NEWS
It's coming home
We're back, baby! United we play - again. And what better place to restart than where it all began: in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany. From August 6th - 8th the top 16 male teams will compete for the 5th Sparkassen European Footvolley Championship 2021.
We're back, baby! United we play - again. And what better place to restart than where it all began: in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany. From August 6th - 8th the top 16 male teams will compete for the 5th Sparkassen European Footvolley Championship 2021.
In 2016 we hosted the first official European Footvolley Championship in the German town of Schwäbisch Gmünd. Now after a Covid-19 break of over 1 year this traditional footvolley hotspot invites us to host the 5th Sparkassen European Footvolley Championship. Our answer was simple: If anyone can do this in a short time, with respect to all safety and corona restrictions, it's Schwäbisch Gmünd.
So our deepest gratitude goes out to the organization, the city hall and the sponsors for making this possible in such short notice. We are returning home to our birthplace at Playa de Gamundia.
#unitedweplay
Footvolley Covid-19 protocol
In several countries the authorities are easing some of the Covid-19 lockdown measures. Slowly people will be allowed to return to a limited form of sport activities. Does this mean we can play footvolley again? And if so, how can we do it responsibly? The Footvolley Covid-19 Protocol provides recommendations for athletes, coaches and organisers.
In several countries the authorities are easing some of the Covid-19 lockdown measures. Slowly people will be allowed to return to a limited form of sport activities. Does this mean we can play footvolley again? And if so, how can we do it responsibly? The Footvolley Covid-19 Protocol provides recommendations for athletes, coaches and organisers.
DOWNLOAD PROTOCOL (0.5 MB PDF of all guidelines as described in this article)
DOWNLOAD POSTER (9 MB PDF of poster with basic information to print)
This protocol is partly based on the guidelines of national volleyball and football federations in several of our member nations. Keep in mind that the official laws and regulations in your country and region have priority over this protocol Furthermore we don’t make any medical claims. We just want to inform the footvolley community and raise awareness. Playing footvolley, like most other sports activities, is not without risk, even when strictly following these guidelines. Be careful, play safe.
General planning 2020-2021
This protocol was written early May 2020 during the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. Last update 8 May 2020. At this time several countries are preparing to start up footvolley and other sports activities at different speeds. For example: The national laws and guidelines for sports in Sweden are very different from the one’s in Spain or the UK at the moment. In the Netherlands only children and youth under 18 are allowed to train in the sand. In Germany, they don’t allow headers for recreational football players.
In the absence of extensive Covid-19 testing this protocol is to be considered as a general recommendation to prevent the spread of the virus. We distinguish 4 start-up phases:
General guidelines of phase 1
In general the safety guidelines include::
Limit the playing opportunities: Only provide / rent out beach courts for training sessions (reservations online or by phone). Tournaments and events are not allowed
Register start and end times: If you rent out a beach court make sure to clearly define start and end times. Reservations should be made online or by phone. No cash payments. Announce these times and the exact location of the court beforehand. This will reduce the moments of contact for the athletes at the sports location
Reduce the number of participants: It’s recommended to allow a maximum of 6 persons (5 athletes and 1 coach) on one beach court. In some countries they only allow children under 18 to start training again in the month of May. It’s recommended to always train with the same people in order to keep your contact bubble small
Own court: Athletes will stay on their own court. Coaches and staff can move between courts. But they can only give instructions for one court with respect to the 1.5 meter distance rule
Supervision is required: There should be a supervisor / staff member present at the sports location, especially when training with children. This is the obligation of the owner / organiser of the location
Limitations for exercises: Coaches and athletes always need to consider the distance, safety and hygiene rules before, during and after training exercises. All member nations will collect and share recommended ‘corona-safe’ footvolley exercises. It’s recommended to avoid attacking very close to the net and to avoid heading an unhygienic ball
Disinfect the balls: Provide maximum hygiene measures. When possible only use the balls of the accommodation / club. The balls need to be disinfected before and after each time slot / training session. Only staff members should level and clean the sand on the courts. Only staff members should install the net and the poles and adjust the height of the net. Athletes should never touch the poles and the net. Make a schedule to follow-up on these hygiene measures
Communication: Provide posters with these new guidelines and put them at the entrance and next to the fields of the sports location
Compliance: One staff member of each sports location is responsible to supervise these guidelines and should be present at all times
Safety and hygiene rules for everybody
EFVL advises to strictly follow the measures below:
Always use your common sense. Be alert to your surroundings. Communicate
Do not participate in group sport activities if you are at risk to develop severe symptoms of Covid-19 because of poor health and other underlying conditions
Stay at home when you have any of the following (even mild) symptoms: nose cold, coughing, shortness of breath or fever
Stay at home when someone in your household or that you came close to had a fever (38 C°or more) and/or had shortness of breath in the past 7 days
Stay at home when someone in your household or that you came close to tested positive for the new coronavirus (Covid-19). If you are infected it might take up to two weeks after the last contact before you become sick. So you have to stay at home for 14 days after the last contact with a confirmed case.
