It started as “mintonette”
Volleyball was invented by William G. Morgan, a YMCA instructor in Holyoke (USA), as a gentler alternative to basketball. The first net hung at about 1.98 m.
Fun facts
History, Polish success stories and trivia to surprise your team in the locker room.
Where the name came from
After a demonstration game Alfred Halstead noted that the game was all about volleying the ball in the air and suggested the name volley ball.
FIVB, with Poland at the start
The international federation FIVB was founded in Paris in 1947, and Poland was one of its founding members.
Olympic debut
Indoor volleyball joined the Olympic programme in Tokyo in 1964. Beach volleyball followed in Atlanta in 1996.
Wagner’s gold
Poland’s men, coached by Hubert Wagner, won Olympic gold in Montreal. Two years earlier they had become world champions.
Back-to-back world champions
Poland won the World Championship at home in 2014 and defended the title in 2018. Only a few national teams have ever won gold twice in a row.
The “Golden Girls”
Poland’s women, coached by Andrzej Niemczyk, won two European Championships in a row.
Libero means “free”
The libero position was introduced in the late 1990s to make rallies longer. The name is Italian for “free”, as in free from the usual substitution limits.
Goodbye, side-out scoring
Only the serving team used to score, and sets went to 15. Rally point scoring made matches shorter and easier to schedule for TV.
Passing with just two
Teams used to receive serve with as many as five players (the “W” formation). In the 1980s the US team under Doug Beal left serve receive to just two players, Karch Kiraly and Aldis Berzins, and won Olympic gold in 1984. Today it is usually three: two outside hitters and the libero.
Light but fast
An indoor volleyball weighs 260–280 g and measures 65–67 cm around. The hardest jump serves go faster than 120 km/h.
Sitting volleyball
The version for athletes with disabilities has been a Paralympic sport since 1980. The men’s net hangs at about 1.15 m.
Positions only count for an instant
A position fault can only happen at the moment the server hits the ball. A split second later players may run anywhere.