Spike in volleyball across Canada
Local tournament has 12,500 players playing 3,184 matches over six days
The increase of teams competing in the 2018 Volleyball Canada Nationals, currently under way 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.
“The growth is anywhere from two to three per cent every year and it just seems to be non-stop,” said Mark Eckert, president and CEO of Volleyball Canada. “There’s a lot of factors. The provinces are running good programs and 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 the full complement of 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. “At the club level when you’re going to compete at nationals it can be expensive, but at an entry level it is a very affordable sport and it’s something that’s in the schools, so every kid is going to play volleyball at some point in their schooling.
Success at the highest international level for the men’s indoor program is relatively new. Prior to qualifying for Rio, Canada had not participated in an Olympic tournament since finishing 10th in 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.
The six-team tournament that also features Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and Cuba, serves as a qualifier for the 16-team Volleyball Nations League. Canada opened the tournament with a win against Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday.
“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.”