying to do. A single card suits a personal keepsake or gift. A pack fits a whole team or a handful of favorite shots from one weekend. The MEGA card works best as a centerpiece, something you'd frame or hang rather than carry around. All three ship with free shipping in the USA, and all print on the same professional card stock regardless of size.

The templates are built to work across sports, and volleyball fits just as naturally as football or basketball, since the layouts are designed around action shots, team colors, and player stats rather than being locked to one specific game. You can highlight a spike, a dig, a block, or a team celebration, and the template frames it the way a real trading card would. Many customers customize the back of the card with stats, a jersey number, or a short caption about the match or tournament. Because the templates are flexible, they work equally well for indoor volleyball, beach volleyball, junior club teams, high school varsity, and adult recreational leagues. If your photo has decent lighting and a clear subject, the template does the rest of the visual work. It's a big part of why teams outside the more commonly photographed sports still get a pro-level result without needing a professional photographer on-site.

Cards print and ship within 2-3 days of ordering, and that timeline applies nationwide, including addresses in Manhattan Beach and the greater Los Angeles area. Production happens at a facility in Des Moines, Iowa, and standard shipping typically gets packages to California within a few additional business days after printing, so most West Coast customers see their order land within about a week total from order to doorstep. Free shipping is included on every order within the USA, so there's no extra cost to factor in regardless of where you live. If you're ordering for a specific deadline, like a banquet or a birthday, it's smart to place the order a few days earlier than you think you need to, just to build in a buffer for weekend order queues or minor shipping delays. Customers who've ordered from Southern California generally report the timeline holds steady even during busier seasons like tournament-heavy spring and summer months.

No, there's no minimum, and that's actually one of the more useful parts of the system for casual buyers. You can order a single card for $17.99 if you just want to commemorate one photo from one match, and there's no requirement to buy in bulk or commit to a whole team set. That said, if you're a coach or team parent ordering for an entire roster, packs make more financial sense per card than ordering singles repeatedly. Some coaches order a small batch after each tournament, building out a full season's worth of cards by the time playoffs roll around. Others wait until the end of the season and place one larger order covering every player and their best moment from throughout the year. Either approach works, and pricing scales reasonably whether you're ordering one card or twenty, so there's no pressure to overcommit before you've seen the finished product for yourself.

Action shots tend to work best — a player mid-jump, mid-serve, or mid-dive, ideally with a clear view of their face and jersey. Photos taken in bright, natural light, like the kind you get during a midday beach tournament, generally print more crisply than dim indoor gym shots with mixed lighting. It also helps if the subject is somewhat centered and not too far in the background, since the template will crop and frame around them. That said, you don't need professional photography equipment; a decent phone camera with good lighting captures plenty of detail for a sharp print. Group photos work too, particularly for team celebration shots or medal ceremonies, though single-subject photos generally translate into a more dramatic, card-like final product. If a photo looks a little blurry or dark on your phone, it's worth trying a different shot rather than forcing a weak image through the template, since the template enhances composition but can't fix fundamental lighting or focus issues.

Yes, most templates include a back-of-card layout where you can add details like player name, jersey number, position, team name, or a short personal note. This is especially popular for team sets, where coaches or parents want a quick stat line or a memorable quote from the season printed alongside the photo. For younger players, some parents use the back to note personal milestones, like a first tournament win or a specific standout play from that weekend. It's a nice way to add context that a photo alone doesn't capture, especially years later when the specific match details might otherwise be forgotten. The customization process is straightforward within the ordering flow, and you don't need any design experience to fill it in cleanly. If you're ordering multiple cards for a team, it's worth deciding on a consistent back-of-card format ahead of time so the full set feels cohesive rather than mismatched from player to player.