Beach volleyball players at South Mission Beach can once again start their games at 6 a.m. after San Diego changed rules that had restricted play until 8 a.m. The change comes four months after members of the South Mission Beach Volleyball Community raised concerns about the restriction, saying e arly weekday mornings are often the only time they can play before work or school. Back in April, players faced the possibility of fines for taking to the courts too early. Pharmacist Sharon Hsia said a rule restricting play until 8 a.m. had existed but had not previously been enforced. “Some Airbnb residents by the courts had complained,” said Hsia. Players questioned the complaints about noise, saying their games are relatively quiet. Posts holding up the volleyball nets also tell players, “NO MUSIC UNTIL 9 A-M”. The volleyball community pointed to other early-morning noise in the area, including planes taking off and city equipment clearing sand at 6 a.m. Hsia created an online petition and began lobbying Mayor Todd Gloria’s office directly. Players argued that the noise from their games is minimal, that complaints had not previously been an issue and that early weekday mornings are the only time many members of the community can play. Four months later, the mayor’s office agreed to change the rules, allowing volleyball games to begin at 6 a.m. “I was very much shocked and pleasantly surprised.” Hsia, who was unable to return to the beach because she was at work, also welcomed what she saw as cooperation between players and the city. “This was a huge, big step forward for our community and the city collaborating together.” The courts were empty in the middle of the day Thursday, when the sand was scorching hot and many of the regular players were at work or school. But under the new rules, the South Mission Beach volleyball community can return to the courts at 6 a.m. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less