Italian volleyball is preparing to speak with one voice.
In a move that could strengthen the influence of professional clubs in discussions about the sport’s future, the presidents of the men’s and women’s leagues, Claudio Durigon and Vito Cozzoli, have agreed to lay the foundations for closer cooperation on the issues affecting the entire domestic game.
Their meeting on October 26 marked the beginning of a joint strategy designed to protect club investments, make more effective use of resources and strengthen Italian volleyball’s position in discussions with national and international sporting institutions. The agenda extends from relations with the Italian Volleyball Federation (FIPAV) to dealings with the European Volleyball Confederation (CEV) and the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), with the international calendar emerging as one of the most pressing concerns.
The agreement comes at a particularly sensitive moment.
The FIVB is reviewing the international calendar for the 2029–2032 cycle, and the proposals under discussion could significantly change the traditional separation between the club season and the main national-team competitions. For Italian leagues, whose clubs invest heavily in players, coaching staffs, facilities and commercial development, the prospect of lengthy interruptions during the domestic season raises fundamental questions about the sustainability of professional volleyball.
At present, the international calendar review remains a consultation process rather than a final decision. The FIVB has been gathering feedback from continental confederations, professional leagues, clubs, national federations, coaches and athletes, with the stated aim of finding a better balance between domestic competitions, national-team tournaments and player recovery. Yet the possibility of moving major international events into the winter months has already prompted strong resistance from the Italian leagues.
Their concerns were made clear in a joint position announced in July, when the men’s and women’s organisations opposed the prospect of international competitions taking place in December, January and February. Such a change, they argued, could interrupt domestic championships at a crucial stage, complicate competition planning and increase the physical demands on players already facing congested schedules.
The financial implications are equally significant. Professional clubs build their seasons around long-term commitments to sponsors, broadcasters, supporters and commercial partners. A major international break in the middle of the campaign could disrupt the rhythm of the competition, affect attendance and commercial activity, and create additional logistical challenges. Clubs would also have to manage the return of players from national-team duty, potentially with limited time to prepare for the resumption of domestic matches.
For the leagues, the issue is not simply whether international volleyball should have more space in the calendar. It is how that space is allocated, who bears the cost of the changes and whether the interests of clubs are being given sufficient weight in the decision-making process.
The proposed calendar has become a particularly sensitive subject because of the possibility of a different distribution of national-team competitions from 2028 onwards. Options discussed during the consultation have included international windows in November and December for men and in January and February for women, rather than keeping the main national-team commitments concentrated in the summer. These remain proposals under discussion, not an approved schedule, but they illustrate the scale of the potential change.
The FIVB has presented the review as an opportunity to create a more balanced structure for the sport, allowing different competitions to develop while taking account of player welfare and recovery. The Italian leagues, however, want assurances that a calendar designed to benefit the international game will not undermine the domestic competitions that sustain professional volleyball throughout the year.
Durigon has already warned about the possible consequences of dividing the club season into separate periods. In comments published shortly before the meeting with Cozzoli, the president of the men’s league argued that such a disruption could have serious financial repercussions and potentially cause investors to reconsider their involvement in volleyball. His position reflects a wider concern among clubs that long-term investment depends on a stable and commercially viable competition structure.
The decision to coordinate their response gives the Italian leagues a stronger platform from which to make that case. Rather than approaching the international federations separately, the men’s and women’s organisations intend to develop shared positions on issues that affect both sectors. Italy’s domestic competitions are among the most prominent in the world, and a united voice could carry greater weight in discussions over the future structure of the sport.
The new partnership is not limited to the calendar. Durigon and Cozzoli also want to explore shared commercial initiatives, potential joint events, sponsorship opportunities and ways to improve the television product. A more coordinated approach could help the leagues attract new partners, strengthen the visibility of their competitions and make better use of the commercial appeal of Italian volleyball.
One possibility already raised by Cozzoli is the organisation of major events involving both men’s and women’s clubs. An international competition bringing together teams from the two sectors has been discussed as an idea, but no tournament has been formally agreed. For now, the emphasis is on exploring opportunities and identifying projects that could benefit the wider volleyball community without compromising the distinct identities of the two leagues.
Economic sustainability remains central to the discussions. Alongside the international calendar, the organisations want to address the financial conditions in which clubs operate, including taxation, insurance costs, the modernisation of sports facilities and relations with public institutions. These questions are particularly important in a professional environment where clubs must balance the rising cost of building competitive squads with the need to maintain stable revenues.
The timing of the initiative is also significant because both leagues have recently changed leadership. Durigon became president of the men’s Serie A league in July, succeeding Massimo Righi, while Cozzoli was elected president of the women’s league in September, replacing Mauro Fabris after his two decades in the role. Their decision to begin a coordinated effort signals an intention to strengthen institutional cooperation at a moment when major decisions about volleyball’s future are being considered.
Despite the new alliance, the two organisations will remain independent. The objective is not to merge the men’s and women’s leagues, but to cooperate where their interests overlap and present a more consistent position on shared challenges. That distinction matters: each competition has its own structure, commercial requirements and sporting priorities, but both depend on a calendar that allows clubs to operate sustainably while releasing players for international duty.
The real test will come in the months ahead. No detailed timetable for the partnership, financial commitments or formal mechanism for joint decision-making has yet been announced. Nor has the FIVB finalised the international calendar for 2029–2032. The Italian leagues have established their intention to work together, but their ability to influence the outcome remains to be seen.
What is already clear is that the debate has moved beyond scheduling alone. At stake is the relationship between national teams and professional clubs, the distribution of revenues and responsibilities across the sport, and the long-term viability of the competitions that provide the foundation for elite volleyball.
By joining forces, Italy’s men’s and women’s leagues are seeking to ensure that those who invest in the domestic game have a meaningful role in shaping its future. Whether that united front will change the international calendar is still an open question. But the message from Italian volleyball is unmistakable: decisions affecting the entire sport must take account of the clubs that sustain it season after season.
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