Disciplines · Volleyball Fact Sheet

The origins of the game of Volleyball in Malta could probably be traced back to the British servicemen stationed on the island at the time when Malta was still a British colony some time. The Maltese started practicing and organizing the sport discipline in the late sixties under the patronage of the National Sports Board. One of the first important milestones in the local history of the game dates back to the summer of 1968 when the National Sports Board conduced courses with the aid of foreign instructors as part of a Sport for All scheme. In fact, the first competitions in Malta were organized by the volleyball section of the same Sports Board but were then taken over by the Malta Volleyball Association (MVA), which was founded in 1973.

The first President of the MVA was Mr. Mark Vassallo. It was only towards the late seventies that volleyball started being played indoors at the Ta’ Qali pavilion. Female volleyball started at a later date with the first venues being open-air courts like their male counterparts but which were then also transferred in the early eighties, to the indoor gymnasiums at St. Andrews and the Libyan Cultural Institute premises at Ta Giorni.

The presence of foreign players residing on the island has always upgraded the technical, tactical and physical level of the game in Malta. The pioneers in this respect can certainly be considered to be the Russian players registered by the clubs in the first competitive seasons of the MVA. During the late seventies there were also two British Service teams namely Royal Air Force and the 41 Commando. The latter’s trainer and organizer Dave Kirkby introduced and donated the first ‘Player of the Year’ trophy to the MVA.

The first international match played by the Maltese national squad was against Algeria. Algeria won 3-0. Precious international experience was gained through several ventures mainly in Libya. In 1988, during the first edition of the Tournament for European Small Nations. Malta placed in the ninth and last position. During the 1989 GSSE edition in Cyprus the locals registered their first international victory after beating Andorra 3-2. A year later Malta organised the Tournament of European Small Nations a feat also repeated in the year 2000.

Over the years the MVA organized a number of overseas training camps and international friendlies although these have not yet rendered the desired results. The first female national side took part in an international tournament in Siena, Italy in 1990. In 2000 on home soil Malta managed the bronze medal at the Tournament for European Small Nations after beating the Faeroe Islands and Iceland. However the greatest success to date is the medal achieved by the Malta (female) during the 2001 editions of the Small Nations Games in San Marino. The junior national sides participate in the FISEC Games and the Island Games. On a local basis the MVA organises competitions both for seniors and also for juniors. These are two divisions in the senior categories while the junior category comprises three different leagues Under 19, Under 16 and Under 14. To date the MVA embraces a total of ten clubs with some participating in all categories.

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