Are the Olympics the Highest Competition for Volleyball?

Volleyball Is A Highly Popular Sport Worldwide

Its adaptability leads to its worldwide appeal. Playing volleyball requires little equipment aside from a ball and space to play. You can play volleyball in a gym, on grass or on the beach sands. Volleyball was introduced as an indoor Olympics sport in 1964 for men and women.

High school and collegiate aged players trained for thousands of hours to qualify for these new opportunities. Once the summer games end what other options do these players have?

At the collegiate level, the National Collegiate Athlete Association (NCAA), governs indoor and college beach volleyball players. The organization responsible for international and Olympic play is the Federation of International Volleyball (FIVB). The FIVB ensures that volleyball standards maintain at all levels. The FIVB is the largest international sports federation in the world. This world wide popularity creates many options for players above and beyond the Olympic games.

Beach Volleyball Is An Adaptation Of The Original Olympic Games.

The sport of beach volleyball developed in Santa Monica, CA during the 1920’s. Beach volleyball is an energetic, sun drenched spectator sport. Across the United States there are many pro and semi pro beach leagues. The Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP), is the country’s longest running beach volleyball organization. The AVP was founded in 1983 to serve as an organization for elite play. Many of the Olympic players are also on the AVP tour. Players are ranked according to seed. Cash prize tournaments are played called Gold and Open series. Gold series events have the highest prize winnings possible.

The National Volleyball League (NVL) is a smaller American elite volleyball league. NVL established Albert Hannemann in 2010. NVL also operates on a seeded tournament style.

Beach volleyball is not the only type of volleyball with additional options outside of the Olympics.

The FIVB has 220 National organizations across the globe under their umbrella. Many athletes find international indoor play as another lucrative option. International play leagues exist in many exotic locations such as Switzerland, South Korea, Brazil, Italy, Turkey and Russia. The game is different than that played in America. Players must also deal with cultural and language differences between other players and coaching staff.

However, international play does come with its benefits. Players can practice their craft among world peers and gain new skills. The opportunity for world travel is attractive. Good agents are often able to negotiate attractive package that includes perks such as room and board and medical care among other items. With these things and large salaries, players often find international play to be very profitable.

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