1896
After a demonstration given at the YMCA in nearby Springfield, the name "Mintonette" was replaced with "Volleyball".
1900
The rules as modified by W.E. Day were accepted and published by the YMCA. The height of the net went up to 7 feet 6 inches. Match length was set at 21 points.
Canada was the first "foreign" country to adopt Volleyball.
1906
Cuba discovered 6 Volleyball in 1906, thanks to a North American army officer, Agusto York, who took part in the second military intervention on this Caribbean island.
1908
Volleyball reached Japan. It was ------
demonstrated the rules of the new game on the YMCA courts in Tokyo.
1910
Volleyball officially landed in China, thanks to Max Exner and Howard Crokner. Up until 1917, play was between 16-man teams and went to 21 points.
The Philippines too got to know the new game. It was imported by the YMCA director in Manila, Elwood Brown. In a very short time there were 5,000 public and private courts.
In the USA, decisive impetus was given to the game by Prevost Idell, YMCA director in Germantown.
1912
The court size was changed, becoming 35 x 60 feet. A uniform size and weight of the ball was established, calling for a circumference of 26 inches and a weight of between 7 and 9 ounces. Two other important innovations: the number of players on each team was set at six; and it was decided to rotate players before service.
1913
Volleyball was put on the programme for the first Far Eastern Games held in Manila. Teams were made up of 16 players.
1914
George Fisher, secretary of the YMCA War Office, included Volleyball in the recreation and education programme for the American armed forces.
1915
The number of players on court again became variable - being anything from 2 to 6 for each team. Official game time
In Europe, Volleyball arrived on the French beaches of Normandy and Brittany with American soldiers fighting in the First World War. Its popularity grew rapidly, but the game took root especially in the Eastern countries, where the cold climate made gym sports particularly attractive.
The opening days of World War I brought Volleyball to Africa. The first country to learn the rules was Egypt.
1916
Many new rules were established. The score for a "game" dropped from 21 to 15, and it was determined that to win a match a team had to win two out of three "games". The ball could be hit even with a player's feet. Net height rose to 8 feet, while ball weight climbed from 8 to 10 ounces. It was decided that holding on to the ball would be a foul and that a player could not have contact with the ball a second time until after it had been played by another athlete.
Volleyball became a part of the programme of the NCAA, the body that oversees college and university sports in the USA.
1917
At the Allied Forces air base in Porto Corsini, just where Ravenna's sports palace is now located, American airmen introduced the virus of Volleyball into Italy.
1918
The number of players per team was set at six.
In Japan, the first High School Championship was played.
1919
During the First World War, Dr. George J. Fisher, as Secretary of the YMCA War Work Office, made Volleyball a part of the programme in military training camps, both in the USA and abroad, in the Athletic Handbooks written for those responsible for sport and recreation in the Army and Marines. Thousands of balls and nets were sent overseas to the US troops and were also presented to the Allied Army's sports directors. More than 16,000 volleyballs were distributed in 1919 to the American Expeditionary Corps Forces only. The Inter-Allied Games were organized in Paris (but Volleyball was not included since the game was not yet known sufficiently well in the 18 participating Allied countries to allow for a balanced competition).
In China the rules were modified. Play became 12 against 12, and a match went to 15 points.
1920
Court size went down to 30 x 60 feet, and the ball could be played by any other part of the body above the waist. A major innovation involved the rule allowing a team to play a ball no more than three times before sending it over the net.
The Philippines developed the first kind of spike. It was known as the "Filipino bomb"; and it was a pretty lethal weapon in its day.
The firstspontaneous tries at blocking made their appearance, although not yet codified by the rules.
Volleyball made its first official appearance in Russia in the cities of the Volga - Gorky and Kazan - and at the same time in Khabarovsk and Vladivostok (Russian Far East).
1922
Players in the back line were not permitted to spike. The "double hit" fault was added to the rules. Scoring rules were also changed, providing that, with the score at 14-14, 2 consecutive points were needed to win.
