Ottawa and Calgary to host Canada’s Volleyball Nations League

OTTAWA, Canada, November 27, 2019 - Volleyball Canada announced today that Ottawa (women) and Calgary (men) will be the sites of the 2020 Volleyball Nations League (VNL) stops in Canada.

In Ottawa, the women’s team will face the Netherlands, Poland and Japan at the Arena at TD Place from June 2 to 4. This will be the VNL debut for the Canadian women’s team after winning a qualifier this summer. Ottawa has hosted men’s VNL in 2018 and 2019.

"We are very excited to be back in Ottawa, and equally looking forward to hosting men’s VNL in Calgary next year,” said Alan Ahac, Volleyball Canada’s Director of International Events. "Both cities have been very supportive and we’re looking forward to world-class volleyball in Canada again next year."

This will be the first time hosting VNL for Calgary. In 2020, WinSport’s Markin MacPhail Centre at Canada Olympic Park will feature the Canadian men’s team and Serbia, Australia and China from June 19 to 21. Volleyball Canada will hold its annual convention and Hall of Fame induction ceremony in conjunction with the VNL matches. The city previously hosted the men’s team in FIVB World League pool play in 2015.

"It’s incredibly exciting for Calgary to have the opportunity to host four of the world’s top volleyball teams only a month before the Tokyo Olympics,” said Carson Ackroyd, Senior Vice President of Sales at Tourism Calgary. “We’re proud to bring world-class events like this to Calgary, which deliver outstanding entertainment and substantial economic impact for the city.”

In Ottawa, the women’s team will play in Volleyball Nations League for the first time since the event was created in 2018.

"These are exciting times for Canadian women’s volleyball,” said Mark Goudie, President and CEO of OSEG, the organization that operates TD Place, the downtown venue for Ottawa’s 2020 VNL tournament. "Our national team has already earned a spot in January’s zonal Olympic qualifying tournament and to showcase their talent, TD Place and our vibrant Lansdowne Live surrounding area is a great privilege."

This will be the third edition of the VNL, which will begin on May 19, 2020 for the women, and the men’s competition starting on May 22.

In each gender, 16 of the world’s best teams will compete in a round-robin format all over the world for a place in the VNL Finals with Russia out to defend their title in the men’s competition and USA in the women’s. The preliminary rounds will take place from May 19 to June 21 and the gold medal matches of both events (men’s and women’s) will take place on July 5.