Volleyball is very popular in some countries. It is a national sport and is often shown on TV. This attracts more sponsorships and allows the team to professionalize.
This attracts the best players from all around the world. This leads to an upward spiral as this attracts a bigger audience that allows the teams to invest even more.
In this post, we are going to focus on indoor volleyball and mainly on leagues for men. Leagues for women are often popular in these countries as well as the love for volleyball is part of their culture.
Volleyball is a recognized game and is played in Olympics since 1964. This has broadened the appeal of the sport. In the USA there is no big professional league (with the exception of Athletes Unlimited) at the moment but this can change in the years to come.
How are the best volleyball leagues in the world selected?
Best volleyball players are extremely well-paid and most of them are multi-millionaires and enjoy a lavish lifestyle. So if you intend to pick up this sport, starting early will be a good idea.
If you start playing from the age of 7 or 8, by the time you are 16, you will be ready to play in a few of the best junior leagues. And by the time you graduate from high school, you will be able to join the best volleyball leagues in your respective countries.
The ranking has been made according to international awards of clubs and the quality of matches played by them. Their fan following and popularity on social media have been considered and the earnings of each player of a club in the league for the season have been considered.
If you want to join one of these best volleyball leagues in the world, you need to start following their players, their game plans, and their tactics right from your teenage days.
Let’s have a look at the list of some of the best volleyball leagues in the world.
Italy- Superlega-
Unanimously everyone has selected this league as the best volleyball league in the world. The main reason for selecting Italian Superlega as the topmost volleyball league was because it won the CEV ranking that includes all club European competitions.
In the last five years, they were on the podium almost every time during the Champions League. This clearly indicates that Italy has a strong volleyball competition.
The best players in this league make up to €1.000.000. Many world-class volleyball players like Jenia Grebennikov (French), Osmany Juantorena (Italian), Wilfredo Leon (Cuban with Polish citizenship), and Aaron Russell (American) are considered as the star players of this league. Three top clubs are Sir Safety Conad Perugia, Cucine Lube Civitanova, and Itas Trentino.
Russia-Volleyball Super League-
This league was established in 1992 and being three decades old, it has got an opportunity to establish itself. The legacy goes even further as the original team was known as the Soviet top league which was founded in 1933. Star players like Earvin N’Gapeth (French), Maxim Mikhailov (Russian), and Fedor Voronkov (Russian) play in this league.
Zenit Kazan is a very successful club in this league as they have won it for multiple years in a row. Recently they have been unable to win the tournament. Most of the star players too play for this club. CSKA Moscow, Dynamo Moscow, and Bielgorje Bielgorod are a few other reputed clubs for this league.
Brazil- Super League-
It is not possible that we speak about a popular sport like volleyball and the mention of Brazil does not come up. Clubs from this league play against teams from other continents only in the Club World Championship.
Their best clubs are Sada Cruzeiro, Funvic Taubate, and SESI São Paulo. Being a non-European team, it is not easy for them to remain at the top as a lot of players prefer to play in Europe or Asia.
Despite this, the club Sada Cruzeiro has had great international results. They were in the finals five times out of the eight times they participated. They have been winning in the South American Club Championships too. Bruno (Brazilian), Facundo Conte (Argentinian), and Sidao a.k.a Sidnei dos Santos Junior (Brazilian) are their most popular star players.
Poland- PlusLiga-
PGE Skra Belchatow, ZAKSA Kedzierzyn-Kozle, and Asseco Resovia Rzeszow are the top three clubs in this league. Even though they have not won any international competitions, however the young and dynamic players of the 14 teams in this league always up the game.
PlusLiga is often the stepping stone for the promising volleyball players and they join other European clubs later. As per the last ranking Mariusz Wlazly (Polish), Milad Ebadipur (Iranian), and Piotr Nowakowski (Polish) were their most valuable players. This league was known as Polish Volleyball League since 2000. In 2008 it was rechristened as PlusLiga.
Turkey- Efe League/ Turkish Men’s Volleyball League-
Clubs in this league attract players from all over the world. Salvador Hidalgo Oliva (Cuban), Konstantin Čupkovic (Serbian), and Emre Batur have been their top players in the last few seasons. Some of the players earn up to €500.000 per season. In the last three CEV’s editions, three other Turkish teams reached the finals. Fenerbahce SK, Arkas Spor Izmir and Halkbank Ankara have won a lot of titles. The fans love the strong Turkish players. This league was founded in 1970.
We have discussed the best volleyball players here.
Conclusion
Volleyball is a sport that requires a good amount of stamina and energy. It is a good idea to start playing it if you already do not play it. The pandemic has made most of us couch potatoes and our physical movements have reduced to quite an extent. Playing volleyball or beach volleyball for even half an hour a day will give the requisite exercise our bodies need in a day.
Source
https://volleyballpassion.com/best-professional-volleyball-leagues-in-the-world/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volleyball
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Volleyball_Super_League
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlusLiga
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_Volleyball_Super_League_(Men)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_Men%27s_Volleyball_League