The maximum number of consecutive ball contacts per team was set at three. The first national federation was founded in Czechoslovakia, quickly followed by Bulgaria. The first national championship was played in the USA, in which only YMCA teams competed.
Volleyball gained in popularity in Italy too, thanks to Guido Graziani a Springfield YMCA "graduate".
1923
A team was to be up of 6 players on ........numbered jersey. The team securing the right to serve was to rotate clockwise. The serve was to be made by the player placed on the right in the back line. If a player touched the adversary's court during play it was a foul. Minimum ceiling height was set at 15 feet.
The official birthday of Volleyball in Russia was 28 July 1923 when the match of men's team High Art and Theatre Workshop (Vhutemas) and State Cinema Technical School (GTK) was played in Moscow.
1924
The Olympic Games in Paris. The programme included a demonstration of "American" sports, and Volleyball was among these.
1925
Two time-outs per game for each team became the rule. There was also a change in the scoring rules for the mosthotly contested sets: at 14-14, to win it was no longer necessary to score two consecutive points, but rather to have a two-point advantage. Once again the ball weight was modified, from 9 to 10 ounces.
Volleyball was played for the first time in the Netherlands. After a stay at the Seminary of Techny in Illinois, USA, Father S. Buis introduced the sport to the SintWillibrod mission house in Uden and had a few courts set up there.
1926
The Japanese Federation was born and 9 men's competitions were organised.
in Russia, mere was a •political" reaction Dy the Communist Party against the YMCA as a "capitalistic, bourgeois, and religious" organization, and it was obliged to leave the country, but Volleyball was there to stay.
China adopted the 9-player-per-team system, the same used in Japan.
1928
The U.S. Volleyball Association was founded basically under YMCA principles as a leisure sport.
1929
Cuba organized the first men's tournament according to the "American" rules at the Caribbean and CentralAmerican Games. Between the two World Wars, great efforts were made to give unity to the Volleyball movement by establishing a single set of rules and creating an international federation. These were just first efforts, with nothing concrete being done.
1932
Time-outs were limited to one minute. To make a play, an athlete could step off his own court; but he could not change position in the starting line-up.
1933
The first national championship was held in the USSR, where there were already over 400,000 players. For Soviet Volleyball, it was the year of enshrinement. In January, a challenge between Moscow and Dnepropetrovsk was played on no less important a stage than that of the Bolshoi Theatre!
Literature plays an important role in the diffusion of ideas and information and allowed people with a common interest to get together. The book entitled Volleyball: Man's Game by Robert E. Laveaga, published by A S Barnes & Co of New York, made an important impact on teaching methods and scientific training techniques. Volleyball for Women by Katherine M. Montgomery was also very useful for teaching the game.
1934
The first concrete steps to establish international relations in Volleyball were taken during the InternationalHefndbalt Federation Congress in Stockholm.
1935
Crosses were to be marked on the floor to determine player position. Touching the net was to be considered a foul. An important rule involved spikers: it was forbidden to step off the court as long as the ball is in play on the spiker's side (it had been customary for spikers waiting for a set to take a running start from way off and then leap from one foot). In Tashkent and Moscow, the USSR played the first official international matches against Afghanistan.
1937
Multiple ball contacts were permitted in defence against particularly violent spikes.
1938
The Czechs perfected blocking which was officially introduced into the rules under the concept of "a counteraction at the net by one or two adjacent players". For almost twenty years, blocking had been a part of the game, but was not spelled out in the rules. The Czechs were the first (and soon followed by the Russians) to attribute decisive importance to the new skill, which facilitates the ungrateful task of volleying defences.
1939
How to push for homogeneous rules throughout the world? The Annual USVBA Reference Guide and the Official Rules of the Game of Volleyball gave useful information on the game and provided a forum where experiences and ideas emanating from different sources could be exchanged. During the War, thousands of these guides were used throughout the world.
1940
William G. Morgan, the creator of Volleyball, died at the age of 68. A man of high moral standards, Morgansuffered no pangs of jealousy and continued to follow with enthusiasm the progress of his game, convinced that real Volleyball, for real athletes, would be a success.
