beach volley olympic sport

Since beach volleyball joined the Olympic Games Official Program, it has established a big opportunity to all who want to take advantage of this fact through exhibitions, tour and international events.
Beach volleyball is offering an important marketing return on investment because it's one of the most popular sports - not only on beaches world-wide, and it is improving its network coverage year by year.
Beach volleyball is mostly played during spring-summer time when the other popular sports (soccer, basketball, indoor volleyball) are "on holiday" and this is one of the reasons for such a development.

Da quando il beach volley e entrato ufficialmente nel programma olimpico, si e aperta la possibilita di sfruttare la fantastica vetrina che questo sport offre: esibizioni, tour e circuiti internazionali.
Il beach volley offre in questo momento un ottimo rapporto tra investimento e ritorno promozionale essendo lo sport piu praticato delle spiagge mondiali e in assoluto lo sport con la crescita maggiore di spazi televisivi.
Il beach volley infatti si gioca in un periodo in cui i grandi eventi sportivi sono in vacanza (calcio, basket, volley) e per questo ha avuto una cosi rapida "escalation" negli ultimi anni, escalation che e destinata ad aumentare in maniera sempre piu consistente nella prossima estate!

beach volley & marketing

Olympic Games Sydney 2000 were the principal entry card for beach volleyball and totally confirmed the great popularity it achieved in Atlanta 1996. During all the playing weeks the beach volleyball stadium, build up specially on Bondi Beach, was fully booked; a full capacity crowd watched all the matches, also the ones played at 08.30 am.
Moreover beach volleyball was, both in Atlanta 1996 and in Sydney 2000, one of the sports with the highest popularity rating, and the best one for ticket ratio sold (tickets sold/tickets available). (Source : "Volleyball.it" nov.2000.).

I Giochi Olimpici di Sydney 2000 sono stati il principale biglietto da visita per il beach volley ed hanno confermato cosa accadde ad Atlanta nel 1996. Durante tutta la settimana di gioco lo Stadio del beach volley, appositamente costruito a Bondi Beach, e stato sempre completamente pieno; un pubblico entusiasta ha seguito tutte le partite comprese quelle in programmazione alle 08.30 del mattino.
Infine il beach volley e stato, sia ad Atlanta 1996 sia a Sydney 2000, uno degli sport con il piu alto indice di popolarita e di gradimento, e con la migliore percentuale di biglietti venduti in base ai posti disponibili. (Source : "Volleyball.it" nov.2000.).

beach volley history

Early 1920s

Most accounts place the sport's origin in Santa Monica, California, where the first Volleyball courts were put up on the beach at the Playground (Santa Monica). Families played 6 vs. 6.

1930

First two-man beach volleyball game was played in Santa Monica, California. Beach volleyball appeared in Palavas, Lacanau and Royan (France), around Sofia (Bulgaria), Prague (Czechoslavakia), and Riga (Latvia). In the US, people would escape the depression by going to the beach, 4 vs 4 and 3 vs 3 games were played.

1948

First tournament held in California (Los Angeles), awarded the best teams with a case of Pepsi as the winners' prize.

1950's

Open tournaments held at five beaches in California. Santa Barbara, State, Corona Del Mar, Laguna,San Diego Beach volleyball became an entertainment show and Beauty Contests were included in the official program. First Brazil tournament took place, sponsored by a Newspaper Publishing company.

1957

Bernie Holtzman and Gene Selznick won an event that featured Greta Tyson, star of "Pajama Tops", as Queen of the Beach. Beach volleyball became more than a sport, it turned into a real show.

1965

CBVA - California Beach Volleyball Association is founded. Tournament organisers met to coordinate the schedules and define the rules of the game.

1974

First commercially sponsored tournament took place in San Diego. $1,500 San Diego Open, sponsored by Winston Cigarettes. Won by Dennis Hare and Fred Zuelich 250 spectators.

1976

Olympia Championship of Beach Volleyball $5,000 first prize Won by Menges/Lee 30,000 spectators Events Concepts founded, to promote and expand beach tour.

1979

Prize money for the major USA event doubled to $10,000. King of the Beach tournament held in Manhattan Beach offered $11,000 prize money.

1982

Cash prizes for 6 tournaments. $69,000 prize total (Miller Brewing sponsor). Tour becomes national, with Clearwater (Florida) Open.

1983

Cash prizes for 12 tournaments. $137,000 prize total (Miller Brewing sponsor). Tour stopped in 4 states (CA, FL, NY, CO) AVP - Association of Volleyball Professionals founded (July 21, 1983).

1986

AVP - Pro Beach Volleyball receives cable television coverage via "Prime Ticket", and Pro Beach Volleyball makes its network debut ABC's Wide World of Sports. International Exhibition in Rio de Janiero, with 5,000 spectators. WPVA - Women's Professional Volleyball Association formed. Australian Pro Beach Circuit formed.

1987

FIVB - FIVB Men's Beach Volleyball World Championships held for first time - Ipanema, Brazil AVP - Tour stopped in 4 countries, 9 states (CA, FL, NY, CO, IL, AZ, OH, WI, MA).

1993

FIVB - Women's World Championship Series initiated AVP - NBC broadcasts 10 AVP events Estimated live attendance 600,000 $3,700,000 total prize money. Olympics - September 21st, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) grants Beach Volleyball Olympic medal status.

1996

Olympics - Olympics in Atlanta. 24 men's teams and 16 women's teams represent their countries in the first ever Olympic Beach Volleyball Tournaments.

2004

PROSERIES bithdate! International promoters with long experience in beach volley organization and international players with excellent c.v. decided to join together in order to offer to audience, sponsors, media, municipalities big events with the aim to promote and develope beach volley and beach sports in general.

2007

PROSERIES becomes official partner of W.V.B.F.World Volleyball & BeachVolleyball Federation! WVBF-PROSERIES CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR is starting to be stage all over the world. WVBF & PROSERIES decid to fully comply with IOC Charter, WADA, CAS, Olympic fundamentals and to assure a Volleyball development world wide with priority to the unprivileged countries as respect of our constitutional solidarity and ethical principles.

2008

WVBF PROSERIES CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR gets worldwide tv exposure.