25 years of initiating talents since Gira-Volei introduction in Portugal

Gira-Volei – the development programme run by the Portuguese Volleyball Federation (FPV) – celebrates in 2023 25 years aimed at introducing the sport as well as at promoting physical activity for children and young people aged between eight and 15! 

Easy, fun, and competitive, as its motto proclaims, Gira-Volei is inclusive in the integration of children, without regard to gender, size, or physical appearance, intuitive in its practice and a very simplified version of Volleyball. Gira-Volei was first launched and implemented by the Portuguese Volleyball Federation in 1998. At the time, and even without enough qualified coaches, the programme was the perfect solution and idea to motivate children and young people to play Volleyball.

Nowadays, Gira-Volei involves around 100,000 children and young people and has made Volleyball the second most practiced sport in schools across Portugal. It is even seen by many heads of schools and Gira-Volei centres as the biggest programme to initiate and encourage the practice of Volleyball, thereby taking the passion for the sport to the four corners of the country.

With Gira-Volei, it is possible to spread Volleyball throughout Portugal, even in places without appropriate facilities and it is also possible to raise the level of the sport by bringing together more potentially talented players and working with them in a dynamic and correct way.

Cláudia Melo has always been a pioneer. The now doctor was the first Gira-Volei practitioner to join the ranks of the women’s senior national team, paving the way for other successful athletes such as Alexandre Ferreira, who is the current captain of Team Portugal, Afonso Reis, or Manuel Meirinho, who have both represented Portugal internationally as well. 

Alexandre Ferreira started practicing Volleyball, through Gira-Volei, at Escola Básica Evaristo Nogueira, in S. Romão, Seia. The current captain of the national team highlights the importance of those early days: “My journey in Volleyball began at Gira-Volei, an excellent way to acquire a taste for the sport, which is taught there in its simplest form. This taste for Volleyball grew with me, which made me want to deepen my development in the sport and join a team licensed by the National Federation. Following my evolution as a player, I was part, for three years, of the youth and junior teams that were involved in a permanent camp, on a path that led me to want new things and allowed me to achieve my main goal, which was always to play for the senior national team.” 

Gira-Volei is an initiation programme for Volleyball aimed at young people aged between eight and 15 years old. The simplified game (2v2) and the use of a specific game methodology make Gira-Volei an easy, fun, and competitive game that can attract thousands of young people.

Created in 1998 by the Portuguese Volleyball Federation, with around 70 centres across the country, Gira-Volei expanded over time, exponentially, gaining more and more fans. Currently, there are more than 1,800 such centres, involving cities, towns, and municipalities, based in local authorities, schools, associations, and other associative and cultural structures throughout the national territory.

In addition to providing physical and mental benefits and promoting a healthy lifestyle, Gira-Volei plays a fundamental role in social inclusion, promoting equal opportunities, and raising awareness of a set of essential tools for life, such as teamwork, leadership, resilience, and self-confidence.

For further information, please visit https://www.giravolei.com/