The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) today announced a partnership with the Beach Major Company to assist with running and promoting FIVB World Tour events including the Season Final and the Major Series. 

Swatch also today renewed its sponsorship of these events.

The Beach Major Company is a joint venture between Red Bull and Hannes Jagerhofer, founder of ACTS Group, who have been cooperating closely for 20 years. 

Soft drinks manufacturer Red Bull, with its slogan “Red Bull gives you wings” has emerged in recent years as a major player in event management and marketing. Jagerhofer has promoted and staged many volleyball events. 

“This new partnership is the next step in the FIVB’s mission to ensure that volleyball is the world’s leading family sport entertainment through engagement, innovation and universality,” said Dr Ary S. Graça, president of the FIVB. 

“Like the FIVB and volleyball, Red Bull is a dynamic, global brand and I look forward to working together to ensure that the FIVB’s beach volleyball events are a memorable spectacle for fans around the world.

“Red Bull is unrivalled in its marketing expertise. In combination with the Red Bull Media House with its outstanding network and knowledge of content production and distribution – this makes them an ideal partner for the FIVB. We are also delighted to be working closely with Hannes Jagerhofer – a renowned promoter who has set the benchmark for staging world-class volleyball events for many years. 

“Finally, today we are announcing the renewal of the relationship between beach volleyball and one of the most respected sponsors in sport – Swatch. These are all incredibly prestigious partners for the FIVB and I look forward to working closely together to ensure that volleyball continues to lead through innovation as the number one family sport entertainment in the world.” 

The joint venture has committed to “long term backing” of the FIVB and is expected to significantly expand the Major Series, which has three events in 2015: Porec, Croatia; Stavanger, Norway and Gstaad, Switzerland.

"The Swatch Beach Volleyball Major Series, together with the FIVB as the world governing body, was created to push beach volleyball to an entirely new level and position it on the world's stage of top global sports,” said Hannes Jagerhofer, CEO of the Beach Major Company.

“Only with the strong support of the International Federation, which is entirely responsible for the sport’s progress, is it possible to realise the vision of the Major Series. 

“Bringing Swatch on board as title sponsor, which is not only a strong global iconic brand but also a year-long trusted partner, facilitator and driving force, is the best possible scenario for a new era in beach volleyball history.

“To top it off, the Red Bull Media House, known for its award winning live productions, innovative content creation, action sports series and top ranked social media community will be committed to delivering new standards in beach volleyball production, distribution and entertainment.” 

2015 promises to be a high profile year for the sport, with the 2015 FIVB World Tour marking the start of the second qualification process – alongside the Continental Cup – for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. 

Hosted on the iconic Copacabana Beach, beach volleyball is set to be the signature event of Rio 2016.

Poland recently hosted the 2014 International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) World Championship to great acclaim and will stage the 2017 men’s tournament across four cities. Six cities – Bydgoszcz, Gdansk, Lodz, Katowice, Krakow and Wroclaw – have been shortlisted.

Poland’s last and only gold medal at the men’s European Championship dates back to the 2009 edition held in Turkey. Polish Volleyball Federation and CEV vice-president Miroslaw Przedpelski said that plans are in place to host the final match at Warsaw’s National Stadium – the same venue that hosted the opening match of this year’s FIVB World Championships in front of a record-breaking crowd of more than 61,000.

For the women’s event, Baku and Guba will host games in Azerbaijan alongside Georgia’s capital, Tblisi. It will be the first time the CEV’s flagship event will travel to the two countries.

The CEV also revealed hosts for other events in 2016 and 2017 at its general assembly in Antalya, Turkey. The 2016 Beach Volleyball European Championship Final will take place in Biel/Bienne in Switzerland, while the 2016 women’s U19 European Championship will be co-hosted by Slovakia and Hungary in the cities of Nitra and Gyor, respectively. 

Hungary and Slovakia will also organise the 2017 men’s U19 European Championship, with Puchov in Slovakia joining Gyor in Hungary as a host city.

CEV president André Meyer said that the bidding process for the 2019 and 2021 editions of the European Championships would be opened in the coming weeks. This is a change of strategy aimed at providing the eventual organisers with more time to prepare for hosting the events. 

[Source: Greater Orlando Sports Commission] – Orlando has reaffirmed why it’s one of the world’s premier international sports destinations, hosting the 2025 Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Junior National Volleyball Championships, the world’s largest volleyball tournament. The event, which ran from June 13 to July 7, attracted over 6,500 teams and 325,500 estimated athletes, coaches, and spectators from all 50 states and multiple countries to Orlando, setting new participation and attendance records.

