It is obvious that we don’t need any convincing of the charms of volleyball. But for many sports fans around the world, it is something that only appears on their radar every four years when a Summer Olympics comes around. As much as we welcome any level of interest in the sport, we think that volleyball deserves to be more mainstream.
It should be said that volleyball is in a healthy place at the moment. Media attention is growing, and fans are able to place a futures bet on all kinds of games and events thanks to the growing popularity of online sportsbooks. But we think there is more that can be done to make volleyball even more popular.
It is not worth wishing that the Volleyball World Championship were as big as the FIFA World Cup. Fans of the sport should be happy with volleyball finding its true place in mainstream society. But there are a few things that we think could be done to raise the profile of the fast-paced, exhilarating sport that we all love.
Create Pathways to Professional Careers
When it comes to sports at the level of volleyball, there is something of a chicken-and-egg situation about their potential to grow. Volleyball needs more attention to grow, but it will find it difficult to attract that attention without being a “bigger” sport. More people playing through to a professional level is still key, however.
The US is a good example of a country that invests in elite age-grade sports, and that is the case with volleyball. NCAA, or college sports, is big business in the US, and the best can play volleyball at college with real hope of turning professional when they leave. That kind of investment in career pathways is needed everywhere, whether using college systems or not, to grow the professional game.
Stable Pro Leagues and Events
Even if you are not a big football fan, you will probably be aware of the FIFA World Cup. You will also have heard of the Champions League, and maybe even the names of a few of the big domestic leagues. It is true, it is sometimes difficult to escape the latest news from the football world, but the stable nature of its competitions and events helps with its profile.
Volleyball does have its established leagues and tournaments, but stability is key here. With more people betting on the sport than ever before, retaining league names – and even high-profile sponsors – is crucial to those with not as much knowledge of the sport coming back to find the event they enjoyed previously.
Wider Coverage
It could be said that it is far too simplistic to suggest that volleyball needs wider and better media coverage in order for it to become a more mainstream sport. But sometimes the most obvious suggestions are the truest. If volleyball is to become more popular, it needs to be able to put itself in a situation where the biggest broadcasters want to show the games.
Major networks, such as Sky and Fox, need to be showing the biggest games and tournaments, at the very least. There is a direct correlation between media exposure and growth in popularity. The best example of this in recent years is cycling in the UK. People watched the sport on major TV networks, and it soon became a staple of the television schedules. There is no reason why volleyball could not follow cycling’s lead.
Promoting Boys’ Volleyball
This might be considered a more controversial way of turning volleyball into a more mainstream sport, but promoting the boys’ game should be on the agenda. It is edifying to see how much more women’s sport is shown on major networks these days. The coverage of women’s sport has increased incredibly in recent years.
But it could be the case that volleyball might be considered to be a women’s sport in the first place, thanks to the exploits of the top professionals, Olympics coverage, and how newcomers interact with the sport. Promoting boys’ volleyball at the school and college level would show the general public that the sport is inclusive and potentially open up new audience bases.
Highlighting Stars of the Game
None of our ideas about growing volleyball as a mainstream sport should be taken in isolation. They all need to be implemented in conjunction with other to allow the sport to be given a chance to widen its appeal. Younger players should be encouraged, but it is just as important for the established stars to be highlighted.
To go back to our World Cup football analogy at the beginning of this article, every single player at this summer’s tournament would have fallen in love with the game and been inspired to one day become a professional by watching their heroes on TV. There are other ways to showcase the very best these days, but getting people to watch the greats in action – and shouting about their achievements – is crucial to volleyball’s development.
Use Social Media to Grow Sport
There is a thread that runs through all of our ideas about boosting volleyball’s profile in mainstream society, and that is harnessing the power of social media. As much as national and global broadcasters are vital for the sport to grow, there is so much power within the volleyball community now to support and shout about the sport.
High-quality social media content, from fans, players, the media, and the governing bodies themselves, can tell more people about volleyball. Once they get to know this sport, they are sure to love it. We just have to make sure the mainstream hears about volleyball for it to really flourish.