NEWS
Host city for European Footvolley Championship 2018 is Graz, Austria
We are pleased to announce that the host city for the European Footvolley Championship 2018 is Graz, Austria. It will take place in the city center, Hauptplatz Graz, between June 6th and June 9th.
We are pleased to announce that the host city for the European Footvolley Championship 2018 is Graz, Austria. It will take place in the city center, Hauptplatz Graz, between June 6th and June 9th.
Graz has hosted big footvolley tournaments for many years and we are excited to see what Graz has to offer us come June. Footvolley Austria has a lot of good players and they work a lot to recruit new players and make the sport visible in Austria.
A quick comment from the president of Footvolley Austria:
“We are proud to be the host of the major tournament in Europe this year. Although we have organized an international event each year since 2012, this time it will be something special, not only because it will be the 2018 main event in Europe, but also because we wil be able to have the event right in the center in Graz in front of the city hall.”
He continues: "The city of Graz and the team of Footvolley Austria is already excited to welcome Europe's best teams this summer. Apart from the offcial competition, there will also be a training camp for players from all over Europe to meet, train together and be part of the European Footvolley Championship 2018".
You do not want to miss this!
This is the third European Footvolley Championship and it has previously been arranged in Schwäbisch Gmund, Germany (2016) and Albufeira, Portugal (2017). In 2016 France took the title just ahead of Portugal, and in 2017 it was the other way around; Portugal won in an exciting final against France.
EFVL President Ulli Hulsmans is very pleased and has a long history playing footvolley in Graz.
“Graz feels like a 2nd home to me since my first footvolley partner Jan-Pieter Martens (ex-Sturm Graz) introduced me to this lovely city.”
More info about location, tournament structure and media package will be be available soon.
Congratulations Graz, and all footvolley fans.
Are you coming?
European Footvolley League officially incorporated under Swiss law
The European Footvolley League (EFVL) was officially incorporated under Swiss law on Sunday 26th of November at Hotel Schweizerhof in Lucerne.
The European Footvolley League (EFVL) was officially incorporated under Swiss law on Sunday 26th November at Hotel Schweizerhof in Lucerne.
Representatives from eleven of the thirteen member countries (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain Switzerland & the UK) were in attendance and co-signed the agreed EFVL Statutes and minutes of this first Congress which took place on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th November 2017.
Executive Committee
The President of the EFVL for the next two years is Ulli Hulsmans (Belgium) supported by Vice-President Carlos Coimbra (Portugal) and Chief Executive of Finance Erik Drenth (Netherlands) who head up a seven man Executive Committee.
About EFVL
The EFVL was founded in Rome in May 2015 with a mission to grow and promote footvolley throughout Europe. It now comprises thirteen member countries with others poised to join and the official incorporation as a legal body in Switzerland will help the EFVL engage with partners and develop the sport at a continental level. At the 1st EFVL Congress in Lucerne various departments were established to look after the main activities of the EFVL going forward, including Sports Development (grassroots), Marketing and Competitions.
The host
Many thanks to Paul Winiker and the city of Lucerne for hosting the delegates of the EFVL, including a visit to the oldest footvolley club in the world, the Lido Lucerne, where footvolley has been played since 1935.
Italian National Qualifying Tournament
The Italian National Qualifying tournament is open to all players, both men and women.
The tournament will take place May 13th and 14th 2017 at the Sports Center and FCO Beach Center of Fiumicino (Rome). The qualifying event will be valid for the European Footvolley Championship in Albufeira, Portugal and for all events tagged European Footvolley 2017.
Registration must be sent in by May 10, 2017.
To register, please send an e-mail to: info@playfootvolley.it
Qualifica Italiana valida per il Campionato European Footvolley League di Albufeira, Portogallo.
L'evento e'aperto a tutti gli italiani di passaporto, per il settore maschile e femminile, e si svolgerà nella data del 13 e 14 Maggio presso la struttura FCO Beach Center di Fiumicino.
Graz host city for the EFC 2018
The EFVL has chosen the city of Graz in Austria as host city for the 3rd edition of the European Footvolley Championship in 2018.