1941
In several countries, including Italy, experiments were made with a system of timed play. Two 20-minute sets were played (with supplementary time in case of a tie). But after various and prolonged trials, the experiments were abandoned, but taken up again in the United States at the close of the Second World War. Another innovation was time-limit Volleyball, whereby a game lasted 8 minutes of actual play. To win, a team had to have either a two-point advantage at the end of the 8 minutes or have been the first to score 15 points. But even here, the idea found little acceptance.
1942
The ball could be played by any part of the body from the knees up.
Everywhere from the South Pacific to the Finnish front, Volleyball drew crowds among the troops engaged in the Second World War, even aboard aircraft carriers. Volleyball was recommended by Chiefs of Staff for training the troops. believing it kept them in condition, strengthened their morale and taught then now to stay together as a group - something essential at that point of the War. 1943 During the summer of 1943, Mr. Firewood joined the management of the United States YMCA and quickly became Secretary/Treasurer of the USVBA and worked closely with Dr. Fisher, its President. Through international YMCA contacts in more than 80 countries and also military personnel around the world, communications were established and began to produce information on the interpretation and development of Volleyball and those who were managing it. Correspondence with the Polish managers during the War drew attention to the post-war endeavours to establish an international Volleyball organization.
1945
First postage stamp on a Volleyball subject issued in Rumania.
1946
In January, the Spartak Prague team went to play in Poland, signaling a resumption after the War years of contacts aimed at creating an international Volleyball organization. On the occasion of a friendly match between the Czech and French national teams on 26 August, a meeting was held in Prague between representatives of the federations of Czechoslovakia, France, and Poland. The meeting produced the first official document of the future FIVB, with the creation of a commission for the organization of the International Federation, the promotion of a constituent congress, and the decision to launch a Europear or world championship at an early date.
1947
Only front-line players were allowed to exchange positions for a two-player block and spike.
Egypt was the first Arab and African country to organize Volleyball activities and establish a national federation.
From 18 to 20 April in Paris, 14 federations founded the FIVB, with the headquarters in Paris. Frenchman Paul Libaud was the first President. American and European rules of the game were harmonized. The court was to measure 9 x 18 meters; and net height was to be 2,43 meters for the men and 2,24 for the women.
Only in Asia, the rules were different: the court had to measure 21,35 x 10,67 meters, and the net was to be 2,28 m high for the men and 2,13 for the women; there was no rotation of players and on court there were 9 athletes arranged in three lines.
1948
First European Championship held in Rome and won by Czechoslovakia. After the War, the rules were rewritten and clarified to make interpretation easier. In particular, a better definition was given to the idea of blocking, and service was limited to the right third of the back court boundary. It was also made clear that each player had to be in his right place during service; points scored by the wrong server were to be nullified; simultaneous contacts by two players were to be considered one; time-outs were to last one minute, while time-out due to injury could last five minutes; and rest time between one game and another was set at three minutes.
1949
The first Men's World Championship was held in Prague and won by the USSR. This was also the first time a setter penetrated from the back line, leading to a three-player attack.
1951
At its 3rd Congress, the FIVB decided that a player's hands could "invade" at the net during blocking but only in the final phases of spiking. Furthermore, a back-line player could spike, providing that he remained in his zone and did not move up to the front line.
China began to participate in international tournaments.
1952
The first Women's World Championship was held in Moscow and won by the USSR.
1953
At its 4th Congress, the FIVB defined referee action and terminology. The Chinese Federation was born.
1954
The Asian Confederation was founded in Manila.
1955
At the FIVB Congress in Florence, the Japanese Federation adopted the international rules and committed itself to gradually introducing them in Asia.
The 1st Asian Championship was played in Tokyo; both 6- and 9-player tournaments were scheduled. Volleyball was put on the programme for the Panamerican Games.
1956
First issue of the official FIVB bulletin published. The first truly globe-spanning World Championship was held in Paris, France (with 24 men's teams from 4 continents). Czechoslovakia (for the men) and the USSR (women) won the coveted titles in Paris.
