How volleyball can grow in its target countries

To those who know and love volleyball as a sport, it isn’t hard to understand why it is popular. It’s a fast-paced game with plenty of tactical interest; unlike a lot of sports, it’s never terribly difficult to tell what’s going on. Casual sports fans will generally tune in to watch matches during the Olympics, even if they tend to revert to their preferred sports once the medals are handed out. It’s also internationally popular, with plenty of attention in the Americas and Asia, while many countries in Europe are into it to, with prominent leagues in Italy and Poland, and in Cyprus, where many people in Nicosia bet on European competition. But volleyball is still a minority sport in many countries.

While it can probably never take the place of football in countries like England, volleyball can certainly develop a larger following in the countries where it is not quite at the top of the tree. In order to achieve this, certain things need to happen – and of course, they aren’t all within the gift of volleyball fans and experts in those countries. But there are definitely things that people need to be lobbying for if volleyball is going to further crack markets like the British one. These include the following considerations:

Increase access to the sport

One way in which sports gain popularity among television spectators is to become more popular as playing sports. Volleyball has the potential to do this – it’s something most high school students have played once or twice in PE classes, but for many of us that has been where it begins and ends. As a relatively simple sport – all you need is a ball and a net – simply increasing the exposure that volleyball gets at local levels could make a major difference in its popularity, and place pressure on TV networks to show it more.

Emphasise its diversity

Volleyball is a sport that is played at a high level by both men and women, boys and girls, and has been for some time. The rapid growth of women’s football worldwide has been impressive to see in recent years, and has resulted in an increase in coverage. When looking to attract new people to the sport of volleyball, there would be no harm at all in underlining that it is a sport that can be played by all, and one which has always been welcoming to the most diverse of player bases.

Look to Paris 2024

There is no doubt that a major event like the Olympics can be the hook that draws people to a sport. Look at how popular tennis becomes for two weeks every summer, or how many British people stay up into the early hours to watch the Super Bowl. Some of those new fans inevitably melt away from a sport, but every time it comes back there are more who stay around to watch and play when there is an opportunity. While there are many people who won’t get excited for domestic and European league volleyball, reaching out with playing events and group watching parties when the sport is played next summer can be a way to get a grass roots phenomenon going in countries where it is ready to happen.

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