For a few weeks the rumors have been growing, but today we are proud to make it official. The EFVL has chosen the city of Graz in Austria as host city for the 3rd edition of the European Footvolley Championship in 2018.
This decision is based on the strong case the Austrian Footvolley Federation built in which they demonstrate their motivation and vast experience in organising with a keen eye for every detail. We strongly believe Graz will be a worthy successor in line with the great host cities Schwäbisch Gmünd in 2016 and Albufeira in 2017.
The Austrian Footvolley Federation has a long history of organising international tournaments; 2017 marks the eighth in Austria, the last six being held in the city of Graz. The best players from Brazil and across Europe have enjoyed the hospitality of Graz, the second biggest city of Austria, located in the southern part of the country. Since the first event in 2009, the players have developed a strong affinity with the residents of this beautiful and lively city and look forward to this highlight of the international footvolley calendar.
The event location will be the main square of Graz in the heart of the old city Centre, one of the most beautiful locations in Austria receiving more than 100.000 visitors per month. Around the event location, there will be a stadium and an event village. Apart from the main event, plans are made to have a whole week packed with various footvolley events including a women’s and a youth competition as well as workshops and tryouts for school classes and football clubs, an exhibition with the presence of former football players and a training camp.
An official press conference will be held later this year.
City of Albufeira to host 2017 European Footvolley Championship
The official announcement of the host city for the 2017 European Footvolley Championship was made today, and the honor goes to Albufeira, Portugal.
The official announcement of the host city for the 2017 European Footvolley Championship was made today (monday 13th of february 2017), and the honor goes to Albufeira, Portugal.
Video of the European Footvolley Championship 2016
Video report of the European Footvolley Championship 2016 in Germany. Musical score by Emil Auriel - Futevôlei Na Veia.
France wins first European Footvolley Championship
The European Footvolley League would like to congratulate France with the win in the first European Footvolley Championship in Schwäbisch Gmünd 2016. Dume Susini and Anghjulu Maria Plasenzotti beat Nelson Pereira and Miguel Pinheiro of Portugal in a very exciting and well played final.
The European Footvolley League would like to congratulate France with the win in the first European Footvolley Championship in Schwäbisch Gmünd 2016. Dume Susini and Anghjulu Maria Plasenzotti beat Nelson Pereira and Miguel Pinheiro of Portugal in a very exciting and well played final.
France beat Portugal 1 18:15 and 18:12 in the final and showed us solid defense and outstanding attacking. Portugal 1 kept within reach for a long time, but France proved stronger and came out with the win.
The battle for the 3rd place was won by Spain. Sergio Antolinos & Juan Antonio Lopez managed to beat Pedro Salvador & Tiago Melo of Portugal 2.
This means the top 3 of European Footvolley Champions looks as follows:
1. France
2. Portugal
3. Spain
Winners Dume Susini and Anghjulu Maria Plasenzotti
This was truly a historical 1st edition of the European Footvolley Championship. Everyone involved is a winner. All teams showed their skills, commitment and love for the sport. The organization was perfect and we are eternally grateful to the city of Schwäbisch Gmünd. Over 100 school kids played footvolley. The ladies exhibition was very tense and high level. And last but not least, the more than 2000 enthusiastic supporters from all over Europe were sublime. This was a giant step for our beloved sport. United we play footvolley!
All pictures are taken by JF-PhotoStyle. See more pictures at his Facebook-page.
Live video and commentary
The tournament was broadcasted with live video stream on our Youtube channel and you can see all the action there. We also had live commentaries from Nick Dugdale-Moore.
