SPIKE IN VOLLEYBALL ACROSS CANADA
Edmonton event features 12,500 players in 3,184 matches over a six-day period
The increase of teams competing in the 2018 Volleyball Canada Nationals, currently underway at the Edmonton Expo Centre, is indicative of the sport’s growth. Volleyball is growing in popularity and this year’s national tournament is the biggest of its kind, featuring 12,500 players on 864 club teams, playing a total of 3,184 matches.
“There’s a lot of factors,” said Mark Eckert, president and CEO of Volleyball Canada. “… I think the national men and the beach program being so successful in Rio at the Olympics, and certainly getting a lot of exposure that way, is making it the sport of choice for a lot of kids.”
The Canadian men finished fifth in Rio. On the beach, Canada was one of only four countries to qualify two men’s and two women’s teams. The duo of Sarah Pavan and Heather Bansley was the highest-placed team in Rio, finishing fifth.
Being prepared for an increase in registration was important in maintaining the sport’s steady growth throughout the country.
“I think our provinces have done a really good job of making the sport more accessible,” said Sandra de Graaff, director of domestic competitions for Volleyball Canada.
Success at the highest international level for the men’s indoor program is relatively new. Before qualifying for Rio, Canada had not participated in an Olympic tournament since Barcelona in 1992.
The country’s best finish at the Olympics was in 1984 at the Los Angeles Games, which were boycotted by Soviet Union and a number of Eastern Bloc countries. That Canadian team featured University of Alberta Golden Bears men’s coach Terry Danyluk and Glenn Hoag, who is credited by Eckert for getting the men’s national team back to an elite level.
“Glenn took this group and took this challenge on in 2006 and he built a program based on his knowledge and him working as a professional coach in Europe,” Eckert said. Stephane Antiga of France has since taken over the men’s program, while Italian Marcello Abbondanza has been hired to head the women’s team.
The women’s national team has not qualified for an Olympic tournament since Atlanta 1996. Canada’s women’s team is hosting the NORCECA (North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation) Challenge Cup Continental Qualification Tournament running in conjunction with the national event.
“I like to think that my job is talent ID and we hired a (women’s) coach who coaches professional in the best league and the best team in Europe,” Eckert said. “And when he’s not coaching there, he’s now our coach.”