2/8/2015

VolleyballGeneralInformation

In1995,thesportofVolleyballwas100yearsold!

ThesportoriginatedintheUnitedStates,andisnowjustachievingthetypeofpopularityin
theU.S.thatithasreceivedonaglobalbasis,whereitranksbehindonlysocceramong
participationsports.

Todaytherearemorethan46millionAmericanswhoplayvolleyball.

Thereare800millionplayersworldwidewhoplayVolleyballatleastonceaweek.

1895,WilliamG.Morgan,aninstructorattheYoungMen'sChristianAssociation(YMCA)in
Holyoke,Mass.,decidedtoblendelementsofbasketball,baseball,tennis,andhandballto
createagameforhisclassesofbusinessmenwhichwoulddemandlessphysicalcontactthan
basketball.HecreatedthegameofVolleyball(atthattimecalledmintonette).Morgan
borrowedthenetfromtennis,andraisedit6feet6inchesabovethefloor,justabovethe
averageman'shead.
Duringademonstrationgame,someoneremarkedtoMorganthattheplayersseemedtobe
volleyingtheballbackandforthoverthenet,andperhaps"volleyball"wouldbeamore
descriptivenameforthesport.

1896,July7thatSpringfieldCollegethefirstgameof"volleyball"wasplayed.

1900,aspecialballwasdesignedforthesport.

1900YMCAspreadvolleyballtoCanada,theOrient,andtheSouthernHemisphere.

1905YMCAspreadvolleyballtoCuba

1907VolleyballwaspresentedatthePlaygroundofAmericaconventionasoneofthemost
popularsports

1909YMCAspreadvolleyballtoPuertoRico

1912YMCAspreadvolleyballtoUruguay

1913VolleyballcompetitionheldinFarEasternGames

1916,inthePhilippines,anoffensivestyleofpassingtheballinahightrajectorytobestruck
byanotherplayer(thesetandspike)wereintroduced.TheFilipinosdevelopedthe"bomba"or
kill,andcalledthehittera"bomberino".

1916TheNCAAwasinvitedbytheYMCAtoaidineditingtherulesandinpromotingthe
sport.Volleyballwasaddedtoschoolandcollegephysicaleducationandintramuralprograms.

1917YMCAspreadvolleyballtoBrazil

1917,thegamewaschangedfrom21to15points.

1919AmericanExpeditionaryForcesdistributed16,000volleyballstoit'stroopsandallies.
Thisprovidedastimulusforthegrowthofvolleyballinforeignlands.

1920,threehitspersideandbackrowattackruleswereinstituted.

1922,thefirstYMCAnationalchampionshipswereheldinBrooklyn,NY.27teamsfrom11
data:text/htmlcharset=utf8,%3Cul%20style%3D%22color%3A%20rgb(0%2C%200%2C%200)%3B%20fontfamily%3A%20'Times%20New%20Roman'%3B

1/3

2/8/2015

VolleyballGeneralInformation

stateswererepresented.

1928,itbecameclearthattournamentsandruleswereneeded,theUnitedStatesVolleyball
Association(USVBA,nowUSAVolleyball)wasformed.ThefirstU.S.Openwasstaged,asthe
fieldwasopentononYMCAsquads.

1930'sRecreationalsportsprogramsbecameanimportantpartofAmericanlife

1930,thefirsttwomanbeachgamewasplayed.

1934,theapprovalandrecognitionofnationalvolleyballreferees.

1937,attheAAUconventioninBoston,actionwastakentorecognizetheU.S.Volleyball
AssociationastheofficialnationalgoverningbodyintheU.S.

Late1940sForearmpassintroducedtothegame(asadesperationplay).Mostballswere
playedwithoverhandpass.

1946AstudyofrecreationintheUnitedStatesshowedthatvolleyballrankedfifthamong
teamsportsbeingpromotedandorganized

1947,theFederationInternationaleDeVolleyBall(FIVB)wasfoundedinParis.

