VNL Council praised success of first edition of the event
LAUSANNE, Switzerland, August 24, 2018 – FIVB President Dr. Ary
S. Graça F° opened the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Council
meeting yesterday, congratulating the National Federations and
FIVB partners on the huge success of the inaugural edition of
the event.
Special praise went to Russia and the USA, winners of the men’s
and women’s competition respectively, for their incredible
athletic performances which kept fans on the edge of their seats
all over the world.
The VNL is a revolutionary new FIVB event, where 16 nations go
head-to-head in a round robin format, battling to become
Volleyball Nations League Champion. During the VNL Council
meeting, President Ary Graça highlighted why the VNL stands out
as an innovative move for the FIVB.
The FIVB President said: “We are making history here! The VNL is
a huge step for volleyball and it has truly taken us to the next
level. All over the world, we ensured the same standard of
arenas – the same “look and feel” throughout the VNL. Secondly,
we increased prize money for the women’s champion to make it
equal with the men’s which is so important for our sport. We
also made a decision to offer prize money during the round robin
phase. In total this amounted to more than 7 million USD. This
is a big investment for us.
“Our vision for volleyball is to be modern and innovative. We
are always trying to advance volleyball, by using the latest
technology and partnering with some of the biggest companies in
the world, like Microsoft for digital transformation and IMG for
TV production and distribution. Our total cumulative TV audience
for the first edition of the VNL was 1.2 billion people. This is
a great base, and we will work hard to better this in 2019.”
The Challenge System continued to show itself as a key example
of on-court technological innovation. During the VNL, 1,452
challenges were requested, with 592 successful (40.77%). These
numbers clearly show the importance of utilising the latest
technology in volleyball.
The FIVB also partnered with the Grammy award-winning Australian
DJ duo NERVO, who created the anthem of VNL, “Worlds Collide”.
NERVO performed live at various VNL events, including the Finals
in China and France. This collaboration with young musicians
took fan experience in volleyball to a new level, and highlights
the FIVB’s commitment to leading the way in fan engagement.
The VNL Council also listened to the case studies from the
National Federations and TV broadcasters, as well as discussed
the calendar for the 2019 season and potential opportunities for
future VNL editions. |