Austria's volleyball: urgent appeal for better halls and investments

Austria's volleyball: urgent appeal for better halls and investments

Volleyball sport in Austria faces exciting challenges, especially with regard to the shortcomings of the currently used halls. The President of the Austrian Volleyball Association (ÖVV), Leitner, emphasized the growing professionalism in the clubs and the increasing tension in the leagues, especially in the women's tournament during a press appointment. "Last season we saw impressive games that brought the teams closer together," said Leitner. But despite this positive development, the infrastructural situation remains a major problem.

Again, Leitner attracted attention to the terrifying level of investments in sports infrastructure in Austria. "We are number 22 in Europe and that is a certificate of poverty," he remarked. The halls are often not even sufficiently high to meet the requirements of modern volleyballs, which leads to a clear deficit compared to other countries. He asked the future government to invest more funds in functional and well thought -out sports facilities.

outdated halls create disadvantages

The accessibility and management of the existing sports facilities were considered particularly critically. "The halls are available, but often not accessible, which makes training unnecessarily difficult for many clubs," said Leitner. For example, it is often closed too early because there are no budgets available for a longer opening time. This is not only for volleyball, but also for other sports such as handball.

dramatic numbers were quoted by Vice President Laure, who pointed out the lack of indoor capacity: "Last year, 1,000 young players had to be rejected in Graz." This situation means that young people do not have the opportunity to train in a suitable environment. Laure appealed to those responsible to build "simple halls" because most training facilities are already 40 years old and far too small. "Many halls are as small as shoe boxes," he added and illustrated the urgency of the infrastructure problem.

The goal of the coming season remains unbroken. In the men's league, the Hypo Tirol team goes into the race as a favorite after winning the Supercup against the Cup winner Aich/DOB. But other teams like Hartberg also show themselves as a serious challenger. In the women, Ti Volley, Steelvolley's Linz-Steg and Post SV are the top favorites on the title.

The season begins with a basic round of 18 rounds, in which men and women fight for the decisive play-off rounds until February 8th and 9th. The K.-O. rounds, which represent the highlight of the season, then start with the quarter-final games. The audience can look forward to up to 30 live broadcasts by the ORF.

game plans of Austrian Volley League

The first games of the new season are just around the corner. The games in the Austrian Volley League of women and men are scheduled for the 5th and 6th October