Historical information

Volleyball has been played in regional Victoria since the early-1960’s. During those early days, most competitions, like the founders of our great sport, were run by, or in conjunction with, the YMCA.

Competitions were running at the Ballarat School of Mines and the YMCA’s of Bendigo, Geelong and Warrnambool. In August 1966, an invitation was extended by the Victorian Amateur Volleyball Association to play in the first State-wide event at Monash University. Geelong and Bendigo accepted the invitation with Melbourne represented by Sisu.

For Bendigo players at least, this was the first exposure to ‘international rules’, which prevented upward scoops with open hands, introduced an action called a ‘dig’ and seemed to penalise most overhead actions using the fingers as ‘double hits’!

Over the next few years, the sport expanded through the YMCA movement with weekly competitions starting up in Ararat, Warrnambool and Latrobe Valley. The Victorian Regional Council of YMCA’s proposed the first Victorian YMCA Championship in Warrnambool on 30th March 1968 with an entry fee of $4.00 per team.

The sport continued to grow with additional regional associations affiliating with the Victorian Amateur Volleyball Association (now VVI) who provided the coaching and refereeing assistance needed to raise the standard of play. In 1970, the YMCA Championships started to give way to the Victorian Country Championships with the first ever event held in Bendigo.

In 1973, a re-organisation of the VAVA saw the proposal to create separate Victorian Country and Metropolitan Volleyball Councils. The VCVC was established in 1974 and took over the organisation of the Victorian Country Championships.

For the next 10-12 years, the Country Championships grew in stature with the inclusion of two divisions for open men and women and junior divisions for boys and girls. Representative teams successfully contested Australian Country Championships between Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales on several occasions.

In October 1985, the VCVC voluntarily wound up the Council and handed the responsibility for the Country Championships back to Volleyball Victoria, who by that time had full-time State Executive and Coaching Directors.

Since that time, the Long Weekend in June has continued to be the date of the major annual volleyball event for most regional associations, even though in 1986 the Junior Country Championships were wound up in favour of state and national schools events. A number of regional associations have ceased to exist, as have a number of regional tournaments. Regional leagues were created in both the Gippsland and Central, North-West regions, with Gippsland the only one to survive. Some associations have successfully competed in the State League competitions at various times.

Following the experience gained by a number of regional administrators working on the Sydney Olympic Games, a proposal to revamp the Victorian Country Championship was put to VVI in early 2002. Later that year, the Volleyball Victoria Country Championships Commission was formed to implement the recommendations of the review and take control of the event into the future.

These championships now provide regional players and officials an opportunity to participate in a consistently well-managed event, using many international protocols and a high standard of presentation.

Without doubt, this event now ranks as one of the best volleyball events in Australia.

Source: 2022 Country Championship regulations

The management of the Country Championships by the Victorian Country Championship Commission certainly achieved the objective of raising the standard of presentation, and delivering a consistently high quality event. However, the demands on Host Associations began to take their toll, with several Associations declining the opportunity to host the event due to the high workload. Similarly, the workload of the volunteer Commissioners also took its toll, with the Commission unable to fill casual vacancies. In 2023, the Commission handed the organisation of the Championships back to VVI, who with paid staff, were better equipped to manage the event.

Physical description

This item contains Correspondence of the Council in 1979 and reports on the Country Championships for that year; it includes the following documents:

11171.8a Department of Youth Sport and Recreation Courses for 1979
11171.8b From VAVA General Coaches Course Level 2
11171.8c VAVA Executive Officers List
11171.8d Letter from Ballarat asking for promotional posters
11171.8e To Mildura Volleyball re affiliation
11171.8f To Wangaratta Volleyball re costs for Country Championships
11171.8g To all associations re tournament rules and registration fees
11171.8h To all associations re VCVC Meeting March 1979
11171.8i Calendar of events for the VAVA Referee's Commission
11171.8j To VAVA re possible grant for U17 Championships at Wangaratta
11171.8k To Ann Mansfield re Volleyball Equipment stock
11171.8l Estonia Sports Club South Australia notication of annual tournament
11171.8m Country Volleyball Championships Team Entry Form
11171.8n From Geelong Volleyball asking for promotional posters
11171.8o To Kyneton Volleyball information for affiliation
11171.8p Australian Volleyball Federation advertising for coaches
11171.8q Wangaratta Volleyball Executive Details
11171.8r From J. A. Sporting Goods Price list
11171.8s To Horsham Volleyball re affiliation
11171.8t To Ararat Volleyball re affiliation
11171.8u Wangaratta U7 Championship referee's list and accomodation
11171.8v Notice of change of date of General Meeting
11171.8w Latrobe Valley Volleyball Association team colours
11171.8x 1979 Country Championships Shepparton list of accomodation
11171.8y Warrnambool Country Championships Team Entry Form
11171.8z From Goulburn Valley Volleyball contact details
11171.8aa From Kyneton Volleyball deference of affiliation
11171.8ab Notice of General Meeting at Wangaratta
11171.8ac Stawell Volleyball possible affiliation
11171.8ad Men's Volleyball draw 21-22 April
11171.8ae Wangaratta Volleyball U17 Championships Costs and schedule
11171.8af To Stawell Association re affiliation
11171.8ag VCVC Financial Statement 1978-79
11171.8ah VCVC Letter to the Shire of Nathalia
11171.8ai Letter re Fort Street Volleyball Club poaching players
11171.8aj Letter re Fort Street Volleyball Club poaching players
11171.8ak Letter to Coaches Commission re tournament
11171.8al VCVC Notice of general meeting in April
11171.8am VCVC re AGM Dates 1979
11171.8an VCVC re AGM Dates 1979
11171.8ao VCVC re AGM Dates 1979
11171.8ap Letter to Sports Services re design for tracksuit badge
11171.8aq VAVA Minutes of Executive Meeting Nov 1979
11171.8ar Country Championships Shaepparton Report 1979