If you are diagnosed with Covid-19 yourself, please consult a doctor/physician before starting to sport again. You can infect others up to 1 month after being sick
Always keep 1.5 meter distance (two arm lengths) from everybody who is not from your household
Cough and sneeze in your elbow and use paper tissues
Go to the toilet before you leave your home to sport
Wash your hands with water and soap at home for at least 20 seconds
Wash your hands with water and soap before and after visiting the sports location
Shower at home, not at the sports location
Do not touch your face
Do not shake hands
Do not arrive earlier then 10 minutes before and return home immediately after the sports activity
Additional safety and hygiene rules for athletes
EFVL advises to strictly follow the measures below:
Register in time for the sports activity (by phone or online) or follow the rules of the city / organiser. No cash payments. Make sure the organiser can manage the number of people showing up at the same time. No unannounced guests
Only show up at the sports location when you have an activity planned
Travel alone or with a member of your household
Put on your sports outfit before you leave from home. Dressing rooms and showers will be closed. Use the toilet at home
Do not arrive earlier than 10 minutes before the sports activity and wait at the designated spot before it starts. Always stay on your own court
Always follow the instructions of the organiser (staff members and coaches)
Athletes should always keep 1.5 meter distance (two arm lengths) from everybody who is not of your household. This includes staff, coaches and other athletes. Children under 12 can be excluded from this distance rule
When possible use materials and balls provided by the organiser / club. Organisers are obligated to disinfect the materials and balls before and after each training session
If possible, play with (newly developed) sports masks
Avoid contact with the net and poles at all times. Be careful while practising attack forms at the net
Avoid heading an unhygienic ball. According to the latest findings sweat does not transmit Covid-19. But there is always a possibility the surface of a ball contains the virus. To play it safe the ball should not touch your face. Unless it is a clean ball that nobody else touched, except a coach with clean hands throwing it. Be strict about the clean hands / clean materials policy before the exercise / training. Playing 2 vs 2 games over the net increases the risk because several people will touch the ball in an uncontrolled manner. Consider only using your shoulder, chest and everything below. You can still do shark attacks, but no shark blocks
Avoid exercises where it is unclear who will receive the ball (like serving in the middle) to avoid collision between players. Communicate
Wash your hands and forehead with water and soap in between exercises and in time-outs if possible. Bring your own towel
Bring your own drinking bottle and label it
Return home immediately after the activity
Additional safety and hygiene rules for staff, coaches and volunteers
EFVL advises to strictly follow the measures below:
If possible; travel alone (or with members of your household) to the sports location
Prepare your training session thoroughly. Respect the distance rule (1.5 meter) in all exercises. Avoid sharing materials when possible. Start easy and safe to let the people get used to the new situation
Do not mix up different groups on different beach courts. Keep the contact bubble small
Prepare the court before the session so you can start in time when the athletes enter the field
Designate specific areas / courts to specific groups
Before you start:
Explain the distance rules and hand hygiene rules
Check if they or the people they came close to did not experience symptoms or were recently diagnosed with Covid-19
Point out that hand shakes are forbidden
During the session:
Watch closely that all rules are followed
If not, speak up and communicate the rules again
Make sure to keep your own distance from athletes and other coaches / staff members. Physical contact is not allowed
If possible, play with (newly developed) sports masks
Avoid contact with the net and poles at all times. Be careful while practising attack forms at the net. Do not allow blocking. Keep a safe distance
Avoid exercises where it is unclear who will receive the ball (like serving or throwing a ball in the middle) to avoid collision between players
Avoid heading an unhygienic ball. According to the latest findings sweat does not transmit Covid-19. But there is always a possibility the surface of a ball contains the virus. To play it safe the ball should not touch your face. Unless it is a clean ball that nobody else touched, except a coach with clean hands throwing it. Be strict about the clean hands / clean materials policy before the exercise / training. Playing 2 vs 2 games over the net increases the risk because several people will touch the ball in an uncontrolled manner. Consider only using your shoulder, chest and everything below. Shark attacks are allowed, but no shark blocks
