CEV Champions League 2018

  • The same 10.000 Euro per home match are required for laola1.tv live streaming in CL group phase already for many years. Than add up the costs for referees' traveling and hosting, and don't forget the special CL carpet to play on (30 to 50 thousand Euro per season).


    Sorry, I forgot the entrance fee for CL participation, around 20.000 Euro, if I remember right (WoV reported it some months ago). And I'm not sure, if I have all costs listed... generally speaking, the teams expect 100.000 to 200.000 Euro additional costs when participating in CL compared to CEV cup. No mercy.

  • I found the page, where all the other fees are explained:


    https://www.worldofvolley.com/…the-champions-league.html


    Should be possible to be found elsewhere in this forum, I guess. And this is more than I listed...


    But finally, Schwerin COULD finance it, if they really want. As Dresden did in the past 6 years, it was not always easy for them, by the way.

  • ...Schwerin COULD finance it, if they really want. As Dresden did in the past 6 years, it was not always easy for them, by the way.


    Exactly my point. Not easy, but something that could be done, financially, and should be done from a long-range volleyball development point of view.


    Or become third tier league in Europe.

  • Eczacibasi will compete in CEV Cup next year so Schwerin won't be able to win that cup neither. Challenge cup is a joke, there is no point to compete there. I wish CEV would fuse CEV and Challenge cup and make one decent european cup instead.

  • Eczacibasi will compete in CEV Cup next year so Schwerin won't be able to win that cup neither. Challenge cup is a joke, there is no point to compete there. I wish CEV would fuse CEV and Challenge cup and make one decent european cup instead.


    Yes, there were already plans to fuse CEV cup and Challenge cup, but than to my surprise first mode of CL was changed. I hope too, they will fuse the both competitions as planned a few years ago in not too far future.

  • Some general considerations: I think the current mode is neither the best nor fulfilling its purpose. The CEV should decide, what they really want: either they should choose exactly same mode as for the men's competition with 5 groups of 4 teams and Playoff-12 or even reduce further to three groups of 4 with assigning fixed berths in group phase of just 8: three for Turkey, each two for Russia and Italy and one for Poland, sticking to Playoff-6 and the qualification process like now. Than still each one team of the four strongest leagues could qualify to get the four remaining berths in group phase like now, but unwelcome leagues like German, French, Romanian and now even Switzerland (with a now weaker Volero) would be excluded, to avoid make them any ill hopes which they can't realize ever. Because when Schwerin grasped one thing right, despite being criticised with good reason by Dresden for not taking part in group phase of CL, it is, that they are no more welcome in this competition because of not being sufficiently competetive.

  • Again confirmed: DOL for CL and also (in the afternoon) afterwards CEV and Challenge cup is terminated for this Wednesday 14. June 2017 (DOL CL starts at 11:00 CET or 12:00 CEST respective 10:00 UT), but no teams are listed as participants so far on their website (?).

  • Looks like groups will be drawn after finishing of the qualification rounds indeed... they answered on my tweet, they will release all participants of all three competitions tomorrow late morning, just 24 hours before the (first) draw of all three competitions, complete only for CEV cup and Challenge cup though.

  • I see there won't be any team from Azerbaijan and Germany in Champions league.
    CSM Alba Volei Blaj (ROU), Agel Prostejov (CZE) and Vizura Belgrad (SRB) got their spots.


    Only 14 teams will play in the qualification rounds. They will fight for 4 spots.
    Those teams are:
    Vakifbank Istanbul (TUR)
    Yenisey Krasnoyarsk (RUS)
    Developres SkyRes Rzeszów (POL)
    Imoco Volley Conegliano (ITA)
    Rocheville Le Cannet (FRA)
    Asterix Beveren (BEL)
    LP Salo (FIN)
    Nova Branik Maribor (SLO)
    Hapoel Kfar Saba (ISR)
    Sliedrecht Sport (NED)
    Linamar Beckescsaba (HUN)
    Minchanka Minsk (BLR)
    ZOK Jedinstvo Brcko (BIH)
    Martiza Plovdiv (BUL)

  • The level of CL could be increased if more Italian and Turkish teams were added.
    Vakifbank and Conegliano won't have any trouble on getting their spot.


  • A few additional remarks: we already discussed reasons of Schwerin, Stuttgart and Dresden not to participate in CL respective qualification rounds. The clubs of Baku seem to be near banktruptcy, they can't afford competitive rosters or the costs of participation anymore (remember, oil prize is still rather low) and so far Azerrail BAKU is the only team listed at all as participant just in the much cheaper and easier CEV challenge cup.


