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How volleyball was invented
Facts and information about volleyball
Volleyball was invented in 1895 by William G. Morgan, physical
director of the YMCA in Holyoke, Mass. He called it "mintonette," until a
professor from Springfield College (Springfield, Mass.), noting the
volleying nature of play, proposed the name of "volleyball."
In 1916 rules were issued jointly by the YMCA and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The first national U.S. tournament was conducted by the National YMCA Physical Education Committee in New York City in 1922. The United States Volleyball Association (USVBA) was formed in 1928 and recognized as the rules-making, governing body in the United States. From 1928 the USVBA--now known as USA Volleyball (USAV)--conducted annual national men's and senior men's (age 35 and older) volleyball championships except during 1944 and 1945 at the end of World War II. Its women's division was started in 1949, and senior women's (age 30 and older) was added in 1977. Other U.S. national events are conducted by member groups of the USAV such as the YMCA and the NCAA. Volleyball was introduced to Europe by U.S. troops in World War I, and national organizations were formed. The Fédération Internationale de Volley Ball (FIVB; International Volleyball Federation) was organized in 1947 in Paris with the USVBA as one of the 13 charter members. FIVB membership grew to 210 member countries by the late 20th century. International volleyball competition had been initiated in 1913 in the first Far East Games, in Manila. During the early 1900s and continuing until after World War II, volleyball in Asia was played on a larger court, with a lower net, and nine players on a team. Participants played fixed positions instead of rotating clockwise after gaining service; they returned to their positions after their time to serve. The FIVB-sponsored world volleyball championships (for men only in 1949; for both men and women in 1952 and succeeding years) led to acceptance of standardized playing rules and officiating. Volleyball became an Olympic sport for both men and women at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo. |
By the mid-1990s Soviet teams had won more world and Olympic titles, both men's and women's, than any other nation. Their success was attributed to widespread grass-roots interest and well-organized play and instruction at all levels of skill. The popularity of the game in the Soviet Union was proved by 40,000 spectators attending single matches at the 1952 World Championships in Moscow.
A highly publicized Japanese women's team, Olympic champions in 1964, reflected the interest of private industry in sport. Young women working in the same company gave their entire free time and energy to conditioning, team practice, and competition under expert and demanding coaching. They were encouraged by the Japanese Volleyball Association. This women's team made its mark in international competition, winning the world championship in 1962, 1966, and 1967, in addition to the 1964 Olympics. At the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the United States won its first Olympic volleyball medals when its women's team captured the silver medal and its men's team won the gold medal.
European championships were long dominated by Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, and the Soviet Union. Interest is growing in Australia, New Zealand, and throughout the South Pacific. The Pan American Games (involving South, Central, and North America) added volleyball in 1955, and Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Cuba, and the United States are frequent contenders for top honors. In Asia, China, Japan, and Korea dominate competition.
A four-year cycle of international volleyball events, recommended by the FIVB, began in 1969 with World Cup championships, to be held in the year following the Olympic Games; the second year is the World Championships; in the third come the regional events (e.g., European championships, Asian Games, African Games, Pan-American Games, etc.); and in the fourth year come the Olympic Games.
Beach volleyball is played on a sand court with two players per team. It was introduced in California in 1930. The first official beach volleyball tournament was held in 1948 at Will Rogers State Beach, Santa Monica, Calif., and the first FIVB-sanctioned world championship was held in 1986 at Rio de Janeiro. Beach volleyball was added to the roster of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia.
Volleyball in the USA remains second only to basketball in terms of team sport popularity, with an estimated 29 million people playing indoor or beach volleyball.
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