2022 Women's Volleyball Nations League

    Quote from Meatballs

    I wonder if the list of core teams are planned to be updated every 5 years or so? Otherwise it really does not make sense (it does not make sense with every 5 years either).


    Problem is, some teams are consistently good and are in top 5 while some others have big ups and downs and their success is temporary, usually depending on a generation. When a key player gets injured, the team goes some levels down. With that, I agree what Britt wrote.


    Also if there were no core teams, today's core teams would take VNL way more serious, knowing that they might relegate if they really fail bad.

    Ines Vidič one of FIVB's events staff I'm not mistaken, reposted a story regarding Herbot's Instagram post while their crew was still in Bulgaria but I couldn't get IG's autotranslate to work at that time so I don't know what was said. FIVB has to do something about that.

    Here's a take on the Belgium issue of an Italian coach:

    BELGIUM & SOKOR (Post 1420)

    I am receiving a lot of messages from South East Asia concerning the relegation of Belgium to the Challenger Group that will fight to get in the 2023 VNL.

    "Coach, why Belgium and not South Korea with 0 wins? What's with this Core Team thing?"

    So, let's clear it up for all. VNL is not the NBA, with Franchises that buy the right to be there even if they lose all the games.

    VNL is a traditional League with a Winner and a relegation, and a Group B called Challenger Cup with "smaller" Teams that have a chance to be promoted to the top League.

    Which makes VNL more interesting than the NBA, in that sense.

    As a matter of fact, some time ago, I was mentioning a UAAP Manager how interesting it would be if UAAP and NCAA were part of a same System with the best of NCAA being promoted to UAAP and the last of UAAP being relegated to NCAA.
    It would force some Schools to invest more money on Volleyball.

    So, no issues with the format. It's there since day 1 and it works.

    What does not work in the eyes of many Fans, and Belgian Spiker Herbots, who brought all her frustration on Instagram, is the fact that a Country that only wins 3 sets in 14 games is not relegated and a Team with 4 wins does.

    That part is also very clear: some Teams are "Core", eternal part of a System, and others are "Challenger", subject to Relegation and Promotion.

    The Core Teams at Women's level are USA, Brazil, Japan, China, South Korea, Thailand, Italy, Türkiye, Russia (now suspended for Political issues), Germany, Netherlands, Serbia.

    The Challenger Teams in 2022 were Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Dominican Republic, Poland.

    The VNL Teams have been divided into Core and Challenger with a criteria, one that considered points at the moment of the creation of the VNL, and one geographical that keeps an eye to the financial aspects.

    The points are what they are. If we look at the Rankings today, we might ask ourselves why some Countries are Core and not in the first 16 ... again South Korea.

    Is FIVB favoring South Korea?
    No! FIVB is favoring the Geographical Balance amongst the Continents first.

    USA, Canada and Dominican Republic are NORCECA, the Confederation of the North and Central America Volleyball.
    1 at least has to be present all the time and the USA are of course the best Team, historically, in that Confederation.
    You can be sure that if Cuba still had a solid program, they would be Core.

    Same thing happens in the South of the Continent, with Brazil Core and Argentina and Colombia Challenger. Today, Argentina is relegated (Canada took its place) and fighting to come back in Top Division (VNL). Colombia qualified too for the upcoming Finals.
    Theoretically, we could have a 2023 VNL with 5 American Teams.
    Right now, there are 4.

    4 is also the number of Countries, all Core, from Asia. This is where Geography meets Finance.

    While Europe is the most developed Volleyball Continent, and carries to VNL 5 Core Teams, Asia is the financially richest one. And Money must be protected in order for that System to work at best.

    You might have noticed that biggest FIVB tournaments are (were, before Covid) organized by Japan and China.

    You might have noticed that some Countries, even with poor Volleyball Present, like The Philippines, Hong Kong and Singapore (Indonesia coming soon!), are assigned Weeks of Competition.

    There is a market that brings money and cannot be excluded. There are alternative markets, like The Philippines proved to be, that deserve to be included.

    South Korea, specifically, in this Geo-Financial panorama is "Core". Just consider the amount of great Sponsors, from Samsung to Daewoo, that can help Volleyball.

    And think about it.
    Would so many Asian Fans watch VNL is no Asian Country was represented?
    We need a Core, it does not matter if they win or lose.

    The size of the Continent, where 2 third of the World Population lives, deserves more Teams than America, with only 2 Core.
    And the richness of the Sponsors must be taken care of too.

    So, Sokor stays and Belgium goes down.

    After all, Belgium knew the rule, had issues that did not want to solve (the bully past of the Coach), watched Player after Player refuse the National Team, and went to VNL with only a couple of valuable Players. Choices!