1948,thefirsttwomanbeachtournamentwasheld.

1949,thefirstWorldChampionshipswereheldinPrague,Czechoslovakia.

1949USVBAaddedacollegiatedivision,forcompetitivecollegeteams.Forthefirsttenyears
collegiatecompetitionwassparse.Teamsformedonlythroughtheeffortsofinterested
studentsandinstructors.Manyteamsdissolvedwhentheinterestedindividualsleftthe
college.Competitiveteamswerescattered,withnocollegiategoverningbodiesproviding
leadershipinthesport.

1951Volleyballwasplayedbyover50millionpeopleeachyearinover60countries

1955PanAmericanGamesincludedvolleyball

1957TheInternationalOlympicCommittee(IOC)designatedvolleyballasanOlympicteam
sport,tobeincludedinthe1964OlympicGames.

1959InternationalUniversitySportsFederation(FISU)heldthefirstUniversityGamesin
Turin,Italy.Volleyballwasoneoftheeightcompetitionsheld.

1960SevenmidwesterninstitutionsformedtheMidwestIntercollegiateVolleyballAssociation
(MIVA)

1964SouthernCaliforniaIntercollegiateVolleyballAssociation(SCVIA)wasformedin
California

1960'snewtechniquesaddedtothegameincludedthesoftspike(dink),forearmpass
(bump),blockingacrossthenet,anddefensivedivingandrolling.

In1964,VolleyballwasintroducedtotheOlympicGamesinTokyo.
TheJapanesevolleyballusedinthe1964Olympics,consistedofarubbercarcasswithleather
panelling.Asimilarlyconstructedballisusedinmostmoderncompetition.
data:text/htmlcharset=utf8,%3Cul%20style%3D%22color%3A%20rgb(0%2C%200%2C%200)%3B%20fontfamily%3A%20'Times%20New%20Roman'%3B

2/3

2/8/2015

VolleyballGeneralInformation

In1965,theCaliforniaBeachVolleyballAssociation(CBVA)wasformed.

1968NationalAssociationofIntercollegiateAthletics(NAIA)madevolleyballtheirfifteenth
competitivesport.

1969TheExecutiveCommitteeoftheNCAAproposedadditionofvolleyballtoitsprogram.

1974,theWorldChampionshipsinMexicoweretelecastinJapan.

1975,theUSNationalWomen'steambeganayearroundtrainingregimeinPasadena,Texas
(movedtoColoradoSpringsin1979,CotodeCazaandFountainValley,CAin1980,andSan
Diego,CAin1985).

1977,theUSNationalMen'steambeganayearroundtrainingregimeinDayton,Ohio
(movedtoSanDiego,CAin1981).

1983,theAssociationofVolleyballProfessionals(AVP)wasformed.

1984,theUSwontheirfirstmedalsattheOlympicsinLosAngeles.TheMenwontheGold,
andtheWomentheSilver.

1986,theWomen'sProfessionalVolleyballAssociation(WPVA)wasformed.

1987,theFIVBaddedaBeachVolleyballWorldChampionshipSeries.

1988,theUSMenrepeatedtheGoldintheOlympicsinKorea.

1989,theFIVBSportsAidProgramwascreated.

1990,theWorldLeaguewascreated.

1992,theFourPersonProBeachLeaguewasstartedintheUnitedStates.

1994,VolleyballWorldWide,thefirstinternetsiteonthesportofvolleyball,wascreated.

1995,thesportofVolleyballwas100yearsold!

1996,2personbeachvolleyballwasaddedtotheOlympics
Thereisagoodbook,"VolleyballCentennial:TheFirst100Years",availableonthehistoryofthe
sport.

data:text/htmlcharset=utf8,%3Cul%20style%3D%22color%3A%20rgb(0%2C%200%2C%200)%3B%20fontfamily%3A%20'Times%20New%20Roman'%3B

3/3