1957
Consideration was given to the introduction of a second referee; duration of time-outs was limited to one minute30 seconds. During the 53rd IOC session in Sofia, Bulgaria from 22 to 26 September, a demonstration tournament was played for the IOC members who then decided to include Volleyball on the programme for the Games celebrating the XVII Olympiad in Tokyo, 1964.
1958
Once again it was the Czechs who introduced a new defensive hit - the bagger - which amazed the spectators atthe European Championship in Prague.
1959
At the FIVB Congress in Budapest it was decided to forbid "screening" on the serve and to limit "invasion" at the net onto the opponent's court to the whole foot.
1960
For the first time, a World Championship (the men's) was played outside of Europe (in Brazil). Victory went to the USSR, both the men and the women.
1961
The idea of Mini Volleyball was born in East Germany.
1962
The World Championships were played Moscow. The USSR men confirmed their leadership, while it was a first victory for the Japanese women.
1963
The European Confederation was founded on October 21st.
1964
New rules on blocking: airborne invasion during blocking was prohibited, while blockers were permitted a second hit. The first Olympic Volleyball tournaments were played in Tokyo during the Olympic Games from 13 to 23 October, with 10 men's teams and 6 women's teams. The gold medal for the men went to the USSR, and the women's to Japan.
1965
The first men's World Cup was played in Poland and won by the USSR.
1966
The first scientific symposium was held in Prague on the occasion of the men's World Championship, won by Czechoslovakia.
1967
The first African Continental Championship was played; the African Zone Commission was founded.
The women's World Championship, scheduled a year after the men's, was played in Tokyo and won once again by Japan.
1968
The use of antennas to limit the court air ...................... side line was recommended to the Congress in Mexico. The USSR took home two Olympic gold medals.
1969
A Coaches Commission was established. The FIVB recognized its fifth Continental Sport Zone Commission whenNORCECA was born in Mexico, July 26 with the merging of USA, Canada and the countries joining to form the North Central American and Caribbean Confederation (NORCECA). The first NORCECA Championships took place in Mexico.
Berlin, East Germany won the second edition of the men's World Cup.
1970
The World Championships in Bulgaria: victorious were the GDR men and the USSR women.
1971
The first FIVB coaching courses were held in Japan and Egypt.
The FIVB Medical Commission was established
The sub-commission for Mini Volleyball of the FIVB Coaches' Commission was established.
1972
The five Sports Zone Commissions (Africa, Asia, Europe, Norceca, and South America) became ContinentalConfederations. Japan won the Munich Olympics with playmakers Nekoda and Matsudaira. Systematic use of itsfast game clinched for the first time the gold medal for an Asian Country. The women's tournament was won bythe USSR.
The official rules of Mini Volleyball were established.
The first South American Junior Championships were held in Rio.
1973
The first women's World Cup was played in Uruguay and won by the USSR.
1974
At the FIVB Congress in Mexico City it was decided to make two changes to go into force after 1976: lateralantennas were to be moved to the court's side boundaries and three ball contacts were to be permitted afterblocking.During the World Championship, Polish athlete Wojtowicz amazed everybody by spiking from the backline. In Mexico City, Poland won the men's gold; while, in Guadalajara, Japan held on to the women's title.
1975
The first Mini Volleyball Symposium was held in Sweden, with 19 nations participating.
The first Asian Championships were held in Australia.
1976
At the Montreal Olympic Games, Poland confirmed its leadership among the men and Japan among the women.
blocking, not two but three ball contacts were permitted; the distance between the antennas was shortened from 9.40 to 9 meters.
1977
The first Junior World Championships were held in Brazil; winners were the USSR (for the men) and South Korea (women). Kuwait organized the first Arabian Championship. The World Cup was granted to Japan on a permanent basis for both men and women.
Triumphing in Tokyo were the Soviet men and the Japanese women.
1978
The men's World Championship was held in Rome, with the USSR winning ahead of Italy. The women played inLeningrad; and it was a surprise first world title for Cuba, placed ahead of Japan and USSR.