Know who is participating in the session, members and non-members; Make a list
Follow the instructions on how to use and clean the materials and balls
Do not allow athletes onto the court earlier than 10 minutes before the starting time
When working with larger groups avoid that everyone arrives and leaves at the same time
Do not allow spectators near the courts unless it’s necessary to help out
Cough and sneeze in your elbow and use paper tissues
Bring your own drinking bottle and label it. Bring your own towel
Wash or disinfect your hands and forehead after each session and, if possible in between exercises or during time-outs
Make sure everyone returns home immediately after the session
The EFVL member nations will evaluate this protocol and provide updates. We encourage all footvolley lovers to share their experience and insights. Feedback is always welcome. We understand these guidelines are strict and take away some fun of playing. But for now it is better to be safe than sorry. #unitedwecare #unitedweplay
Update Footvolley League 2020
In accordance with the official guidelines to tackle the Covid-19 outbreak, the restrictions to host big events in our member nations, and of course out of respect and gratitude for all the people fighting to save lives, the EFVL summer tour of 2020 is cancelled.
In accordance with the official guidelines to tackle the Covid-19 outbreak, the restrictions to host big events in our member nations, and of course out of respect and gratitude for all the people fighting to save lives, the EFVL summer tour of 2020 is cancelled.
The European Footvolley League planned for 2020 is cancelled
The executive committee has decided that there will not be European Footvolley League events until the 1st of September at the earliest. The Final championship event, planned in Rome, is currently still on hold. For now, we want to keep the option open to host at least one final event, maybe in a different form and at a later date in 2020 or early 2021..
Cities & Organisers
At this time and under normal circumstances the footvolley athletes would be travelling to training camps and the World challenger tournament of Cascais in Portugal. Players, referees, staff and fans were gearing up for the 5th European Championship tour, a jubileum edition. But now the entire world is in a (semi) lockdown because of the corona crisis. This means people are confined to their homes, not able to go outside (much), all major events are cancelled and travel is not allowed. We all agree that the health of humankind and that of the planet matter more than any sports competition. #unitedwecare.
First and foremost we would like to express our gratitude and support to the cities and event organisers of Schwäbisch Gmünd, Graz, Ios, Albufeira, Vienna, Berlin and Rome. Thank you for presenting such strong bids and for believing in our project. What would have been an amazing tour around Europe in seven stops will just have to wait until we are able to return. We are very committed to do so...
Looking forward
It’s hard to predict what will be possible later on in the year 2020. We are closely monitoring the decisions made by governments and experts. When we can play again, the focus will first be on the National Championships because they don’t require international travel, a large sponsorship budget and/or stadiums with stands. All member nations expressed the will to organise events for local and national players as soon as possible and provide a good live stream for the fans. EFVL will fully support and promote these national events..
At this time it’s unclear and probably unlikely that we will be able to host a European Footvolley Championship in 2020. This can only happen under the following conditions:
It needs to be officially allowed to host the tournament in a safe and responsible manner according to the guidelines of the organising country
The safety and the comfort of all participants need to be guaranteed before (opportunity and time to prepare), during (travel, hotel, stadium, on the field) and after the event (avoid 2 weeks of quarantine when returning home)
Teams from all member nations need to be able to travel. However we might decide to go through even if a few countries can not make it. This will be mentioned in the official title records
The stadium might be constructed without stands or seats if the fans are not allowed to sit and stand together closely
We will provide a high quality live stream for people to watch the European Footvolley Championship at home. Also a lot of attention will go to online promotion of our athletes before and after the events.
