Julien Prosser I Legacy of the games just the beginning – Volleyball Australia

Julien Prosser I Legacy of the games just the beginning

He represented the green and gold in three consecutive Olympic campaigns, and won 14 National titles, but Julien Prosser believes the sport of beach volleyball is just getting started. 

From a career spanning 15 years, to finding volleyball played in remote island countries, the sport continues to be a large part of his life. 

“That’s the beauty of volleyball and beach volleyball, it’s a true global sport,” Prosser said. 

“It played on every continent. I’ve been very fortunate to travel the world for 15 years playing the sport.”

The 53-year-old has travelled the world through beach volleyball and understands how powerful the sport can be. He hopes events like the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships in Adelaide will have an immediate impact across the country. 

“I think volleyball in our state of New South Wales, we’ve probably got so much opportunity, there’s so much demand for our sport that we can grow it,” he said. 

“I’d like to see the sport in our state double in size, more venues and facilities because it’s such an equitable, accessible, diverse sport. 

“We’ve got such a great story and it’s a great sport, and I’d just like to see it blossom a lot more in New South Wales.

“It’s awesome that the travelling athletes here in Adelaide can come down and experience Australia because it’s the best country on the planet and Adelaide is one of the best cities on the planet. 

“I’ve been able to spend a lot of time here, it’s beautiful, the locals are very accommodating and friendly so to see this level of volleyball in Australia, which we don’t get to see so often, it’s just been amazing and the event itself has been amazing. 

“Hopefully there’s a really good legacy that comes out of it.

“I would like to use this event and the success of this event to do this in Sydney in Darling Harbour in front of the Opera House somewhere iconic like that and bring this sport into Sydney. 

“Whether it’s on the beach or at Bondi again, it was so great in 2000 and just having this caliber event more often down in Australia would be great.”

The beach volleyball journey all started when Prosser was just 13. 

He discovered volleyball as a Year 8 student in Western Australia, with little idea of how profoundly it would shape his life. 

Prosser competed at the highest level for 15 years, competing against the world’s best for a hat-trick of Olympic appearances. 

It is the journey he hopes many young athletes will be inspired to follow after watching the World Championships on home soil. 

“Olympics are interesting, you’re representing your country at an Olympic Games, it is the pinnacle for volleyball and volleyballers, it’s our biggest event,” he said, 

“In 1996, we were the new guys, the youngest team there. A little bit of not knowing what to expect or what to do, and we did okay. We finished 9th and had some good experiences playing against the teams that ended up winning the tournament. 

“Sydney was a bit, I’ve got to be honest, not my favourite Olympics, it was a bit overwhelming. A few injuries leading in with knee surgery and stuff like that, but just not being ready to play in front of 10,000 people cheering for you. 

“We were used to having people cheering against us, which I always took a lot of motivation from. But playing in front of a huge crowd that is actually supporting you was, I’m going to be honest, it was overwhelming for us, and we didn’t deal very well with that one. 

“But Athens from a pure volleyball and a performance perspective, was probably the most satisfying, despite finishing fourth – the worst place to finish Olympic games. 

“But from getting to that point where you’re actually competing to get on the podium is where, ultimately, we wanted to get to. 

“We had, as a team, a very short period of time to get ready for that Olympics, soI’m very proud of that achievement.”

Prosser retired in 2007, but the evolution of the sport has continued and he believes beach volleyball is one of the truest athletic competitions in the world. 

“It’s close to the most athletic sport on the planet,” he said. 

“In one play, you have to sprint full pace, dive horizontally, full stretch, connect with a ball, control it, and then get to your feet, and then in the next play, jump as vertically as high as you can and reach as high as you can, and execute with control and power. 

“There’s no other sport that requires you to do that. So from a pure athleticism perspective, it requires technique, power, touch, anticipation, strategy, and mental toughness is a big thing about the sport. 

“It’s only two of you, so if you’re having a bit of an off day, the opposition can see it, you’ve got to work your way out of it. So it’s really a nice sport like that. It’s a team, but it’s quite individual at the same time.”

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