History of Volleyball

After an observer, Alfred Halstead, noticed the volleying nature of the game at its first exhibition match in 1896, played at the Springfield YMCA, the game quickly became known as volleyball (originally spelled as two words volley ball ). Volleyball rules were slightly modified by the Springfield YMCA and the game spread around the country to other YMCA locations.

In 1900, a ball was made specifically for the new game. The rules have evolved over time; by 1916, the skill and power of the set and spike had been introduced, and four years later a "three hits" rule and back row hitting guidelines were established. In 1917, the game was changed from 21 to 15 points. In 1919, American Expeditionary Forces distributed 16,000 volleyballs to their troops and allies: this provided a stimulus for the growth of volleyball outside the United States.

The first country outside the United States to adopt volleyball was Canada in 1900. An international federation, the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), was founded in 1947, and the first World Championships were held in 1949 for men and 1952 for women. Volleyball was added to the program of the Olympic Games in 1964. The sport is now popular in Brazil , in Europe (where especially Italy , Netherlands and countries from Eastern Europe have been major forces since the late 1980s), in Russia , and in other countries including China and the rest of Asia , as well in as the United States.