FIVB President Graca Launches '9 Goals' Strategic Plan

Goals to become cornerstone of the FIVB’s work to be leading family entertainment sport

FIVB President Dr. Ary S. Graça F° officially launched the FIVB’s 9 goals today at the SWATCH FIVB World Tour Finals, as the global federation looks to build on recent success and achieve its vision of becoming the number one family entertainment sport in the world.

The 9 goals are part of a long term strategic plan developed by President Graça and the FIVB to help direct the future work of the federation and ensure it realises the sport’s huge global potential. The 9 goals were devised through a collaborative, internal process which looked at the main areas of development and progress and were approved by the FIVB Board of Administration earlier this year.

The FIVB has experienced great success in the past couple of years, with record attendances at the World Championships in Poland and Italy last year and one of the most memorable beach volleyball men’s and women’s World Championships in the Netherlands this year. Volleyball and beach volleyball continue to set the benchmark for dynamic and innovative family sport entertainment and the 9 goals will ensure this upward trajectory of success is maintained.

When asked about its significance, President Graça said:

"Today represents a historic and exciting milestone for the FIVB. Our success has been built on the foundation of a strong vision: to make volleyball the number one family sport entertainment in the world and these 9 goals will help us achieve this vision.

"These goals are fundamental to the ongoing growth and development of volleyball and beach volleyball as we look to engage with the sport’s ever growing global fan base and become the world’s leading family sport entertainment."

The FIVB’s 9 goals are:

To move volleyball from group 2 to group 1 in the IOC rankings by 2020

The FIVB takes its role in the Olympic Movement very seriously and is committed to being a loyal partner to the IOC. Volleyball is set to be a flagship event at Rio 2016 and the federation hopes to use the Games as a springboard for further development and expansion.

To reach 2 million users on FIVB Digital Platforms by 2016

The FIVB is committed to harnessing the power of digital media to engage and interact with its young, global fan base.

To increase the cumulative TV audience by 20% in 2016 and by 100% in 2020

Volleyball is followed by hundreds of millions of people around the world and the FIVB wants to ensure as many fans as possible can enjoy the sport they love from the comfort of their own homes. This is particularly important as volleyball looks to become the "number 1 family sport entertainment in the world"

To sign 4 new global sponsors by 2020 with a goal of 10 million per year

The FIVB’s global partners are key to improving the worldwide visibility of the sport and introducing volleyball to new markets around the world.

To grow the average FIVB annual income from 31 million to 66 million by 2020

The development of volleyball and its key properties will significantly enhance revenue generation and allow the FIVB to reinvest into the development of the sport from grassroots to elite level around the world

To have a competitive, effective and sustainable bidding process by 2018 for all FIVB main events

The FIVB is committed to operating in a transparent manner in line with Olympic Agenda 2020. As the sport develops around the world more and more cities are showing interest in hosting the FIVB events and the FIVB is working to ensure that this bidding process is as effective and fair as possible

To make available a TV or internet feed for FIVB key events to all 221 National Federations by 2016

As one of the largest sports federation in the world, the FIVB has a duty to ensure that all its members have access to the sport across different platforms. This is part of the FIVB aim to expand the ways in which volleyball is offered to fans around the world.

To increase the number of licensed/ amateur players by 2018

The FIVB has begun a "Volleyball Your Way" programme which is intended to grow its global fan base, promote its values worldwide and encourage people young and old to practise the sport. The movement was started to show that volleyball is an inclusive sport that can be practised anywhere, at any time.

To become the number 1 sport that serves the needs of humanitarian organisations in their programmes

Sport plays an important role in state, community and peace building activities. The FIVB’s partnership with key humanitarian agencies will go a long way in increasing the effectiveness of sports programmes in post conflict countries around the world.

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