    The top four teams are supposed to qualify: VakifBank ISTANBUL needs no explanation IMHO, and also Yenisei KRASNOYARSK has strengthened its roster a lot for this season (not only via hiring Natalia Malykh from Krasnodar) after becoming sensationally already third in Russian championship, with this number of qualification participants 14 < 16 they will get directly to the third and decisive qualification round I think (we will see tomorrow), only two have to be played, because there are less teams attending as last time, when a small first round with four teams was also executed. Of course Imoco CONEGLIANO and DevelopRes Rzeszow are also clear qualification favorites, despite they have to play also in round 2.


    But there are still three teams so feeble, that I guess their participation as absolutely insane and a waste of money: Sliedrecht from Netherlands, KFAR SABA from Israel and Jedinstvo Brcko from Bosnia-Herzegowina are by far to weak to be serious contenders.


    It is interesting, that Asterix AVO BEVEREN-Kieldrecht is for the first time participating, despite they were eliglibe now the third time already (at least) to. I think Gerd van de Broek and the others from there know, that they have no chance to qualify, due to their long-term European cups experience, but can afford it financially at least obviously and probably for training purposes (Belgium national roster basic team).

  • The level of CL could be increased if more Italian and Turkish teams were added.
    Vakifbank and Conegliano won't have any trouble on getting their spot.


    Yes to both: I made already a proposal in this thread, including reduction to three instead four groups and omit all the leagues and teams to feeble to mess with the CL top teams seriously. Let us see, if CEV changes something for 2019 season...

  • For the people here, who think, Italian teams can get whatever they want: Liu-Jo Nordmeccanica Modena had no success with pleading for a CL (qualification) berth, because they didn't want to participate even in CEV Cup, they are now not playing European cups at all this season.

  • The competition is a mess now. In just the last few years the Polish league has weakened a lot and the Azerbaijani league is a total mess. Add to that the fall of teams like Cannes and Volero and the weakening of the Russian teams not named Dinamo Moscow and basically all we are left with is Turkey, Italy and a couple of other small contenders. I'm worried that there will be no point even watching before the Playoff 6 round.


    I'm glad Modena didn't get in. Italy were allocated 2 places and it doesn't make sense to change that just because Modena want to be in the CL

    Yes to both: I made already a proposal in this thread, including reduction to three instead four groups and omit all the leagues and teams to feeble to mess with the CL top teams seriously. Let us see, if CEV changes something for 2019 season...

    The competition certainly needs a shakeup but I don't think CEV will let it become just a Turkish/Italian/Russian competition which would happen if you banned all the teams that can't beat the top teams. I guess Chemik are the only team from another country that would have any small chance against the major teams.

  • The competition is a mess now. In just the last few years the Polish league has weakened a lot and the Azerbaijani league is a total mess. Add to that the fall of teams like Cannes and Volero and the weakening of the Russian teams not named Dinamo Moscow and basically all we are left with is Turkey, Italy and a couple of other small contenders. I'm worried that there will be no point even watching before the Playoff 6 round.


    I'm glad Modena didn't get in. Italy were allocated 2 places and it doesn't make sense to change that just because Modena want to be in the CL

    The competition certainly needs a shakeup but I don't think CEV will let it become just a Turkish/Italian/Russian competition which would happen if you banned all the teams that can't beat the top teams. I guess Chemik are the only team from another country that would have any small chance against the major teams.


    That's why I want to keep a spot for Poland in CL group phase: it's currently for Chemik POLICE of course. But don't underestimate Kazan and let us see, what the much strengthened team of Krasnoyarsk can do - generally you are right, some 5 years ago the competition was much broader regarding strength of the top.

  • Some remarks to the DOL today for second and third round of CL (qualification) before pool phase: only six second round pairings are played as expected, the most interesting of them should be Minchanka MINSK (BLR) vs. Rocheville LE CANNET (FRA) and Maritza PLOVDIV (BUL) vs. LP Viesti SALO (FIN). The other four seem to have clear-cut favorites (Asterix, Maribor, Rzeszow and Conegliano).


    The third and decisive round sees the top three in comfortable favorite roles (VakifBank, Krasnoyarsk, Conegliano), while newbies of DevelopRes SkyRes RZESZOW are also favorites, but may face considerable resistance by experienced European cups team Nova KBM Branik MARIBOR, the reigning Slowenian champions and cup winners.