Improvements to the Age Group World Championships, while African Club Championship to qualify teams to Club World Championships
The FIVB Board of Administration took several key decisions on various proposals from the Commission and Councils during its three-day meeting in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic, including key improvements to the Age Group World Championships and the Club World Championships, among other decisions.
On the Age Group World Championships, it was previously decided that the new U17 category would be staged biennially during the years between the U19 and U21 tournaments. However, the Volleyball Council formed a working group to carefully study the event programme to ensure that athletes of all ages have the opportunity to compete in their respective age group categories.
Following this in-depth study, and as outlined in the calendar graphic below, it was proposed that the U17 category should be combined with the U21 category from 2026 onwards, while the U19 category should be played on alternate years starting from 2025.
The new schedule aims to create a progressive participation structure at both continental and world levels for athletes, while allowing National Federations (NFs) to focus on two competitive age groups at a time.
To further enhance team participation and provide more opportunities, the number of participating teams at the Age Group World Championships will be increased to 24 teams. This also reflects the positive impact of the FIVB’s Volleyball Empowerment and Development programmes which have seen national teams around the world benefit and improve considerably. The first edition of the U17 tournament in 2024 will be played with 16 teams, and the FIVB will look to propose an increase to 24 teams for the U17 category in 2026 following a thorough analysis of the first edition.
The qualification process for the Age Group World Championships aims to recognise the current World Champion and allocate continental quotas based on the past results of participating teams.
Additionally, the process allows for multiple hosts to ensure that more nations have the opportunity to host these important events with 24 teams.
To ensure team participation, the FIVB decided to support the travel expenses of NFs in categories 1 and 2. In order to make hosting opportunities attractive to more nations, the FIVB has also introduced a revised, scaled entry fee structure based on NF category and will provide increased hosting support to the hosts.
Meanwhile, in recognition of the development of African volleyball, the Board of Administration approved including the winner of the CAVB Club Championship in future editions of the FIVB Club World Championships for both men and women.
Starting from 2024, the qualification for the Club World Championships will be as follows: two places per continent for Europe, Asia, and South America; one place for Africa; and finally, a club from the host nation will be granted a place. This change aims to ensure the fair representation from different continents and provides an opportunity for the host country to participate in the tournament.
The Board of Administration also approved the proposal of the Technical and Coaching Commission to recommend to NFs that the position of libero be excluded from their respective “homegrown player” registration rules. This proposal was in relation to revisions to the FIVB Sports Regulations stipulating that NFs create “homegrown player” rules rather than using foreign player quotas.
Meanwhile, the FIVB Board of Administration also approved the FIVB Technical and Development Commission’s proposal to develop a new NF Categorisation Framework with the aim for it to be implemented by 2025.
The FIVB Board of Administration also approved the proposals on the composition of the Athletes’ Commission and Technical and Coaching Commission during the final day of its meeting in the Dominican Republic.
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