Here are some quick links:
- The stream for sunday (finals)
- The stream for saturday (knock out stages)
- The final between France and Portugal 1
- The semi final 1 between France and Portugal 2
- The semi final 2 between Spain and Portugal 1
Our amazing sponsors helped us make this happen
Results from the tournament
The groups
Group A: Germany 1, Austria, Belgium and Switzerland 2
Group B: Italy, Spain, United Kingdom and Germany 3
Group C: Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway and Portugal 2
Group D: Portugal, France, Germany 2 and Netherlands 2
Schedule and results from friday
10:00 1 Austria - Switzerland 2 18:14
10:30 2 Spain - United Kingdom 18:5
11:00 3 Germany - Belgium 18:12
11:30 4 Italy - United Kingdom 18:8
12:00 5 Belgium - Switzerland 2 7:18
12:30 6 United Kingdom - Germany 3 7:18
13:00 7 Germany - Austria 9:18
13:30 8 Italy - Spain 14:18
14:00 OFFICIAL OPENING
14:30 9 Austria - Belgium 18:6
15:00 10 Spain - Germany 3 18:10
15:30 11 France - Netherlands 2 18:12
16:00 12 Switzerland - Portugal 2 9:18
16:30 13 Portugal - Germany 2 18:7
17:00 14 Netherlands - Norway 18:7
17:30 15 Germany 2 - Netherlands 2 11:18
18:00 16 Norway - Portugal 2 9:18
18:30 17 Portugal - France 18:13
19:00 18 Netherlands - Switzerland 18:14
Schedule and results from saturday
10:00 19 France - Germany 2 18:10
10:30 20 Switzerland - Norway 18:7
11:00 21 Germany - Switzerland 2 19:17
11:30 22 Italy - Germany 3 21:19
12:00 23 Portugal - Netherlands 2 18:11
12:30 24 Netherlands - Portugal 2 14:18
Schedule and results from the knock out stage saturday
13:30 25 France - Switzerland 18:16 18:14
14:15 26 Italy - Switzerland 2 18:5 18:11
15:00 27 Netherlands 1 - Netherlands 2 15:18 18:13 15:11
15:45 28 Germany 1 - Germany 3 14:18 13:18
Schedule and results from quarter finals saturday
17:00 29 Austria - (W25) France 7:18 10:18
17:45 30 Portugal 2 - (W26) Italy 18:13 20:18
18:30 31 Spain - (W27) Netherlands 1 18:16 18:12
19:15 32 Portugal 1 - (W28) Germany 3 18:12 18:10
Schedule and results from semi finals and finals sunday
10:00 33 France - Portugal 2 9:18 18:14 15:5
10:45 34 Spain - Portugal 1 18:12 15:18 11:15
11:30 - Netherlands girls - Italy girls (Italy wins)
13:25 35 Portugal 2 - Spain 13:18 (Spain wins bronze medal)
14:00 36 France - Portugal 1 18:15 18:12 (France wins gold medal)
Participants of the EFC 2016
Main teams
- Austria: Benedikt & Klemens Hofmann-Wellenhof
- Belgium: Jochen Van Gestel & Ruben Veestraeten
- Croatia: Team withdrawn
- France: Dume Susini & Anghjulu Maria Plasenzotti
- Germany 1: Jakob Domke & Joel Nißlein.
- Germany 2: Ray Wenning & Dennis Bessel
- Italy: Marco Graziani & Marco Santopre
- Netherlands: Antonio Aurino & Jesse van Oord
- Norway: Kristoffer Førde Aarskog & Tom Johannes Bang
- Portugal: Nelson Pereira & Miguel Pinheiro
- Spain: Sergio Antolinos & Juan Antonio Lopez
- Switzerland: Alberto Quintas & Cristiano Goes
- United Kingdom: David Donkin & Gary Titley
Qualification teams
- Switzerland: Nils Fehr & Benedikt Zwyssig
- Austria: Sascha Wegscheider & Jakob Hofmann-Wellenhof
- Germany 3: Mo Obeid & Daniel Wehr
- Portugal: Pedro Salvador & Tiago Melo
- Netherlands: Martijn ten duis & Bart Zantman
Follow the action from the European Footvolley Championship in Schwäbisch Gmünd
If you want to follow the action from the 1st ever European Footvolley Championship, which is taking place this weekend in Schwäbisch Gmünd, you can do this by following us here:
If you want to follow the action from the 1st ever European Footvolley Championship, which is taking place this weekend in Schwäbisch Gmünd, you can do this by following us here:
Please follow us, like and comment!
