Who Invented Volleyball
Volleyball is a popular team sport with two teams that are separated by a net. The goal of the game is to score points by grounding the ball in the oppositions area, or when the other team commits a fault (touching the net, hitting the ball outside the court, hitting under the net etc.). Each team is allowed to touch the ball 3 consecutive times, but it must be hit to the oppositions court on the 3rd touch. The ball cannot be caught, thrown or kicked and must be hit with the hard or arm only. Let’s take a look at who invented this unique sport.
Who invented volleyball?
Volleyball was invented in 1895 by William G. Morgan, who was a physical education director with the YMCA in Holyoke, Massachusetts. He created the game to be played indoors and to be less rough than basketball for older YMCA members. He called the game Mintonette and the rules were quite different to what we know today. For example, a team could touch the ball as many times as they liked before hitting it over the net. The name changed after the first exhibition match in 1896 and the sport became known as volley ball (and later simply volleyball). The YMCA Training School made some modifications to the rules and the sport quickly spread to other YMCA venues.
Did you know?
The international federation of volleyball, known as the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), was founded in 1947. The first official world championships were held in 1949 (men) and 1952 (women).
Volleyball officially became an Olympic sport in 1964 and has been a part of the Summer Olympics ever since. Beach volleyball, a variation on the more traditional sport, was included in the Olympics in 1996.
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