Did You Know!

[VBLIStaff]

Did you know?

Statistically there are approximately over 350 Volleyball games occurring every day within the United States. At 7 days a week that equals over 127,000 games a year. With an estimated number of players there are 764,000 people on courts all over the U.S. each year. Now these numbers are averages but based on our extensive research we thought you would like to know.

Just another fact from VBLI.COM

[Monty]

Volleyball is the 3rd largest sport in the world.

[Glenn]

Beach volleyball started in (Click link for more info and facts about Santa Monica) Santa Monica, (A state in the western United States on the Pacific; the 3rd largest state; known for earthquakes) California in the (The decade from 1920 to 1929) 1920s. A decade later, beach volleyball began to appear in (The 2nd smallest continent (actually a vast peninsula of Eurasia); the British use `Europe' to refer to all of the continent except the British Isles) Europe. By the (The decade from 1940 to 1949) 1940s, two main tournaments were being played on the beaches of Santa Monica for trophies. In the 1960s, an attempt to start a professional volleyball league was made in Santa Monica. It failed, but a professional tournament was held in (A republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe) France for 30,000 French Francs. In the (The decade from 1970 to 1979) 1970s, a few professional tournaments in Santa Monica were sponsored by beer and cigarette companies. Most of the players representing the (North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776) United States in the indoor (The modern revival of the ancient games held once every 4 years in a selected country) Olympic Games were coming from the beaches of Southern California. The best players had to decide whether to play in professional tournaments, or to restrict themselves to amateur tournaments, so they could be eligible for the Olympic Games. In 1996, beach volleyball became a separate Olympic sport.