Eirball.global – Irish Volleyball, Netball & Olympic Handball

Volleyball, Netball and Olympic Handball have histories dating back to the 1960s and 1970s in Ireland.

Volleyball

Volleyball Ireland is the National Governing Body of Volleyball in Ireland.

Volleyball was invented in New England, USA at the end of the 19th Century. It is played by two teams on a court much like a Badminton court with a high net separating the two sides. The object of the sport is to score points by keeping the ball from touching the ground on your own side while trying to get it over the net and in-bounds in your opponents side.

Matches are played in sets much like in the Racquet Sports, with each set being the first to 21 and winning by 2 points. Matches are usually best-of-5 sets. Volleyball has been played in Ireland since the 1960s.

There are four main variations played in Ireland: Volleyball, Beach Volleyball, Spikeball (Reduced Numbers) and Sitting Volleyball (like wheelchair sports but without the wheelchair).

Volleyball Ireland

Volleyball Ireland is the National Governing Body for Volleyball in the Republic of Ireland. It was founded as the Volleyball Association of Ireland in the 1960s and renamed Volleyball Ireland in 2017.

It oversees the running of the Volleyball Ireland National Leagues as well as Schools Competitions and entering Ireland teams in International Competition.

There are three regional associations which make up a constituent part of Volleyball Ireland: Volleyball East Region, Volleyball South Region & Volleyball West Region.

Below you will find links to various competitions in Ireland:

Volleyball National Leagues Women

Volleyball Ireland Teams

Volleyball National Leagues Men

Volleyball Ireland Mixed Tournament

Volleyball National Cups Men

Volleyball National Cups Women

Northern Ireland Volleyball Association

East Region Volleyball

North Region Volleyball

South Region Volleyball

Regional Volleyball Teams

West Region Volleyball

Schools & Colleges Volleyball

Volleyball is played in Irish IT’s and Universities as well as in Secondary Schools. Spikeball (Reduced Numbers Volleyball) is played in Secondary Schools, at the younger age categories.

Student Sport Ireland Volleyball Women

Student Sport Ireland Volleyball Men

Volleyball Ireland Schools

International Volleyball

Volleyball Ireland and Northern Ireland Volleyball have been running a series of St. Patrick’s Day International series since at least 1990. Matches have involved both Irish National teams, and on some occasions Scotland in both Men, Women, Senior & Junior Categories. In addition a yearly set of Internationals have been played on a Home & Away basis with Scotland & Wales.

Ireland has entered the European Championships as well as playing International Series against both Club sides and other International teams.

Beach Volleyball

Beach Volleyball is one of the more recognizable versions of Volleyball, played in pairs, either Men’s, Women’s or Mixed. There is a small National Tour in Ireland.

Netball Ireland

Featured Image Credit: Ancient Netball by Steven Howe is licensed under CC-BY-SA 2.0

Netball originated in England at the end of the Nineteenth Century as a Women’s version of Basketball. It got its name in Jamaica. It differs from Basketball in the lack of contact between players, and in the scoring – each basket counts as one goal rather than two points, and the ball must be passed into a zone around the goal where a designated player may make a shot.

It is played in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland with Northern Ireland ranking as one of the World Powers in the sport. There is a League in both Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland and was once leagues in Cork and Limerick. Versions of the Sport include Fast Fives and Mixed 6-a-side Netball, with Independent Leagues in the latter in Dublin.

Netball Ireland Women’s Leagues

Netball Ireland Teams

Colleges Netball

Schools Netball

International Netball

Netball originated in England at the end of the Nineteenth Century as a Women’s version of Basketball. It got its name in Jamaica. It differs from Basketball in the lack of contact between players, and in the scoring – each basket counts as one goal rather than two points, and the ball must be passed into a zone around the goal where a designated player may make a shot.

It is played in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland with Northern Ireland ranking as one of the World Powers in the sport. There is a League in both Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland and was once leagues in Cork and Limerick. Versions of the Sport include Fast Fives and Mixed 6-a-side Netball, with Independent Leagues in the latter in Dublin.

World Netball Championship

Netball Europe

Commonwealth Games Netball

Five Nations Netball

Mixed Netball and Korfball

Korfball is the Dutch variant of Basketball or Netball and has been played in Netherlands and Belgium since the early 20th Century. It has been played in Ireland since around 2009 when the Ireland Korfball International team first entered the IKF European Championships.

Dublin Mixed Netball

Netball originated in England at the end of the Nineteenth Century as a Women’s version of Basketball. It got its name in Jamaica. It differs from Basketball in the lack of contact between players, and in the scoring – each basket counts as one goal rather than two points, and the ball must be passed into a zone around the goal where a designated player may make a shot.

It is played in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland with Northern Ireland ranking as one of the World Powers in the sport. There is a League in both Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland and was once leagues in Cork and Limerick. Versions of the Sport include Fast Fives and Mixed 6-a-side Netball, with Independent Leagues in the latter in Dublin.

Dublin Mixed Netball

Korfball Ireland

Korfball is the Dutch variant of Basketball or Netball and has been played in Netherlands and Belgium since the early 20th Century. It has been played in Ireland since around 2009 when the Ireland Korfball International team first entered the IKF European Championships.

While there is no league in Ireland as yet, the International team enters Tournaments in the United Kingdom, Belgium and Netherlands. In keeping with the Dutch ‘Total Football’ Tradition the Attackers and Defenders swap positions after two scores by either team, making an All-Rounders game.

Ringball

African Sports include Ringball, a South African version of Basketball.

Cestoball

Cestoball is a version of Basketball Native to Argentina. The Liga Nacional A is the Top Men’s Division in the country.

Handball Ireland Men’s Leagues

Handball Ireland Women’s Leagues

Olympic Handball

Olympic Handball is a team sport played on the same court as a Futsal court.

It is like a cross between Basketball, Water Polo and Indoor Soccer, where the goal is to throw the ball into a goal at the other teams end of the court. It is played with the hands rather than feet and running with the ball is not allowed. The players must pass the ball into a semi-circle surrounding the opposing teams goal where they can shoot.

The Irish  Olympic Handball Association runs Senior Men’s and Ladies Leagues as well as Schools competitions.

European Handball Federation