The men’s volleyball Bundesliga starts its new season. The big favorites for the championship are the BR Volleys from Berlin, the double winners from last season.
The men’s Volleyball Bundesliga starts its new season with two games on Friday (October 27th, 2023). SVG Lüneburg welcomes the Netzhoppers KW-Bestensee team from Brandenburg. The BR Volleys host the Helios Grizzlys Giesen in their first game.
Who is the favorite to win the championship?
The defending champion BR Volleys is also going into this season as the first contender for the championship. The team from Charlottenburg has won seven championships in the past eight years. The BR Volleys were able to keep nine players and thus the basic structure of the old squad. They continue to have by far the strongest team in the Bundesliga.
The Berliners signed the 2.13 meter tall national player Tobias Krick from the Italian first division club Modena. The Volleys brought in the 2.04 meter tall Estonian Timo Tammemaa as another middle blocker. No other opponent from the Bundesliga can come close to these top-class players.
How did the League Cup go?
The official season opener is the Bounce House Cup, which was played last weekend among all teams in the league. The reigning champions BR Volleys were already in good form and won the League Cup for the fifth time in a row. In the final there was a 3-0 win for the Berliners against VfB Friedrichshafen.
Who is new in the Bundesliga?
With ASV Dachau, Baden Volleys SSC Karlsruhe, FT 1844 Freiburg and VC Bitterfeld-Wolfen, four teams have been promoted to Germany’s top division. The number of newcomers emerged from the license reports. Since there was only one entry from the north (Bitterfeld-Wolfen), three clubs from the south were taken into account for the four free places.
“It is now the task of the Volleyball Bundesliga to ensure that the four promoted teams develop in the best possible way so that they can stay in the league in the long term.”says league managing director Daniel Sattler. For years there was no functioning promotion or relegation in the Volleyball Bundesliga. That’s why the licensing requirements were reduced in many areas and a non-relegation rule was agreed for two seasons so that the new clubs can establish themselves step by step.
What is the mode like in the Bundesliga?
Thanks to the four newcomers, there is a change in the game mode compared to the previous two years: the intermediate round is no longer required. In the main round, each team plays against each other in a home and away game. The eight best teams will then start the playoffs from mid-March 2024. The German champion will be determined by April 28, 2024 at the latest, and will be determined in the final in a maximum of five games (best-of-5).
This year, for the first time, the playoffs will be played under a permanent tree. So far, the fixtures for each playoff round have been scheduled based on the main round placement. In the future, the scheduling will follow a fixed pattern of the winners of the quarter-finals.
What effects does the Olympic qualification have? National team to the Bundesliga?
The league plans to use the momentum from the surprise Olympic qualification in Rio, which involved four Bundesliga players Ruben Schott, Johannes Tille, Tobias Krick and Erik Röhrs, to attract more attention. “Together with our clubs, we aim to increase the visibility of this qualification up to the Olympic Games in Paris. Basically, we expect more attention and support, which can mean a positive development for volleyball in Germany.”explains managing director Sattler.
The BR Volleys are already feeling the upswing. Spectator interest in the games of the 13-time German champion is enormous. 25 percent more season tickets have already been sold than last season.