European resistance to the proposed change in the international volleyball calendar continues to gain support. The president of the Italian champion Perugia, Gino Sirci, announced that he is already in contact with 30 European clubs that share his position against the reform being prepared by the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) for the period 2028–2032.
The information was reported on November 3 by the Italian specialized websiteVolleyball.it, which published Sirci's new statements amidst the deepening dispute with the president of the Polish Volleyball Federation, Sebastian Świderski.
When presenting the #NoClubsNoVolley campaign on October 29, Sirci spoke of support from 25 European clubs. Now, according to him, their number has reached 30, although a full named list has not yet been published.
New clubs stand behind Perugia
Support for the initiative continues to expand in the Italian SuperLega as well. On November 3, Padua officially announced that it was joining the clubs that insist their voice be heard in the discussion of the new calendar.
In a publication on Padua's official website, President Fabio Cremonese warns that a prolonged interruption of national championships would have serious sporting and economic consequences.
"I cannot find a single positive aspect in this reform. Now is the time for clubs to speak with one voice," states Cremonese.
According to him, the interruption of championships in the middle of the season will affect relations with fans, television broadcasters, and sponsors. An additional problem is the different workload for players – national team members will participate in intensive international tournaments, while others will remain without official matches for a long time.
Italian Volley News also tracks the expansion of the initiative and reports that more and more clubs in Italy and abroad are spreading the #NoClubsNoVolley message through their official channels.
Among those supporting the campaign are already Piacenza, Milan, Verona, Modena, and Trento.
Bulgaria also has representatives in the initiative
Among the European clubs standing behind Sirci are the Bulgarian Levski Sofia and Neftochimic 2010 Burgas.
AsVolleyweek.bgreported on October 29, Levski co-president David Davidov confirmed to our media that the capital club had analyzed the organizers' proposals and decided to join the initiative.
Later the same day,Volleyweek.bgalso published Neftochimic's position. The president of the Burgas club, Ognyan Tomov, confirmed that he had received a personal invitation from Gino Sirci and had sent an official letter in support of the campaign.
Meanwhile, as we have already written, Modena also supported the protest, placing particular emphasis on the health of the volleyball players and the danger of disrupting the training and competition rhythm.
Sirci replied to Swiderski: "We are squeezing the players like lemons"
The expansion of the campaign coincides with a new episode in the public dispute between the president of Perugia and the head of the Polish federation.
On November 4, Volley News published Sirci's new video address, distributed through Perugia's social channels. In it, the Italian businessman responds to the statements of Sebastian Swiderski, who earlier defended the changes proposed by FIVB.
"I think that President Swiderski and the Polish clubs, as well as the Italian ones, should first and foremost act as good family fathers. Because in my opinion, we are squeezing these players too much, like lemons," Sirci states.
His main objection is related to the duration and organization of the club season, which, according to him, will not receive the promised relief.
"And let President Swiderski not tell me that the championship will be longer. In the 2028/2029 season, the time allotted for clubs will remain 33 weeks, in the second year it will be 36, in the third - 31, and in the fourth - again 31 weeks."
Sirci disputes the argument that the new distribution of international competitions will create more favorable conditions for club volleyball. According to him, combining an intensive club program with additional breaks for national teams will increase the load on the athletes.
"I think that the clubs will be very disadvantaged and will not be able to accept such a calendar imposed by FIVB, that is, imposed by a direct competitor of the clubs," emphasized the president of Perugia.
Poland defends a different position
The discussion takes on particular importance due to the position of Poland, whose championship is among the leading in European volleyball.
AsVolleyweek.bgalready reported in the article "Swiderski is against the Italians: Supported the controversial FIVB calendar", the president of the Polish federation believes that the proposed changes can provide more opportunities for clubs and improve the organization of the competition calendar.
His position was also reported by Volley News on November 2, based on an interview for the Polish publication Interia Sport.
According to Swiderski, the reform should be viewed through the interests of all volleyball, and not solely from the perspective of individual clubs.
For his part, Sirci confirms toVolleyball.itthat Polish clubs have not yet joined the group of 30 European clubs with whom he maintains contact.
Will club support turn into real negotiating power?
The expansion of #NoClubsNoVolley shows that objections to the proposed reform are no longer limited to individual Italian clubs.
However, it remains unclear whether those supporting the initiative will issue a common official position to the FIVB, and whether they will propose an alternative option for the international calendar.
According to information presented by Sirci at the press conference in Perugia on October 29 and reported byVolleyball.it, a decision on the project is expected around mid-November.
Until then, the main question is whether the growing support among European clubs will lead to real changes in the international federation's proposal.

photo: Nikolay Varadinov