    But you can't blame a System that has been conceived 5 years ago and worked "logically" until Kim Yeon-koung retired and the Lee Twins were suspended.
    That's why Sokor is today not able to win a game ... still ...

    Asia is protected as a Volleyball and Financial Market more than others. And it makes sense.

    Though appreciating the intellectual honesty of the Asian Fans taking the side of a European Country vs. an Asian Country, and strictly talk about Merit ... I must remind them and ask: since when Sport is only about Sport?

    Quote from Meatballs

    I wonder if the list of core teams are planned to be updated every 5 years or so? Otherwise it really does not make sense (it does not make sense with every 5 years either).


    Problem is, some teams are consistently good and are in top 5 while some others have big ups and downs and their success is temporary, usually depending on a generation. When a key player gets injured, the team goes some levels down. With that, I agree what Britt wrote.


    Also if there were no core teams, today's core teams would take VNL way more serious, knowing that they might relegate if they really fail bad.

    That makes too much sense for fivb.

    Quote from Irina

    While Europe is the most developed Volleyball Continent, and carries to VNL 5 Core Teams, Asia is the financially richest one. And Money must be protected in order for that System to work at best.

    I think he misused "Asia is the financially richest one." It must be there are more people to squeeze money from in Asia than in Europe. I mean 2/3 of the world population is in Asia.

    Quote from Zack Fair

    I think he misused "Asia is the financially richest one." It must be there are more people to squeeze money from in Asia than in Europe. I mean 2/3 of the world population is in Asia.

    That's exactly what he's saying. Some even say that the Korean league pay their athletes so much that they don't have the motivation to move abroad. so obviously money is there. Brazil also mentioned that they wanted to also host the World Cup (that Japan hosts every 4 years) but they simply don't have the financial capability than Japan.

    Quote from Irina

    Korean league pay their athletes so much that they don't have the motivation to move abroad.

    Tbh, I couldn't think of anyone who can play abroad except KYK. Plus I don't believe that the Korean League pay their athletes well coz when KYK went back there, she had to cut her salary so that her team still has enough money to pay her teammates.

    Quote from Zack Fair

    Tbh, I couldn't think of anyone who can play abroad except KYK. Plus I don't believe that the Korean League pay their athletes well coz when KYK went back there, she had to cut her salary so that her team still has enough money to pay her teammates.

    to be fair, i think they're referring to the well known NT members. someone here mentioned that they pay some of them as high as equivalent to 600k euros which is the same as top players get in EU clubs as well.

    Quote from Zack Fair

    Tbh, I couldn't think of anyone who can play abroad except KYK. Plus I don't believe that the Korean League pay their athletes well coz when KYK went back there, she had to cut her salary so that her team still has enough money to pay her teammates.

    July 3 2022


    http://www.mydaily.co.kr/new_y…r&utm_medium=related_news


    KOVO said on June 30 that "After the women's team unveiled player salaries from the 2020-2021 season, the men's team has also decided to disclose the salaries and options of all players from this season."

    However, many problems were exposed in the women's team when comparing salaries. KOVO has completed the registration of players except for some players who participated in the 2022 Volleyball Nations League (VNL).

    As a result, Heungkuk Life Insurance's Kim Yeon-Kyung was named the women's top conservative player with an annual salary of 450 million won and an option of 250 million won.

    However, Lee Soyoung of KGC Ginseng Corporation succeeded Kim Yeon-Kyung. She received a total of 650 million won in annual salary of 450 million won and 200 million won in options.

    well well well. who needs the UE clubs when you get paid like that

    Quote from Zack Fair

    Tbh, I couldn't think of anyone who can play abroad except KYK. Plus I don't believe that the Korean League pay their athletes well coz when KYK went back there, she had to cut her salary so that her team still has enough money to pay her teammates.

    She cut her own salary because there's a salary cap. Lee Soyoung earns about as much as Zhu and Egnou did in Italy. Who would ever want to leave, and now I can understand it when the players go to the national team just "to not get injured"

    Quote from fire_cai_bin

    She cut her own salary because there's a salary cap. Lee Soyoung earns about as much as Zhu and Egnou did in Italy. Who would ever want to leave, and now I can understand it when the players go to the national team just "to not get injured"

    wtf? That's whole lotta money. I even thought Japan pays more because they have stellar imports compared to SoKor.

    Quote from Zack Fair

    wtf? That's whole lotta money. I even thought Japan pays more because they have stellar imports compared to SoKor.

    same here. maybe the bench players even get paid better than the "star" players in the Japan league:whistle:

    Where is core Africa then!