Meanwhile we have started preparing the season 2021. In the past weeks we already received applications from three new hosting cities for the Tour 2021. For now we hope everyone stays in good physical and mental health. Stay safe and hold on. You are not alone. Stay tuned. #unitedwewillplayagain
A message about Covid-19
Dear friends of footvolley around the world. Despite these difficult times the Olympic flame was lit in Greece last thursday and that flame will continue to burn through these difficult times.
Dear friends of footvolley around the world. Despite these difficult times the Olympic flame was lit in Greece last thursday and that flame will continue to burn through these difficult times.
The EFVL was ready to announce the full tour of the Eurpean Footvolley League 2020 in these coming days, but now that announcement has been postponed until further notice. The ambassadors from the member nations will have online meetings to evaluate the situation and we will continue to inform you as soon as we know more. During a crisis sport is the first thing that stops. But it will also be first to start up again. Please keep that in mind during these difficult times and be ready.
“Let’s keep some physical distance now so we can hug again later.”
The Italian Prime Minister said: “Let’s keep some physical distance now so we can hug again later.” Be responsible and follow the instructions in your country.
How to stay fit in the times of Corona
Us footvolley lovers are a warmhearted community that loves to go outside, to travel and to get close to people. But now we are stuck inside our homes.
But please don’t stop moving. Sitting on the couch all day contributes to other existing healthcare problems and sports physicians recommend continuing to sport if you are able. Even inside your home you can exercise. You can dance, you can do yoga, you can powertrain with your own body weight. If you need weights, be creative and use furniture, books or whatever you can think of. Use this time to work on the things you are not normally working on.
But remember that the virus can survive on surfaces like metal and plastics for a long time. If you sweat, please don’t use your hands to wipe off your face until you have washed them. Be careful with used towels. Shower at home. Search online for some inspirational exercises or contact the many coaches and personal trainers we have in our community.
If you are allowed to go outside: Exercising with a plastic ball is not a good idea. Even when you are playing alone, the ball touches the floor, your hands and your face. Walking, running and bicycling are excellent activities if you don’t get too close to people. Don’t share a car, travel alone. If you run together keep a minimum of 1 meter of distance. Say hello and smile to the people you meet. #spreadthelovenotthevirus
One last thing: In the media we have seen some negative reports of irresponsible and asocial behaviour. Please remember that for every asocial person there are thousands of doctors, nurses, cleaners etc working nonstop. For every person hoarding food, there are tens of thousands civilians doing all they can to stop the spread of the virus. Don't be disappointed by these first panic responses. Don’t give up convincing the people who are still in denial. Simply don’t believe the cynical world view we have been fed for too long. In the beginning of every disaster there are reports of chaos and crime. Often just rumours. Most people stay calm and help each other. Disasters and crises bring us even closer together. This is not wishful thinking, it is a scientific proven fact. Look around and you will notice a lot of people wanting to help out by following instructions, go shopping for others, etc.
We will confront this pandemic with solidarity and unity. We will always contribute to a society where the health of all is the only thing that matters. Take care and be well. #unitedwecare
Ulli Hulsmans
President
Portugal crowned European Footvolley Champions 2019
Portugal proves to be the strongest team in 2019 and beat the up and coming Italian team in the men’s final in Lucerne, Switzerland. This marks the end of the European Footvolley League 2019 and we can look back at four amazing events in Austria, Germany, Portugal and Switzerland.
Portugal proves to be the strongest team in 2019 and beat the up and coming Italian team in the men’s final in Lucerne, Switzerland. This marks the end of the European Footvolley League 2019 and we can look back at four amazing events in Austria, Germany, Portugal and Switzerland.
