Hosting a high profile volleyball tournament is expensive. That is why FIVB has trouble finding “volunteers” for even some of its most high profile events, such as the Women’s World Championships, which has had Japan as its host in 4 of its last 6 occasions (mostly because it’s the only country that wants it), or the FIVB Club WCH, which no one never really knows who will host it. It is safe to say that even elite volleyball is not that big of a financial draw that cities are battling it out to host even the biggest events.
To give us a light into how much money goes into institutional costs alones, Zenit Kazan‘s president Oleg Bryzgalov, whose team will host the CEV Champions League Final 4 for the first time in its history, talked prices and expenditures with Russia’s Sport Business Online:
“We were always asked – when will you apply for the Champions League Final 4? It was not easy to decide. First, there is a serious financial cost, the application fee is 250 thousand euros (roughly 310 thousand dollars). I hope we will be able to cover this cost at the expense of prize money. Secondly, a great deal of organizational work is involved. This is a serious challenge for us. As for tickets, the sales are very active, and according to the dynamics in the coming days, 80% of tickets will be sold out. The rest we have to reserve for guest teams. Ticket prices will range 3 to 20 dollars, which is very democratic for a tournament of this level.”
Certainly, this doesn’t sound very sustainable for teams worldwide, unless you are a volleyball power-house like Zenit Kazan. The CEV has expressed desires to change its hosting system, but will its new proposals have the teams’ benefits in mind?
We do know who will be hosting the Club Championship. For women
s China will be hosting the next 2 editions and Poland will host the mens once again. And Japan is not the only country that wants to host the WCH, Japan is the only federation who can afford