1980
At the Moscow Olympic Games, it was a dual victory for the USSR.
17th FIVB Congress: the rules of the game were adopted in three-languages: French, English and Spanish.
1981
World Cup in Tokyo: the USSR won for the men and China for the women.
1982
Ball pressure was increased from 0.40 to 0.46 kg/cm2.
The Women's World Championship was held in Peru where, for the first time, China took the title after an outstanding and spectacular performance.
The men's World Championship (in Argentina) was won by the USSR.
1983
On 19 July, the Brazil vs. USSR challenge at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana stadium brought in nearly 100,000 spectators!
1984
The 19th Congress of the FIVB was held in Long Beach, California; and, after 37 years at the helm, the foundingFrench President Paul Libaud stepped down and became Honorary President. A Mexican lawyer, Dr. Ruben Acosta,was elected as the new President.
The USA won the men's Olympic gold, while China was victorious among the women.
At the Los Angeles Olympic Games, the Brazilians (the silver medallists) attracted attention with their ability to make jumping serves.
The idea was not new (Argentina had already tried it at the 1982 World Championship), but no one had ever seen it used so effectively before.
After Los Angeles '84, it was no longer possible to block a serve, and referees became more permissive in evaluating defence.
The first International Volleyball Cinema Festival was held in Perugia.
15 December: FIVB moved its quarters to a temporary office in Lausanne while preparing, its permanent headquarters in this city.
1985
28 May: for the first time, a Volleyball representative (FIVB President Acosta) was named for an IOC Commission - the prestigious Olympic Movement Commission.
World Cup in Tokyo: victory went to the USA men, while China confirmed its leadership among the women.
28-31 December: the first women's World Gala was played in China, (two matches in Beijing and Shanghai).
A world All-Star line-up challenged the Olympic Champion China, which won both matches and the Hitachi Cup.
1986
In Paris, the USA won the men's World Championships. China took the women's gold medal in Prague. BeachVolleyball received official status by the FIVB.
1987
From 17 to 22 February, the first Beach Volleyball World Championship was played in Ipanema, Brazil.
1988
On 6 May, the FIVB inaugurated its new headquarters in Lausanne.
The Olympic Games in Seoul: for the men's tournament, the number of teams rose to 12 (previously 10). The USA won'the men's gold medal; the USSR took the women's after a dramatic final match against Peru.
The World Congress approved the turning of the 5th set into a tiebreak rally-point system in which each serve is worth a point.
Final scoring per set was limited to 17 points with one point difference.
The first edition of the FIVB Super Four was held in Japan, a bi-yearly competition between the three medallists from the Olympic Games (or the World Championship). In the first Super Four, the Soviet men and the Chinese women re-affirmed their superiority.
1989
The year brought the first edition of the Beach Volleyball World Series (a world circuit) and the second World Gala in Singapore (men's and women's All Stars against the Olympic champions).
World Cup in Japan: Cuba won for the women and went on for a dual victory. For the men, new European champion Italy placed second.
From 6 to 10 December, the first World Championship for Clubs was played in Parma and won by home team Maxicono.
1990
The first edition of the men's World League, a revolutionary idea for a team sport, with one million US$ prize money, professional organization and wide TV broadcasting in an itinerant competition reaching all corners of the world. Maying formula for the World Championship was changed. After the qualification phase, play proceeded by direct ewiination matches right up to the finals for 1st to 8th place. Italy won the first one-million-dollar World League in Tokyo, Japan, before a crowd of 10,000 spectators. Italy upset Brazil in Rio de Janeiro and became the first Western European country to win the Men's Volleyball World Championship. USSR won the women's world title against China in Beijing.
1991
The first edition of the Women’s world Championship for Clubs was played in Brazil, Winner was GadiaSauFadio.
Italy wins the 2nd consecutive World League with two million US$ prize money for the teams. The final was in Milan in front of 12,000 spectators against Cuba.
1992
Barcelona applauded the first Olympic victory by Brazil (for the men) and Cuba (women). After Barcelona, the tiebreak was modified. At 16-16, play continues until one team has a two-point advantage.
