The members of the CEV Board of Administration convened on Saturday in Mannheim for the first plenary meeting of a truly special year for the European Volleyball family – as it coincides with the golden jubilee / 50th anniversary since the CEV was officially established in 1973.
CEV President Aleksandar Boričić and his colleagues agreed on an extensive programme, which will allow European Volleyball to mark and celebrate appropriately such an occasion together with all relevant stakeholders and partners throughout the months ahead.
In what remain extremely challenging circumstances for our society at large, following also the devastating quakes that hit Türkiye and neighbouring Syria earlier this month – with members of the CEV BoA paying their respect to the many victims, the European Volleyball family still remains driven by positive energy, optimism, a clear vision and the ability to adjust along the way in order to enable and support a further growth of the game at all levels.
The ‘golden year’ of European Volleyball is filled with many opportunities to enjoy the sport and share event experiences of the finest level, starting with the CEV Champions League Volley Super Finals – whose host will be announced in due course – and the eagerly anticipated CEV EuroVolley 2023 for men and women across as many as seven host countries.
Beach Volleyball fans already look forward to a record-breaking EuroBeachVolley on the iconic Danube Island in Vienna as well as to the second edition of the Nations Cup – which, combined with next year’s edition, will count as an Olympic qualifying event for Paris 2024. The second edition of the electrifying Queen & King of the Court European Finals – with its innovative and highly entertaining format – and the inaugural CEV Beach Volley European Cup – the first such competition involving Beach Volleyball clubs – will account for further highlights in this anniversary year. Moreover, to grow the game even further, and keeping a long-term perspective in mind, the CEV will introduce a first-ever Snow Volleyball age-group continental championship too.
Overall, the discussions revolved around the future of European Volleyball, and this so special year will focus – among other things – on further innovation and digitisation through the implementation of a centralised data platform which shall lay the groundwork for further engagement with fans from across Europe and beyond and to support the promotion of the many major CEV events scheduled for 2023 and for the years ahead.