The game of volleyball has evolved much in the century since its invention, and it has come a long way to claim worldwide following with millions of professional volleyball players present in every corner of the earth. However, the game of volleyball had a much humbler beginning than what many people would care to believe today, and it has in fact travelled much from the days when it was played by a handful few in the YMCA gymnasium of Holyoke in Massachusetts, USA. In fact, this game has had phenomenal success in the past few decades, with numerous global events being held. These events including FIVB World Championships, the FIVB World League, the FIVB World Grand Prix, the FIVB World Cup, and the FIVB Grand Champions Cup, in addition to regular presence in the Olympic Games, which all serve as a testimony to its ever-growing popularity and success. Thus, it would be quite interesting for the lovers of this game to become knowledgeable about the history of volleyball, and the way it grew from being the pastime of few to a worldwide phenomenon with more than 220 nations affiliated to its global body, FIVB, making the largest such sporting federation on the planet.
The Beginning History of Volleyball
The man responsible for the invention of the game of volleyball is William G. Morgan, who originally named this game as Mintonette, but then the name volleyball was intended to enter through the archives of history. Morgan was born in the State of New York, and carried out his undergraduate education at the Springfield College, which belonged to the YMCA or the Young Men’s Christian Association. It was here that Morgan had a chance to meet and interact with James Naismith, the same man who had invented the game of basketball in the year 1891. This interaction would go down as an extremely important event in the archives of volleyball history because a few years down the line Morgan would come up with the notion of inventing a game of his own, the modern day volleyball.
William G. Morgan moved to the Auburn YMCA in the state of Maine after graduating for the summer of 1895, but then decided to move on to the Holyoke YMCA in Massachusetts. At the Holyoke YMCA, Morgan was appointed the director of physical education, and it was there that he first had the opportunity and responsibility to establish, develop, and direct excessive programs for the male adults. Morgan became widely popular in his new role, and he began to attract large number of people to his class. However, he realized the need to develop a game, which will provide holistic workout while also providing enough variety in the program to retain the interest of the participants. He further realized that even though basketball was an excellent form of competitive recreational for the young people, he needed something a lot less physical and demanding for the older bunch. This was an important point in the history of volleyball when Morgan seriously started considering devising a new game for the people attending his classes.
Developmental Phase
The ball that Morgan received performed in a satisfactory manner for his game, and it came with a rubber inner tube and leather covering on the outside. Moreover, the ball had a circumference of not less than 25 inches but not more than 27 inches, while the weight was between the range of 9 and 12 ounces to be accurate. Morgan next focused upon the need to develop the basic concept of this new game, and asked for help from his friends, John Lynch and Dr. Frank Wood, to help develop the first 10 rules. This was a monumental development in the history of volleyball because the game not only had a fixed ball but also a set of standard rules to guide and govern it.
The first showcasing of the newly developed game of volleyball positions at the conference of YMCA Directors of Physical Education held at new game stadium in Springfield was a grand success. The audience appreciated the demonstration made by two teams, comprising of five men each, as well as, some loyal fans, with J.J. Curran, the mayor of Holyoke captaining one of the sides, while the chief of the fire brigade of Holyoke, John Lynch captained the other, with both teams securing permanent mention in the annals of volleyball history. Morgan further explained the primary objective of this game, which consisted of passing the ball from one side of the net to the other while ensuring that it does not touch the ground on the way. He also explained that he had designed this game keeping in mind the gymnasia or exercise halls, but that players could enjoy it in the open air as well.
The game changed its name to Volley Ball from the earlier Mintonette upon suggestion from Professor Alfred T. Halstead, and then later from Volley Ball to the present form of Volleyball. However, the United States Volleyball Association has continued with its earlier acronym of USVBA.
Spread & Global History of Volleyball
How Beach Volleyball First Started
The two-man beach volleyball has been an official fixture at the Olympic Games since 1996, and the women’s teams enjoy some of the most widespread viewership of the all disciplines present in this quadrennial event. The game enjoys massive following in the present age, with more than 800 million volleyball players being present worldwide, while some 46 million of them belong to the USA. Studying the history of volleyball reveals how a game that began as part of exercise routine has emerged as a global sporting discipline, and liked by many people worldwide.
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