Hosted at the Orange County Convention Center, one of more than 40 elite venues in the Greater Orlando region, the event will drive significant economic impact. Simultaneously, Orlando hosted matches for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, demonstrating the region’s unmatched ability to accommodate an influx of visitors for overlapping events and reinforcing its status as a leader in sports tourism.

The conclusion of this year’s tournament coincided with the International Volleyball Federation’s (FIVB) World Volleyball Day, a global celebration of the sport’s unifying power and cultural impact on July 7. The alignment underscores Orlando’s commitment to volleyball at all levels and highlights the city’s role on the international stage in promoting the growth of the game.

“We are so thankful for our community partners when it comes to arranging the AAU Jr. National Volleyball Championships,” said Jo Mirza, President of AAU. “Without the Orange County Convention Center, Greater Orlando Sports Commission and Visit Orlando, we wouldn’t be able to host this premier event for AAU’s largest sport.”

“The AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships have become a cornerstone event in our region’s sports tourism portfolio,” said Greater Orlando Sports Commission President and CEO Jason Siegel. “This year’s record-setting tournament underscores the power of strategic, long-term collaboration with partners like Visit Orlando, Orange County, and the Orange County Convention Center. As the trusted host destination for nearly three decades, Orlando takes great pride in consistently delivering elevated experiences that set a national benchmark for youth sports.”

The successful execution of the 2025 AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships adds to Orlando’s growing portfolio of major sports events and showcases the region’s ability to host competitions at the highest level. With a growing calendar of athletic events, Orlando has built a strong track record in delivering major competitions across a wide range of sports. The region’s continued investment in premier venues, visitor experience, and a collaborative hosting approach has helped attract and sustain both amateur and professional events.

[Source: FIVB] The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) and CVC Capital Partners Fund VII are pleased to announce the launch of Volleyball World, a new partnership which will drive innovation, growth and investment in volleyball around the globe.

Volleyball is the fourth most popular sport globally, with more than 800 million fans and high participation, across attractive markets, including Italy, Brazil, Japan, Poland, China and the US. Volleyball was the most watched sport at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, with 2.6 billion viewer hours globally.

Volleyball World will become the commercial entity for the sport around the world, initially for FIVB and aiming at working later alongside other leagues and federations, with the goal of increasing the profile and popularity of the sport, through fresh investment for the benefit of fans, players and National Federations. Volleyball World will be responsible for the commercial operation of key volleyball and beach volleyball international events, including: the World Championships, Olympic Qualifiers and the Volleyball Nations League. The partnership will focus on event hosting, fan experience, media, data / digital opportunities, and sponsorship to grow commercial revenues for reinvestment, which will ensure the long-term success of the sport.

FIVB, together with its 222 National Federations, will remain the sole, global volleyball regulatory body with responsibility for the sport and its development. As the majority shareholder in Volleyball World, FIVB will oversee the new commercial vision for volleyball while ensuring the interests of all stakeholders are represented. CVC brings extensive experience to this partnership, with a strong track record of investing in multiple sports businesses, including Formula 1, Moto GP, and Rugby. CVC also brings access to a broad international network of relationships with offices in 22 countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas, which will help accelerate the commercial growth of volleyball and investment in the sport at all levels.

Finn Taylor, who was previously the head of Cirque du Soleil’s Global Touring show business overseeing significant geographic expansion and growth, will be the CEO of Volleyball World. Fernando Lima, formerly FIVB Secretary General will Chair the Board of Volleyball World. Other Board members will include Fabio Azevedo (the current FIVB General Director) and Simon Denyer (founder and former CEO of DAZN Group).

FIVB President Ary S. Graça F° said: “We are delighted to partner with CVC to launch Volleyball World. The FIVB is committed to constantly innovating while searching for opportunities that can sustain the development of the sport around the world. In CVC we are confident we have found a partner with the experience, network and capital to support FIVB in its mission to further professionalise the sport for the benefit of fans, players and National Federations.

Volleyball World will boost our sport’s financial growth and deliver lasting legacies for the whole game. Working in partnership with CVC we will be able to secure volleyball’s future and emerge stronger from the current challenges.”

CVC Capital Partners Head of Sports, Media and Entertainment, Nick Clarry added: “Volleyball is one of the most popular sports in the world and there is a huge untapped fan base and commercial potential. FIVB & CVC working together at Volleyball World, will drive innovation and greater fan engagement, which will accelerate growth and allow for substantial reinvestment back into the sport. We are delighted to be partnering with FIVB and look forward to working closely together to develop the sport globally, working collaboratively with all the players, leagues and federations in the years to come.”

The international volleyball federation (FIVB) has made no secret of its ambitious global growth plans by targeting Asia. In recent months, FIVB president Ary Graça spoke about the untapped potential for indoor volleyball and beach volleyball in China and other parts of the continent.

