Footvolley

Footvolley is a fun sport that mixes ideas from beach volleyball, tennis, and soccer. Instead of using hands, players kick a soccer ball over a net, much like in beach volleyball. This game is also called Futevôlei in Brazil and Futevólei in Portugal.

The sport was started by a man named Octavio de Moraes in 1965 in Rio de Janeiro. It uses rules from beach volleyball but with one big difference: players can only use their feet, knees, and head to touch the ball, just like in soccer. So, footvolley is like beach volleyball, but with a soccer ball and no hands allowed.

World Federation

There is no official world championship or world federation for footvolley. Instead, there are several active leagues around the world. Some of these include World Footvolley, Thefootvolley.com, the International Footvolley Federation, and the Federation International of Footvolley (FIFV). There are also leagues in Europe, Asia, South Asia, Africa, and Kenya. Each of these groups helps organize and promote the sport of footvolley in their areas.

History

Footvolley was started by Octavio de Moraes in 1965 on Copacabana Beach. At first, it was called 'pévolei', but the name changed to "futevôlei" because it mixed football and volleyball ideas. The game grew from Rio de Janeiro to many other cities like Recife, Salvador, Brasília, Goiânia, Santos, and Florianópolis.

Originally, teams had five players each, but later it changed to two versus two, which is how it is played today. In recent years, many famous Brazilian footballers have joined footvolley games for fun events. The sport became known worldwide in 2003 with a big event in Miami Beach, and it was even shown at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Ball

An indoor footvolley ball looks like a basketball. It weighs 360g, making it smaller, bouncier, and heavier than a regular volleyball.

Rules

Footvolley is a fun game that mixes rules from beach volleyball and soccer. Instead of using hands, players kick a soccer ball over a net, similar to beach volleyball.

The court is smaller than a regular volleyball court, measuring 4x4 meters for playing. Points are scored when the ball lands in the opponent’s area, if they make a mistake, or if they cannot kick the ball back over the net. Matches are usually played to 18 points in one set, or best of three sets to 15 points. The net height changes depending on the competition, with men’s nets set at 2.2 metres and women’s nets at 2 metres.

International growth

Since footvolley began in Brazil, the sport has grown popular around the world. It is now played in many places such as the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania.

Big tournaments have happened in many beach cities across different countries. These include Spain, Portugal, Israel, Greece, the United Arab Emirates, France, the Netherlands, Aruba, Thailand, South Africa, Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina, and Iran.

Paraguay

Paraguay was the first team to win the world championship in footvolley. A player named Jesús from Paraguay is thought to be the best player in the World Championship.

Brazil

The city of Brasília, the capital of Brazil, has produced many great players. These players have taught others, helping the sport grow in Brazil.

United Kingdom

In 1997, the England team joined football stars John Barnes and Niall Quinn at a tournament in Pattaya, Thailand. England held events in 2007, and players Dirceu and Luigi won both of them.

Israel

Israel has a special footvolley league that starts every summer. It began in 2008 and includes teams from Europe. There are also winter tournaments and many events across the country.

Italy

The first big footvolley tour in Italy started in 2008. It usually happens in June, July, and August with several tournaments each summer.

Australia

Footvolley Australia was created in 2007 to help grow the sport in the country. They organize events for new players, teach footvolley, and take part in international competitions.

United States

Footvolley started in South Florida in the United States. The first national championship was held in 2005, and many tournaments have happened every year since then. Players from different places compete to be the national champions.

2016 Olympic qualifiers

In 2016, the U.S. Footvolley Association held tournaments to choose teams for the Rio Footvolley Exhibition Tournament. The winning teams traveled to Seaside, Oregon, for the final tournament.

2016 Rio Tournament

At the 2016 RIO World Footvolley Tournament, the U.S. teams competed against other countries.

Pro Footvolley Tour

The Pro Footvolley Tour is a professional series of tournaments in the United States. It began in 2008 and has grown to include many events across the country. The Tour broadcasts games to networks around the world.

Equipment

In 2015, a special ball just for footvolley was made and used in big tournaments.

South Korea

Footvolley was part of a big sports event in 2018 during Chuseok. The game used special rules for that event.