Professional Documents
Culture Documents
In 1895, William G. Morgan, an instructor at the Young Mens Christian Association (YMCA) in Holyoke,
Massachusetts, decided to blend elements of basketball, baseball, tennis, and handball. He created the game of
Volleyball (at the time called Mintonette). On July 7, 1896 at Springfield College the first game of volleyball was
played.
The number of times a team could touch the ball before it went over the net was eventually established at three. The
first rules allowed an unlimited number of hits. The earliest games in Morgans gym were played with the rubber
bladder from inside a basketball. Spalding made the first official volleyball in 1896. By 1900, the standard shape and
weight of the ball were almost identical to those used today.
The height of the net was raised to make play more challenging. Today, the net is just under eight feet for mens
competition (2.43 meters) and just over seven feet (2.24 meters) for womens. Under the original rules of volleyball, a
team had to score 21 points to win a game. In 1917, that number was reduced to 15.
Giving the Game Away
YMCA workers took the game from Holyoke to US missionary schools in Asia. The game became very popular in the
East as was played in the Oriental Games as early as 1913. Volleyball also caught on in Russia. When regular
international competition began in the 1950s, Russia was the dominant team. During the World War I, United States
troops introduced volleyball in Europe.
You know a sport has really arrived when official governing bodies are established. For volleyball, this happened in
1928 when the United States Volleyball Association was formed. The organization later became USA Volleyball. The
Fdration Internationale de Volley-ball (FIVB) was founded in 1947. In 1949, the first mens world championship
tournament took place in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
Not Just for Middle-Aged Men
It quickly became apparent that volleyball had appeal far beyond the middle-aged men it was originally introduced to.
Colleges and high schools began to adopt the sport for both men and women. Volleyball became the competitive fall
sport for girls. The first US national volleyball championships for women were played in 1949, 54 years after women
began competing in the game. The first international championships for women were played in 1952 in Moscow.
From the Gym to the Sand
In the 1940s, another style of volleyball was developing up and down the California coast. Teams of two or four
players would square off on sand volleyball courts. Young and old players would form impromptu competitions on the
beach. Spectators would often gather to watch the volleyball matches. Before long, the best teams were traveling up
and down the coast to play in beach volleyball tournaments. The first two-man volleyball tournament was held at
State Beach, California in 1943.
In 1965, The California Beach Volleyball Association was founded. It was responsible for standardizing the rules of
the beach and for organizing official tournaments. By 1976, the very best players on the beach were competing for
prize money as professionals. Male players formed the AVP, the Association of Volleyball Professionals, in 1983.
Women beach volleyball players formed their own association in 1986.
When former college and Olympic indoor volleyball stars began playing on the beach the sport became even more
popular. Beach volleyball spread from California to Florida and then to other stateseven to some that dont have
beaches. In some areas, beach volleyball is played indoors in arenas filled with sand. By 1993, beach volleyball had
become so popular in the United States, that tournaments were broadcast on national television.
In 1987, two-men beach volleyball teams competed in the first world championships. The first two-womens world
championships were played in 1993. Four-player beach teams became popular in the 1990s.