Polish Volleyball Federation president Świderski backs FIVB calendar reform as European clubs rally behind Gino Sirci’s opposition

The debate over the future of the international volleyball calendar is becoming increasingly divisive, with Polish Volleyball Federation president Sebastian Świderski taking a markedly different position from Perugia president Gino Sirci.
While a growing number of European clubs warn that moving major national team competitions to the winter could seriously undermine their sporting and financial interests, Świderski believes the proposed reform could offer a more balanced structure for the entire season.

In an interview, the head of Polish volleyball confirmed his support for the project currently under discussion at the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB), which envisages staging major national team tournaments in December and January from 2029, rather than during the traditional summer period.
Świderski argues that the existing calendar is far from ideal, creating excessively long periods of separation between players and their clubs while leaving national teams with limited opportunities for official competition during much of the year. Under the current system, leading international players can spend five to six months away from their clubs, a situation he believes calls for a more rational distribution of the season.

One of his strongest arguments concerns the additional time that would become available for domestic and continental club competitions. According to his calculations, the proposed calendar could increase the club season from the current 29–30 weeks to approximately 35 weeks. This would allow competitions to be spread more evenly, reduce the pressure of midweek fixtures and potentially create a more sustainable rhythm for teams and players.
The Polish federation president also believes that some of the criticism directed at the proposal has come before a sufficiently detailed examination of its practical implications. Rather than dismissing the reform outright, he is calling for constructive discussions involving national federations, leagues and clubs, with the aim of finding a model that can accommodate the interests of all stakeholders.

That position stands in sharp contrast to the increasingly vocal opposition led by Gino Sirci. The Perugia president has launched the #NoClubsNoVolley initiative, arguing that suspending domestic championships during one of the busiest periods of the season would have serious consequences for professional clubs.
His concerns extend well beyond the sporting calendar. Sirci warns that a prolonged interruption of domestic competitions could damage attendance figures, weaken sponsorship relationships and reduce clubs’ commercial revenues. He also questions the impact such a disruption would have on training programmes, competitive continuity and the overall organisation of professional teams.
Sirci has called on Polish clubs to join the campaign, expressing surprise at the limited public response from the country’s volleyball establishment. The debate has also highlighted an interesting difference of perspective within Polish volleyball itself.
Kamil Semeniuk, the Polish international and Perugia outside hitter, was among those present at the Italian club’s press conference on October 29, where concerns about the proposed reform were publicly raised. Semeniuk supported the arguments against the new calendar, drawing attention to the additional physical and psychological demands that a revised competition schedule could place on players.
His position is therefore at odds with that of Świderski, the president of his national federation. However, the distinction between the responsibilities of national governing bodies and the interests of professional clubs is central to the debate. Semeniuk was expressing concerns from the perspective of a player competing at the highest club level, while Świderski is assessing the broader structure of the sport.
Two different perspectives do not necessarily imply a contradiction in principle.

Meanwhile, the opposition to the FIVB proposal is gaining momentum beyond Italy.
Bulgarian champions Levski Sofia and Neftochimic 2010 have officially joined Perugia’s initiative, while Modena has also expressed support, highlighting the potential injury risks associated with disrupting players’ preparation, competition and recovery cycles.
Piacenza has subsequently joined the campaign, adding to the support already voiced by leading Italian clubs including Milano, Verona and Trento. The growing number of clubs backing Sirci suggests that resistance is becoming increasingly organised, even as national federations and other governing bodies continue to assess the proposed changes.

There has also been a cautious response from the women’s game in Poland, with two presidents of leading TAURON Liga clubs declining to comment publicly on the issue.
Świderski, for his part, is not endorsing every aspect of the proposed reform. One point on which he disagrees concerns the timing of the FIVB Club World Championship. Rather than placing the tournament at the end of the club season, he believes it would make more sense to stage it at the beginning, when teams could incorporate it more naturally into their competitive planning.
He also acknowledges that any change to the international calendar would require significantly closer cooperation between clubs, leagues and national federations. Above all, he insists that players’ health must remain a priority throughout the process.

For now, the FIVB proposal remains under discussion, and no final consensus has emerged. What is already clear, however, is that the controversy goes far beyond a simple disagreement over tournament dates. At stake is the balance of power within international volleyball, the commercial sustainability of professional clubs and the increasingly complex relationship between club and national team commitments.
The challenge for the FIVB will be to find a calendar that works not only on paper, but also for the players, clubs and competitions that sustain the sport throughout the year.

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