The FIVB’s inaugural Volleyball Nations League is billed as “a pivotal moment” for the sport by Graça. He has said it’s “the most important competition in the FIVB’s history and will revolutionise how volleyball is presented; making it more fan-centric and placing our fans, both inside and outside the stadium, at the very heart of the action”.

A joint project between the FIVB, IMG and 21 national federations – the Volleyball Nations League concluded with the men’s finals in Lille and the women’s finals in Nanjing in July.

Luis Alexandre Rodrigues is driving forward the FIVB’s Asian growth plans from a newly-opened office in Beijing. Setting out the goals, he says the federation is keen to maintain “the momentum that the sport is going in with the Chinese team and of course with the world championships in Japan in September and October and to try to attract more partners interested in working with us”.

“We believe that the future is here that’s why it’s our first office outside Switzerland,” he explains. “We are here to learn with the region and by the time we get more experience for sure we will be holding hands with the other federations we have and promoters as well to deliver what we know best… good events.”

China is ranked number 1 in women's volleyball. They have won a major international volleyball title in each of the last three years – 2015 FIVB World Cup winners, 2016 Rio Olympic title and 2017 FIVB World Grand Champions Cup champions.

Along with Nanjing, Asian cities involved in hosting the competition included Hong Kong, Macau, Bangkok, Osaka and Melbourne.

“We hopefully can engage much more with the region and do what we do in terms of delivering the best events possible,” said Rodrigues.

The Chinese government is investing huge amounts in sport, football in particular, but volleyball is also benefiting from more funding.

“When you see that volleyball is today the only collective sport in which China has such big results, like being world and Olympic champion on the women’s side, it’s something that the government for sure is foreseeing… and they will push as much as they can to make it even better,” Rodrigues said.

“And I think it’s the time to focus as well on the men’s side and make the team shine. They have a very, very strong, tall and good generation, they have hired an international coach and I think they have a good project for the future.”

Rodrigues said the growing profile of the Volleyball Nations League and finals in Nanjing are giving the sport momentum before the world championships spread around six Japanese host cities in September and October: “It’s occupied our time in Asia this year and we are very, very happy to do so. We see this as a good opportunity and we will do much more.”

Luis Alexandre Pontes spoke at Host City Asia. This article first appeared in the Summer issue of Host City magazine 

Host City: Volleyball is extremely popular internationally – but where in the world is it the most popular?

Mario Medeiros: Both volleyball and beach volleyball have huge appeal in nations all over the world, including China, USA, Brazil, Russia, Japan, Poland, Thailand, Italy, Turkey, Germany, France and many others. If we talk about China, for example, the women’s national volleyball team are current Olympic champions. During the final at Rio 2016, between China and Serbia, China’s main TV channel, CCTV, recorded one of its highest-ever viewer ratings for an Olympic Games event. The IOC data report on the Games also proves volleyball’s popularity in China, noting that more than one billion viewer hours of the total recorded for volleyball at Rio 2016 came from China. And to further highlight the overall popularity of indoor and beach volleyball worldwide, I am happy to confirm that volleyball (indoor and beach combined) was the most popular sport at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in terms of the accumulated number of viewer hours, reaching more than 2.6 billion hours. This figure is equivalent to every single person in the world (approximately 7.5 billion people) watching 20 minutes of volleyball. This is a huge number! 

But the popularity of our competitions goes well beyond the Olympic Games. At the 2017 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships in Vienna this summer, the stadium was packed every day, where a total of 170,000 spectators came to enjoy the high-class beach volleyball experience. We are also proud of our annual events, for example this year’s World League Group 1 Finals were in Curitiba, Brazil – the home of volleyball – where more than 23,000 fans filled the Arena da Baixada football stadium, which hosted matches during the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Volleyball is one of the most-practiced sports in schools and universities in some of our key markets, such as the USA and China. It provides solid values of team spirit and discipline which reflects the professional development and education of each individual in life. At the same time volleyball is a non-contact sport that could be played in different environments by people of different ages. This all contributes to its global popularity.

Host City: Where do you see the greatest opportunity for future growth and commercial potential?

Mario Medeiros: Part of what is so exciting for us at the FIVB is that while we have grown significantly over recent years we know there is so much potential for further growth all around the world. In terms of individual countries with huge potential, I would point to China and the USA. Both countries have been responding positively to the new momentum of the FIVB, as we build on our current successes and look to the future with the creation of the New Volleyball League – the new annual competition that we plan to launch next year. Both countries are not only at the top of the world GDP rankings but have strong volleyball teams which we expect to challenge for titles in the future.