The men’s finalists
Miguel Pinheiro is a well known name for those who follow European footvolley. He has now won the European Footvolley Championship two times, in four attempts, and been in the final all four times. In 2017 he won at home when the championship was held in Albufeira, Portugal. In 2016, 2017 and 2018 he played with Nelson Pereira, but this year he teamed up with the great technician Filipe Santos. They began the season in the second qualification tournament in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany, followed by the third qualification tournament in Albufeira, Portugal - winning both of them.
The Italian team played very well in the three qualification tournaments, but had to replace Luca Marcaccini with Alain Faccini in the championship. This turned out to be a good replacement and it took Italy all the way to the final - for the first time since the start of European Footvolley League in 2016. Federico Iacopucci and Alain Faccini became more and more tuned in as the tournament progressed. They had a long journey to the finals and had to go through three sets against Norway, Spain and Israel. Beating Israel was a big surprise, but well deserved. Also; Alain Faccini has only played footvolley for two years, but already proving to be at a top European level - and maybe the player with the most shark attacks in the whole tournament? Federico Iacopucci, the second youngest in the tournament (born in 1999), has taken great steps the last couple of years and he was awarded the MVP of the championship. Well deserved.
The final game
The final stage of the Footvolley League 2019 were held in the beautiful Swiss mountains of Lucerne and ended with a final between Portugal and Italy. In the first set the teams followed each other all the way up to 9-8 before Portugal started picking more and more important points. They actually scored eight points in a row and had a set point at 17-8. The young Italians tried to get back into the set with a nice shark attack by Alain to make it 17-9. But it was too late and on the next ball Filipe made a very nice short ball and sealed the first set with a score of 18-9.
In the second set Portugal came out early with a couple of points lead and kept it like that for the rest of the set. The Italians managed to return to 16-14 and had a golden opportunity to catch up. Unfortunately for Italy Filipe scored the next point with his specialty; the short ball. And then we were ready for the match ball and Filipe did the same thing as in the first set an scored the point with a beautifull long diagonal that barely touched the line. Portugal wins comfortably in two sets and they are once again on the top of the podium.
In the final we saw Alain Faccini attempt an amazing 13 shark attacks. Unfortunately for him, and Italy, it only resulted in a point four times. The last couple of years we have seen more teams being able to defend shark attacks and this means that the shark attack is not always the best weapon to use. A guy that never attempts a shark attack, at least we have never seen it, is Filipe Santos. He plays a very technical kind of footvolley with a lot of variations. His repertoire has both short balls and long balls and he always seem to put it where the opponent is not. His statistics show us that he scores equally on short balls and long balls - and makes few errors.
Miguel Pinheiro and Federico Iacopucci are considered stronger attackers than their partners, and therefore they receive very few serves during a game. The same happened in the final and for that reason we did not see a lot of attacks from them. Still, it is important that they play well in defense and that they set up the balls good.
Watch the whole final in the video below.
# See all the scores from the European Footvolley Championship.
# See the European Footvolley Rankings.
The European Footvolley League 2019
The European Footvolley League is proud to finish the season with an incredible match between two teams with such great talent. But even though Portugal and Italy played the final and have many more top players, there are a lot more teams knocking on the door. When will we see the full potential of Israel? Ron Ben Ishay and Oren Tzuberry showed great craftsmanship and the potential to jump all the way to the top. Is Germany ready to step up next year? Injuries of Mo Obeid and Joel Nisslein caused the young German players to knock on the door with Jakob Domke and Lukas Kircherer playing the final in Albufeira. Two times European Champions with two different teams France is always strong. Their ranking after the national championship in October shows great promise. Can we expect them to be back on top in 2020? Spain has the most footvolley players in all of Europe and we are excited to see what they can bring to the table. Although we’re going to miss Sergio Antolinos a lot. After winning the first stage in Graz together with his partner Juan Lopez Sergio announced his retirement from the international scene. Furthermore Austria was unlucky when an injury broke up the rise of their top team Jacky and (please stop playing football) Klemens Hofmann-Wellenhof..
The 2019 season was the first year with three qualification tournaments and a final European Championship. In total 87 players played a little less than 200 games in 12 days of competition and entertainment. The already excellent level keeps rising and our new competition format seems to accelerate this trend.. The atmosphere in and around the stadiums is amazing. With about 50.000 live spectators in 4 countries and more than 150.000 views on Laola TV and our joined social media channels, we feel blessed and we can’t wait to bring you European Footvolley League 2020.
