CEV Board of Administration members agree on measures to elevate Volleyball to new heights

Some six months since assuming the leadership of the organisation, CEV President Roko Sikirić and his colleagues from the CEV Board of Administration reconvened online for a virtual meeting whereby they assessed the progress made since the start of their tenure at the helm of European Volleyball and defined further actions specifically designed to elevate the game to unprecedented heights. The CEV President openly thanked his colleagues for the very close cooperation established and for the work accomplished this far in a spirit of remarkable unity and comradeship. 

Such major achievements include the organisation of the CEV Champions League Volley 2025 Final Four tournaments in Istanbul and Łódź for women and men, respectively, both at very iconic locations and in key markets for international Volleyball as well as securing the future naming rights for an elite CEV competition. 

Much progress has been achieved by the working group in charge of good governance, whose mission is to improve key principles and procedures regulating the functioning of the CEV, thereby aligning the organisation with the highest international standards in this area. The same applies to development projects, with major steps forward made in defining the scope of the revolutionary CEV Solidarity Fund. Further analysis and discussions will follow to finalise by the third quarter of 2025 the application guidelines as well as the necessary framework for their implementation and monitoring / evaluation, so that National Federations shall be able to submit their requests for funding. With this, the CEV President is well on his way of achieving an ultimate goal outlined during his campaign last year.  

The ongoing due diligence analysis of the CEV portfolio is due to be finalised in early April and its outcome together with the relevant strategic business plan will lay the foundation for any subsequent negotiations with current and potential partners, as the CEV leadership continues to explore commercial opportunities for the good of the sport and of the European Volleyball family at large. To this extent, it is clear that the CEV Champions League holds much untapped potential and therefore the revamping of the competition envisioned for post the 2025-2026 season shall encapsulate a commercial perspective and open up marketing opportunities, apart from any revision to the current competition format. 

Speaking of club competitions, the CEV Board of Administration approved the proposed calendar for the 2026 edition of the CEV European Cups, with no changes to the format fans and media have become accustomed to, while waiting for more information and feedback coming from a continued dialogue with all stakeholders to proceed with an overall revamping in subsequent editions. 

It was also confirmed that all members of the European Volleyball family will be coming together later this year in Paris, France, for the annual CEV General Assembly, with further details to follow in due course. On the other hand, the CEV Board of Administration will be holding their next in-person meeting on May 18 in Łódź, Poland, in conjunction with the Final Four of the men’s CEV Champions League.