The creation of the New Volleyball League is part of the leadership plan formulated by FIVB President, Dr Ary S. Graça. The plan focuses around the Nucleus Project, the aim of which is to concentrate our vision and investment on the key markets around the world, according to GDP rankings. We believe that these nations are crucial to raising the relevance of volleyball around the world, which will then in turn help smaller volleyball nations through greater funding and opportunities for hosting. 

Host City: What formats of the sport are creating the highest level of interest?

Mario Medeiros: Of course, each country and National Federation within the FIVB Family has different interests and goals to achieve but we have been pleased to see great interest from our key stakeholders in the New Volleyball League. With this event, we plan to revolutionise our annual national team competitions. The new event will be composed of a two-tier league: The New Volleyball League, made up of 12 core permanent teams and four challenger teams, as well as a secondary Challenger League.

Participating teams, selected according to a number of criteria including their technical seeding and commercial potential, will play against one another in a round robin format. The New Volleyball League and the Challenger League will feature a promotion and relegation system ensuring volleyball remains one of the most competitive sports in the world for both genders.

The FIVB for the first time, together with IMG, will regulate content production and distribution to guarantee the highest quality and consistency of the output fans around the world will consume from its events throughout the season. The FIVB will also highlight world class performances from teams and individuals throughout the season.

Host City: How important was the introduction of beach volleyball into the Olympic programme to widening the appeal of volleyball?

Mario Medeiros: The introduction of beach volleyball into the Olympic programme was a historic turning point for our sport and the Olympic Games. Beach volleyball was introduced in 1996, during the Atlanta Games, and brought to the Olympic Movement a new format of competition, with speed, fashion, fan engagement and sport entertainment. Of course, the initial decision, taken by the IOC Executive Board in September 1993, to include beach volleyball on the Olympic programme provided the opportunity for beach volleyball athletes to pursue their dream of becoming Olympians and, ultimately, Olympic Champions.

If we look at the numbers from the IOC’s data report regarding the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, 99.9% of all the tickets available for beach volleyball were sold – that number speaks for itself. The great sporting action, spectacular sea front setting and amazing technology and sport presentation created the perfect beach party atmosphere and established beach volleyball as one of the most in-demand sports at Rio 2016.

The FIVB has a great relationship with the International Olympic Committee, and President Thomas Bach attended this year’s FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships in Vienna. He was amazed by the atmosphere created by athletes and audience, with the help of cutting-edge technology and sports presentation.

Host City: Asian cities have hosted several FIVB events recently. How would you describe these experiences and what are your expectations of future events in Asia?

Mario Medeiros: Hosting events in Asia is spectacular for the FIVB. We have a strong fan base on the continent, with impressive ticket sales resulting in packed stadiums and cheering crowds for the FIVB’s most prestigious events, as well as high exposure for our sponsors and relevant TV partners across Asia.

In August, Nanjing, China hosted the FIVB 2017 Women’s World Grand Prix Group 1 Finals, with six teams showcasing world-class performances over five days of competition. The organization also involved around 2,000 staff and 312 volunteers, but it was a fantastic spectacle. We enjoyed enormous success in ticketing and merchandise sales, but also saw great results in terms of media coverage and TV ratings, as CCTV5 reported consistently high viewing figures on the nationwide-broadcasted matches. Six out of the top ten highest rated shows broadcast on this network during the entire period of the FIVB 2017 Women’s World Grand Prix Group 1 Finals were volleyball matches, including the number one broadcast programme.

The FIVB continues to invest in technology, innovation and sports presentation. We have introduced the Challenge system as we believe that the match should be decided by athletes and not the referees. The system was introduced to the Olympic Games in 2016 and we had more than 30% successful challenges in both indoor and beach volleyball. With just one point being able to change the podium, the Challenge System brings more credibility and fairness to our sport.

The FIVB’s new standard for sports presentation moves fan entertainment to engagement, establishing the narrative of the game, as well as educating and engaging the audience. With the help of the extensive sports presentation team, composed of DJs, MCs, announcers, lighting technicians, producers, giant screen operators and others, we would like the audience to celebrate the game with some truly sensory experience through sound effects, loud music, big screens and lights.

We also want fans to be physically active in the way they celebrate the great moments of the game. We want fans to imitate volleyball actions, like the block or the spike. That’s an important message: move your body and be healthy.

Asian countries like China, Japan, South Korea and Thailand have been supporting these introductions and are delivering great events with new features in place. A volleyball match has become more than just a game. It has become a show, with spectators being active game participants, like actors on the stage. Therefore, the goal of the FIVB is to work together with the National Federations to deliver successful events across Asia and get fans more involved in sports, educating them throughout the match and ensuring they take home fantastic memories.

This interview was first published in the Winter 2017 edition of Host City magazine.