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The twins win European Footvolley Champions 2019
Women’s footvolley is growing fast in Europe and this season there’s been 21 different players from 8 nations playing 55 games. A lot has happened in just a few years. Netherlands and Italy has had their share of good players for many years, but out of nowhere come two twin sisters from Norway and they end up winning all four tournaments of the European Footvolley League 2019.
Women’s footvolley is growing fast in Europe and this season there’s been 21 different players from 8 nations playing 54 games. A lot has happened in just a few years. Netherlands and Italy have had their share of good players for many years, but out of nowhere come two twin sisters from Norway and they end up winning all four tournaments of the European Footvolley League 2019.
The qualification
The first qualification tournament of the year was played in Graz, Austria and we all expected it to be a clash between the old foes Netherlands and Italy. In stead we had a surprise final between Norway (Pernille Ingvaldsen Smith and Henriette Ingvaldsen and Germany (Rebecca Gabriel and Stefanie Mohr) with Norway winning the close game in three sets 18-13 13-18 15-13. In Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany the Dutch ladies began the tournament by beating Norway 18-13 in the first group game. Netherlands were back and surely the Norwegians winning in Graz was just a fluke. Or was it? Norway fought their way back from the bad start, first by beating a strong Italian team with the equally talented newcomers Sara Cupellini and Francesca Roma and then also Germany. They beat Germany again in a very close semi final 11-18, 18-12, 16-14 and were ready to face Netherlands in the final. Norway won in two sets 12-18, 15-18 and could lift the trophy ones again. Truth be told, this year Evelyn Dobbinga had to let go of her Dutch partner Nicoline Birza and played the Tour with 2 different, but equally experienced, partners Lotte Wiekamp and Nynke Karrenbeld. The third and final qualification was held on the sunny beach of Albufeira, Portugal, and this time the Dutch ladies were not able to attend. This was a great opportunity for the Italian girls to step up - which they did. Sara and Francesca from Italy, but living and playing in Valencia, Spain, have improved a lot this season and ended up in the final against Norway. This again really intense final ended with the Norwegian twins beating the Italians 13-18, 18-12, 15-17. A hat trick from the Norwegian women.
Who are these girls from the north?
The twins from Norway
Pernille Ingvaldsen Smith and Henriette Ingvaldsen are twins born in 1992, growing up in Sarpsborg - a small city of about 55.000 people located at the idyllic coast of Norway. Now they both live and work in Oslo - the capital of Norway. They are both newly educated doctors. And they have both played football all their life, and even represented Norway in the under 19 national team. And they both do football freestyle (ask them to show you a trick next time you see them). And they are both Norwegian ping pong champions. And now they both play footvolley. In other words; they are used to taking on any challenge together and they are used to winning. We are surprised they are not both playing on the right side of the court, but that would just not work :)
But back to the big final in Lucerne.
RESULTS: See all the results from the championship
VIDEO: See the final at the bottom of the article
The crowning of the European Champions in Lucerne
Three in a row and now the Norwegians had to handle the pressure of being the favourites. This pressure has been on the Dutch ladies the last couple of years as they have won almost all tournaments. At first Pernille and Henriette came out hot and showed no mercy against the Dutch beating them 18-12 in the group stage. In the mountains of Switzerland the women’s footvolley competition really got what it deserved: High-quality semi finals between the top 4 female teams. Germany and Italy did not make it and Germany won the bronze. In the final Norway and Netherlands met again and Nynke and Evelyn were ready for some revenge. But it was not enough. Norway is crowned European Footvolley Champions 2019 by beating the Dutch 18-15, 18-15.
After 54 games Norway sits on top, but right behind them there are a lot of talented women ready to knock them down. The pressure is on. Who will be on top in 2020?
TEAM INFORMATION: See all the teams playing in Lucerne
What is the best strategy for Footvolley, really?
