SV.League: Can Japan competition’s new look give volleyball a profile to rival football?
SV.League aims to be more than just a domestic competition – it aims to increase the popularity and profile of the sport at a global level
Volleyball regularly features in lists of the world’s top five most popular sports and a rebranded Japanese league is launching it new season later on Friday with the aim of translating that popularity into a global profile.
The opening match in the men’s SV.League will take place when crosstown rivals Osaka Bluteon and Suntory Sunbirds Osaka clash in Tokyo, but the ambition of the league is far greater than engaging volleyball fans in Japan’s third-largest city.
“We aim to go beyond being just a domestic league, aspiring to lead Asia and become a globally recognised volleyball league that brings innovation to the sport,” said league chairman Masaaki Okawa.
“With a vision for full professionalism by 2027, each club is actively working on enhancing player development, training environments and operational structures.
“By 2030, the league aims to … become the world’s best league in terms of athletic performance, business operations and governance.”
The international ambitions will be evident on Friday when Russian former Olympic and world champion Dmitriy Muserskiy and Aleksander Sliwka, a silver medallist with Poland at the Paris Olympics, line up for Suntory.
