The South African Masters Volleyball Association launched the Thembakele Gauteng Masters Volleyball Series on 9 February.
The first tournament takes place at the Azaadville Recreational Centre later this month.
The series will feature eight tournaments and the series will be administered by a local organising committee and supported by the association.
Masters sport is internationally recognised and administered by the International Masters Games Association.
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Every four years, tens of thousands of athletes gather at the World Masters Games to compete in what is widely regarded as the Olympics for the elderly. These games cater for sports people of all abilities and ages from 30 and above.
The oldest athlete who competed at the 2017 games in Auckland, New Zealand, was 101 years old. For the first time, a South African volleyball team competed at the games and narrowly missed out on medals by achieving a commendable 4th place in the 40+ age category.
This series will be a closed one, meaning no new teams will be accepted during the year.
It caters for women born in 1988 or earlier, and men born in 1978 or earlier. A national open tournament, the Gauteng Masters Invitational Challenge, will be hosted in June where local and international teams will be invited to participate.