Like Switzerland, where the final of the Footvolley League 2019 takes place, we usually prefer to stay neutral in more political issues. However we received many questions from our member nations and players on how to deal with events like the Meet the Elite event in Brasilia. The short answer is that we as the European continental body will not promote nor support this event. Nevertheless we do wish the European players and all other participants the best of luck. And of course every European member nation has the liberty to determine its own position and support its athletes.
Like Switzerland, where the final of the Footvolley League 2019 takes place, we usually prefer to stay neutral in more political issues. However we received many questions from our member nations and players on how to deal with events like the Meet the Elite event in Brasilia. The short answer is that we as the European continental body will not promote nor support this event. Nevertheless we do wish the European players and all other participants the best of luck. And of course every European member nation has the liberty to determine its own position and support its athletes.
We realize this event is a commercial show event and although several very high level players will attend and it will give footvolley some well deserved media attention, we sincerely hope that a possible next edition will take into account some of our concerns.
Strategies might differ but..
There are several reasons why we do not want to be associated with this particular event. Most of all because it divides and frustrates so many people on different continents. Many feel a lack of respect for all the hard work they put into the development of the sport. The methods used by the organisation of this event go against everything we stand for:
Contacting players directly without informing the national and/or continental federations
Disregarding the national and continental ranking
Trying to convince local organisers in Europe to host similar events without informing the national and European federation
Pledging support to one organiser for a specific date while trying to convince another location for the same date
Branding the images of the official European Championships and other European events with their logo and publishing them without permission
Buying a website address (url) that is directly connected to the European Footvolley League preventing us to go international
All of this combined gives us the impression that this agency has become an competitor. This is even more disappointing because for years the founder has been a welcome guest in many European tournaments. But we will not take it personally. The fact is we all have different ideas and strategies on how to make the sport grow.
We all have different ideas and strategies on how to make the sport grow.
Making the sport professional
Footvolley needs and deserves to be recognised as an official sport. That should be the ultimate goal. The main question we often receive from journalists is: “When will footvolley finally be an Olympic sport?”. The first step is recognition as a sport from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). In short this means we need to establish an International Sports Federation (IF). Furthermore the Olympic Charter indicates that in order to be accepted, a sport must be widely practiced by men in at least 75 countries and on four continents and by women in no fewer than 40 countries and on three continents. Nevertheless footvolley does have the value and appeal to be part of the Olympic Games, of that we are certain.
That is why in Rome on May 25, 2015 we founded the European Footvolley League. Our mission is to develop footvolley as an internationally recognized sport through competition and sports development. The ultimate goal of official recognition might still be far off but anyone who believes differently probably has ulterior motives. Some just want to see their event or brand grow.
Footvolley should not only be connected to profit, marketing and exposure on tv. It all starts with respecting the national federations in each country. We still have a long way until all the countries in the world have national federations representing the footvolley players, but that does not mean we can’t start now.
This starts by acting professional with each other and respecting each nation and the players representing that nation. For the EFVL it is important that each of our member nations is represented by a national federation that is respected as the representative for the footvolley players in that country.
Some advice moving forward
To make the world of footvolley a better place we have the following advice for 2019 and forward:
Team invitations
Invite players to tournaments using proper channels. That means contacting the national federation and/or the ambassador for that country. If that is too difficult, contact the continental federation or include it anyhow.Respect the ranking
More and more countries are being organized and with national ranking systems. The top teams are first in line to attend tournaments and represent their country. They have fought for it and they deserve it.Respect the flag
Do not let players represent a country if they are not holding a passport for that country. For mixed teams (two players from different countries) we recommend using denominations such as “International”, “Mixed” etc. and not just pick a random country (believe us, this happens a lot).Be transparent
Maybe you are organizing a tournament and you know what teams you want to attend. Instead of contacting the players directly we urge you to still send the invitation through the national federation making sure they are informed. Let them know who you want to invite and that the tournament is not based on national ranking. They will represent their country with the flag on their shirts so it seems only fair the national federation should be informed.Do not use images and videos without permission
Of course we should share each other's media output as much as possible. But if you are not the owner of audiovisual materials (pictures, videos, logos) always ask for permission to use them (especially when associated with a brand).