You can also see all the scores in our live blog on Facebook.
Ladies in footvolley
All over the world female athletes are playing footvolley. If you think they play to get more guys as followers on their Instagram, think twice. These ladies are highly motivated to improve their skills and compete in international tournaments.
Footvolley is physically, technically and tactically a challenging sport because it combines elements from football and beach volleyball. But do not make the mistake of calling it an all-male sport. All over the world female athletes are playing footvolley.
If you think they play to get more guys as followers on their Instagram, think twice. These ladies are highly motivated to improve their skills and compete in international tournaments. Currently in Europe there are female players in the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Sweden and Austria. We asked them a few questions:
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED AND WHY DO YOU LOVE FOOTVOLLEY?
Nynke Karrenbeld attended a footvolley tournament in Italy 6 years ago and was impressed with this tough and spectacular sport. She played a few balls in between games and was immediately sold. That same summer she joined a new group of men who started in Groningen in the Netherlands and has been playing ever since. Six months later Jorike Olde Loohuis who still played first division football at the time joined as well. They became the first female footvolley team in the Netherlands.
Nynke Karrenbeld in Groningen 2016
Nicoline Birza comes from a footvolley family as both her brothers and sister in law Evelyn Dobbinga play. In July 2014 she watched her brother Marcel participate in a footvolley clinic and got to play a few balls. She has been playing and improving ever since. Nicoline loves footvolley for the same reasons she loves beachvolley. Only 2 players to a team without substitutes gives you a lot of contacts with the ball and also the mental aspect is crucial. She is addicted to the technical and tactical skills required to play.
Nicoline Birza in Groningen 2016
In Austria the sisters Klara and Martina Zeiner got involved thanks to Klemens Hofmann-Wellenhof and his brothers. Both are into footvolley because of the fun and the challenge on the sand. Or as Klara puts it:
“Footvolley is a great way for women to show they have a good feel for the ball and hand to eye control, without a personal history of playing football or volleyball like my sister and me.” (Klara Zeiner)
Martina adds that apart from playing even watching footvolley games is fun because of all the action and long rally’s.
In Sweden the most famous footvolley and football player (next to Zlatan) is Elin Astrid. She participated in a footvolley clinic at the Gothia Cup, the biggest football youth tournament in Gothenburg and she fell in love head over heels. Elin found that by playing this amazing sport she improved her football skills. Even with an injury or sensitive ligaments she was still able to play and speed up her revalidation:
"The sand is pretty much harmless to my bad knee and it's good to know I will always have footvolley when I'm old and can't play football anymore. It was a salvation for me during my slow rehabilitation of my injury." (Elin Astrid)
Iona van der Linden & Elin Astrid in Groningen 2016
In the international tournament in Groningen 2016 Elin teamed up with the Dutch player Iona van der Linden. As a kid she used to play football with her brothers and now she plays a lot of volleyball. She really appreciates footvolley because you get to use different body parts to play the ball. Not using her arms was a challenge at first but now the situation has turned. From time to time she even rescues a lost ball with her feet while playing volleyball. She likes playing with her bare feet in the sand and she enjoys the good atmosphere at tournaments.
From left to right: Nicoline Birza, Evelyn Dobbinga, Nynke Karrenbeld, Jorike Olde Loohuis, Elin Astrid & Iona van der Linden
IS FOOTVOLLEY A SPORT FOR WOMEN AND WHAT WILL THE FUTURE BRING?
Female footvolley is growing according to Nynke Karrenbeld. Last year in Graz there were 6 teams from 4 different countries. The same upward trend you can also notice at the tournament in Groningen. She really believes the sport is suited for ladies because of the intensive rally game but the technical aspect takes a lot of time to master and that might hold back some women. Also it would really help if you learn the skills in your childhood.
"We have a lot of dedicated ladies from Italy, Germany, Sweden, Austria and the Netherlands playing. But it’s crucial that we meet each other more often in tournaments to get more attention and to grow the sport. I expect the number of female players to double in 3 years’ time.” (Nynke Karrenbeld)
Personally she would love to play a tournament in Brazil together with her partner Jorike.
