The International Volleyball Federation is planning to move major international tournaments to the winter from 2029, sparking strong opposition from Italian clubs and star players.
The governing body, known globally as FIVB, has started work on an updated international calendar covering the 2029 to 2032 cycle. The central proposal would shift both the World Championship and continental events such as the European Championship, which alternate every two years, away from their customary summer dates and into the winter season.
The reform would alter the domestic club timetable across the sport. Under the draft plan, domestic league seasons would begin earlier, potentially towards the end of August, and conclude in June alongside the Club World Championship, while clubs would observe a month-long break during the winter to accommodate national team matches.
Support in Poland and resistance in Italy
The proposal has divided national governing bodies and domestic competitions. Officials representing leagues in Japan and Turkey have backed the calendar reform, alongside volleyball leaders in Poland, but the plans have met intense opposition in Italy, one of the most prominent volleyball markets in the world.
Sebastian Swiderski, the president of the Polish Volleyball Federation (PZPS), said he supported the reform while acknowledging that certain adjustments were needed. Speaking to the Polish news website WP Sportowe Fakty, Swiderski explained that national teams currently compete across a four-month window followed by eight months of quiet from a federation viewpoint, adding that a revised schedule would create greater marketing opportunities and help clubs because teams would play almost year-round.
Poland remains one of global volleyball's elite nations, with a passionate domestic following and strong national teams. In contrast, Italy's domestic top flight, the SuperLega, is widely viewed as the most competitive club league in the world, attracting leading international talent and commanding significant commercial sway.
Italian boycott campaign and player concerns
The strongest pushback against the FIVB scheme came from Gino Sirci, the president of Italian club Sir Sicoma Perugia, who initiated a social media campaign using the slogan NoClubsNoVolley, asserting that the sport cannot function without clubs. The protest quickly drew support from prominent athletes playing in Italy, including Polish internationals Kamil Semeniuk of Perugia and Joanna Wolosz of Imoco Volley Conegliano.
Volleyball commentator Jakub Balcerzak outlined on social media platform X three primary arguments presented by the Italian volleyball federation against the proposed calendar. The Italian federation pointed to an increased workload on athletes after 2028 caused by an intensified international schedule, the marginalisation of national leagues that could lose far more than they gain, and the failure to address the ongoing reduction of time allocated for domestic championships.
Both Semeniuk, an outside hitter, and Wolosz, a setter and captain for Conegliano, are central figures for the Polish national team as well as their respective Italian clubs. Their public backing of the Italian stance highlights the tension between top players' international commitments and their club employers.
FIVB defense and upcoming November decision
FIVB president Fabio Azevedo defended the proposed restructuring, emphasising that the plans are not yet final. Speaking to the Italian daily newspaper Corriere dello Sport, the Brazilian official described the project as an evolution rather than a revolution, arguing that moving away from an overcrowded summer sports schedule would attract wider audiences, offer supporters more chances to follow major national team tournaments, and better link those events with domestic league competitions.
A final determination on the 2029 to 2032 calendar is due to be announced during the FIVB World Congress, scheduled to take place from 20 to 22 November in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.