The World League increased prize money to 3 million US dollars and for the 3rd time Italy won in Genoa (9,000 spectators) against the Netherlands.
Brazil also triumphed in the men's Super Four and Cuba in the women's.
1993
The first edition of the Grand Prix with one million dollars in prize money, the women's version of the World League, was played entirely in Asia and won by Cuba against China.
The World League final was held in Sao Paulo and Brazil won the title.
During the 101st IOC session in Monte Carlo on 18 September, Beach Volleyball was admitted as a gold medal discipline to the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
Debut of another major event: the Grand Champions CUD is to be played even four years in Japan alternating in odd years with the World Cup; participants will be the continental champions. First gold medal winners were Italy (men) and Cuba (women).
1994
The fifth edition of the World League offered record prize money of $6 million. Italy won for the fourth time against Cuba.
The World Congress in Athens approved new rules to go into force officially on 1st January 1995, such possibility of contacting the ball with any part of the body, including the feet; the service zone is extended to the whole 9-meter back line; elimination of the "double hit" fault on the first touch of a ball coming from the opponent's court; and the permission to touch the net accidentally when the player in question is not trying to play the ball.
Italy won the men's World Championship for the second time in a row equalling a previous USSR award.
At the Women's World Championship in Brazil, 26,000 spectators in Belo Horizonte attended the matches, setting a new record for women's event. Later on in Sao Paulo, 12,000 spectators saw Cuba win its second world title, this time in a final against Brazil.
1995
Volleyball is one hundred years old! The anniversary is being observed throughout the world with awards ceremonies, tournaments, and special stamp issues and postmarks. The FIVB is celebrating the event by bringing together "100 years of Volleyball in 100 days" in a special calendar of events and editing a magnificent book under the title of "100 Years of Global Link".
The World League again spoke Italian. In the women's Grand Prix, a surprise victory went to the United States.
Italy won the men's World Cup for the first time and Cuba the women's for the third time in a row. In the World Gala, Italy's men beat the All Stars and received the Centennial Cup from the hands of IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch. A happy 100th birthday to Volleyball! '
1996
The Atlanta Olympic Games made Beach Volleyball the latest Olympic Medal Sport in the historic area of Clayton County with a newly built 8,000-seat stadium which was never big enough to accommodate the enthusiastic crowds.
Volleyball competitions had two ad hoc facilities; the Atlanta convention centre and the Georgia University Hall in Athens. Netherlands and Italy performed Volleyball at its best and in the widest TV coverage at world level after 5 strenuous sets, the van de Goor team gave Netherlands its first gold medal in Volleyball history.
1998
Men and Women's World Championships for the first time go to Japan for the best Championships in Volleyball history.
After touring 14 cities and reaching over 500,000 spectators, and the highest TV ratings in Japan since the 1964 Japanese Olympics gold for women, Italy led by Giani and Gardini made history with its 3rd consecutive crown defeating Yugoslavia and Cuba led by Regla Torres set the same record of 3 crowns for women, defeating Russia.
The Congress made a historic change in the rules, adopting "Rally Point System" of 25 points per each of four sets and an eventual 5th set as a 15-point tiebreak with a two-year testing period. Other changes were immediately adopted such as the colour ball, Libero player and coaches interactivity.
2000
Italy won its 8th World League pennant in 12 editions defeating Russia, but lost again the Olympic gold for men now in front of Yugoslavia.
Cuba women defeated Russia once more 3-2 and won its 3rd consecutive Olympic gold setting an all time record.
Following thephenomenal success of the Beach Volleyball performance during the Sydney Olympics, the IOC Executive Committee declared Beach Volleyball an official part of the Olympic programme.
KarchKiraly (USA) and Reglo Torres (Cuba) were
Italy men's (1990-98) and Japan women's (1960-1965) were declared the 20th Century Best Volleyball Teams.
The 20th Century Best Volleyball Coaches titles were awarded to Yasutaka Matsudaira, Japan men (1964-1974), and Eugenio George, Cuba women (1990-2000).