“There I saw with my own eyes that footvolley really is a sport for ladies. I also love the fact that age is not a real issue and look forward to play until I’m 60.” (Nynke Karrenbeld)
Nynke Karrenbeld
Nicoline Birza believes the sport is growing rapidly. According to her it’s up to women to get more enthusiasts into footvolley because there is no reason it cannot be a female sport.
“Not being able to play chest balls is not an argument; we can do the same with our shoulders.” (Nicoline Birza)
As for the future Nicoline and her partner Evelyn aim to be the best female team in the Netherlands. Furthermore they would love to play in Rio and take on the Brazilian female teams preferably together with their competitors and best friends Nynke and Jorike.
Martina and Klara Zeiner both recognize there is still a long road ahead. Not many women play and it is not easy to motivate girls for it. But they really hope that it becomes more popular. Personally they are dedicated to improve their skills like receiving the service and mastering the shark attack along with other dangerous attacks.
“Since it is very gentle to the body I think it's a good sport for many people, not only women. And its age range is wide which makes it a unique sport, a lot of different ages can play with and against each other. And it's possible to play both men and women in the same team.” (Elin Astrid)
She tries to inspire both women and men to play in Sweden. On a personal level she always pushes her hardest to improve all required skills.
Iona van der Linden is convinced that footvolley like football most certainly is a sport for women.
“Men might have more strength but us ladies can compensate a chest ball with a nice shoulder ball. But of course we can still learn a lot from the guys.” (Iona van der Linden)
In the future she hopes to see the sport grow and attract more female athletes. Personally she would love to train more and find a steady partner to participate in tournaments.
CONCLUSION
Age and gender play no role when it comes to footvolley. Everyone involved is or becomes an addict and wants to see the sport grow. The EFVL is dedicated to support footvolley to be accessible to all. Therefore we added several exhibition games for ladies in the timetable of the European Footvolley Championship in Germany (2-5 June): Nynke Karrenbeld & Jorike Olde Loohuis from the Netherlands will play against Martina Bizarri & Clarissa Di Tonno from Italy. Best of luck ladies!
Martina Bizarri & Clarissa Di Tonno (Italy)
Update about Footvolley in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio
On April 4th 2016 rumours began about footvolley being included as a demo sport in the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. These rumours have of course provoked a lot of excitement and talk in the footvolley community.
On Monday April 4th the global footvolley community worldwide received exciting news.
The Brazilian Senator and great ambassador for our beloved sport, Romario Faria, posted a message stating:
“We will have Footvolley during the Olympics and Paralympics this year. But please remain calm. It will be more of a cultural event and not an official competition. Nevertheless it will be an excellent opportunity to present Footvolley to the world.”
The photo shows seven men standing side by side. At the center, profile Romario and Nuzman.
Romario and several Brazilian Footvolley representatives had a meeting with the president of the Brazilian Olympic Committee, Carlos Arthur Nuzman. They received confirmation that a Footvolley event will take place from 25-28 August. In the spirit of the Olympics there will be games for men, women and under 20.
The Olympic Games will be held 5-21 August 2016 and the Paralympics will be held 7-18 September. That means that the tournament will be held in the period between the Olympics and the Paralympics in the main Beach Volleyball arena. More meetings will follow to determine all the details.
The role of EFVL
The news was released on April 4th and we already have EFVL ambassadors present in Rio to meet with the various stakeholders and offer support as necessary. The first impression is that everybody has a lot of questions. In fact, the people involved are swamped with questions from all over the world. Therefore we would like to ask everybody to be patient.
A question everybody is asking is which teams will play in this tournament? This, of course, has not yet been decided but the EFVL will elaborate on this matter as soon as we know more.
We are all thrilled to see that things are happening and it will help promote the sport we ♥. The visibility of such an event would be a blessing to our sport. But first and foremost we need to build the foundations in each country, get organized and unite as one footvolley community. The EFVL will continue this work regardless of the results of this matter.
More on this topic coming soon...