The EFVL strives to create an open and transparent footvolley community in Europe. We focus our energy on what happens in Europe, but we also support the general expansion of footvolley around the world. However, as we strive to be transparent in all that we do we expect others to do the same to us.
For too long the development of this beautiful sport has been compromised because the system and the powers behind it were regional, top down and exclusive. That’s what we are trying to change. And the European Footvolley League is not alone on this. The Asian Footvolley Federation, the National Footvolley Association of the USA, the Russian Footvolley League, the UAE Footvolley Association, some great initiatives in Australia and Africa and so many others are doing a wonderful job applying the same principles. We all feel strongly connected to Brazil, where footvolley on the beach was born and we all have many friends. But we hope they can solve their differences and we offer them our table to meet and discuss the future of the sport.
“If you want to go fast go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
#UNITEDWEPLAY
Aftermovie Footvolley World Challenge Cascais
Enjoy the aftermovie of the Footvolley World Challenge in Cascais, Portugal.
Podium🏆🥇🥈🥉:
1º Rodrigo Beze (Alemão) / Victor Real - BRASIL 2
2º Luiz Nogueira / Maurício Jotha - BRASIL 1
3º Filipe Santos / Beto Correira - PORTUGAL 1
4º Antonio Aurino / Marcel Birza - NETHERLANDS
Congratulations to all participants and thank you to all the fans and @FNFV @futevoleipt @alancavalcanti #cascais #visitcascais for a superb organisation. ❤
LIVE streaming from Cascais, Portugal
Watch the semi finals LIVE from Cascais, Portugal.
Watch the semi finals LIVE from Footvolley World Challenge, Cascais, Portugal.
Best of three sets to 18 points.
Semi final 1: Brazil 1 🇧🇷(Luiz and Mauricio) vs Portugal 1 🇵🇹(Filipe and Beto)
Result: 18-9 and 18-1
Semi final 2: Brasil 2 🇧🇷(Rodrigo and Victor) vs Netherlands 🇳🇱 (Antonio and Marcel)
Result: 18-9 and 18-8
One set to 18 points.
Bronze final: Portugal 1 🇵🇹(Filipe and Beto) vs Netherlands 🇳🇱 (Antonio and Marcel)
Result: 18-11
Three sets to 21-21-18
Final: Brazil 1 🇧🇷(Luiz and Mauricio) vs Brasil 2 🇧🇷(Rodrigo and Victor)
Result: 17 - 21, 21-18 and 18-20
Winners: Brasil 2 🇧🇷(Rodrigo and Victor)
It is also possible to watch the stream right here (or watch all the games): https://mycujoo.tv/video/footvolley-world-challenge
The european foovolley calender 2019
Did you know that the EFVL has an updated tournament calender? We are constantly adding more tournaments into the calender and more will come. This is the only place you have to check to see where you can participate og watch footvolley in the 2019 season.
Did you know that the EFVL has an updated tournament calender? We are constantly adding more tournaments into the calender and more will come. This is the only place you have to check to see where you can participate og watch footvolley in the 2019 season.
The calender can be found on our website as a list view, or you can even view it like a normal calender. If you are just interested footvolley events from a certain country you can also navigate there directly. Right now we have the events posted for Austria 🇦🇹, Netherland 🇳🇱, Israel 🇮🇱 (more coming soon), Italy 🇮🇹, Germany 🇩🇪, Spain 🇪🇸 , Portugal 🇵🇹 and United Kingdom 🇬🇧. More countries and events will be added continuously.
As a minimum for every tournament we put into our calender we add details like:
Where is it?
When is it?
What type of venue is it?
Number of teams (if we know)?
What kind of surface is it (mostly sand, but can also be artificial grass or hard court)?
Who can you contact if you want to play or get in touch with the organizers?
These details are important for players so they have an idea about what tournaments they can play in and also for the fans and sponsors so they know where to go and who to contact.
Help us keep this calender up to date and let us know if you see something wrong in our calender or if you want us to add a tournament that is not listed. You can also fill out a form to make sure you fill out all the information we need.
CONTACT US: footvolleyeurope@gmail.com
FILL OUT FORM: https://footvolleyeurope.com/event-registration