Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie leading the way for the future of Sitting Volleyball
Feature
Polish champions, CEV Champions League silver medallists and pioneers of inclusion - Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie continue to prove that Volleyball is a sport for everyone.
As some of Europe's best Sitting Volleyball national teams gathered in Zawiercie, Poland, for the 2026 ParaVolley Europe Golden Nations League Men, the tournament showcased not only elite Sitting Volleyball but also a model of how professional Volleyball clubs can embrace and develop the discipline.
At the centre of that vision is Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie President Kryspin Baran, whose club has become a leading example of how Sitting Volleyball can thrive within a professional Volleyball organisation.
What began as a local Volleyball project fifteen years ago has grown into one of Poland's most successful clubs. Today, Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie are the reigning Polish champions and recently celebrated a silver medal in the 2026 CEV Champions League Volley Men. Alongside their sporting success, the club has built a reputation for innovation and community engagement.
One of the most significant steps on that journey was the decision to incorporate Sitting Volleyball into the club's structure.
Discovering the potential of Sitting Volleyball
Baran credits his introduction to the discipline to Adam Malik, one of the driving forces behind the development of Sitting Volleyball in Poland.
"I met Adam Malik, who is full of passion for Sitting Volleyball," Baran explained. "He showed me how this discipline works and how important it is for players who, because of health reasons, are unable to continue playing regular Volleyball."
What impressed Baran most was how closely Sitting Volleyball mirrors the traditional game.
Kryspin Baran"I understood it is completely the same discipline, with the same passion and the same professionalism. The only difference is that because of physical limitations, players are sitting rather than jumping."
President of Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie
That realisation led to a partnership that continues to grow today. Aluron remains the only club competing in Poland's PlusLiga to have fully integrated a Sitting Volleyball programme within its structure.
"We are really proud of our Sitting Volleyball team," Baran said.
One Volleyball family
For Baran, the relationship between Volleyball and Sitting Volleyball should not be viewed as separate worlds.
The club actively promotes both disciplines through the same communication channels, introducing Sitting Volleyball to thousands of supporters who follow Aluron's professional team across Poland and Europe.
"In our first team, we have players who are well known not only in Europe but worldwide," Baran explained. "Showing Sitting Volleyball alongside our professional Volleyball activities helps promote this beautiful discipline. We want to continue in this way."
The connection is not only promotional but also practical.
Baran highlighted examples of former volleyball players who, after suffering injuries that prevented them from continuing their careers in the standing game, found a new opportunity through Sitting Volleyball.
"In our club, we have players who were playing Volleyball, but because of injuries it became impossible to continue. Now they are among the best Sitting Volleyball players in Poland."
For him, this pathway demonstrates exactly why the two disciplines belong together.
Kryspin Baran"This synergy is needed. I want to push this way of thinking. It gives people one more chance to continue playing Volleyball."
President of Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie
A sport open to more people
Baran believes Sitting Volleyball offers opportunities to people who may otherwise never experience the competitive side of Volleyball.
"In Volleyball, all of the action happens high above the net," he said. "For some people with disabilities, it is impossible to play. It can also be difficult for people who are not physically suited to the traditional game."
Sitting Volleyball changes that equation.
"The important thing is not your height. It is how fast you are and how good your technical skills are. Sitting Volleyball is much more technical."
Baran learned that lesson first-hand when Aluron organised a friendly event involving young Volleyball players from the club's development programme.
"They were around two metres tall and they thought it would be easy," he recalled with a smile. "At first they were sure they would win easily. But they lost the first set."
Only then did they realise the demands of the sport.
"After that they started paying attention and understanding how difficult it actually is."
A model for the future
Looking ahead, Baran sees enormous potential for Sitting Volleyball if professional clubs begin treating it as a natural part of their sporting structures.
Kryspin Baran"The most logical thing is to treat it as the same sport."
President of Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie
Rather than building separate systems, he believes clubs already possess most of the resources required to support Sitting Volleyball programmes.
"We already have the infrastructure. We have the sports hall, transportation, equipment, medical staff and organisation. Everything is the same. Only some of the rules of the game are different."
Baran sees participation in sport as an opportunity that should be expanded rather than restricted.
"We should not stop people or block them from being active in our beautiful discipline."
His vision is clear.
"Sitting Volleyball clubs should not be separated. They should be part of professional Volleyball organisations."
Building a legacy in Zawiercie
The successful organisation of the 2026 ParaVolley Europe Golden Nations League Men represented another milestone in Aluron's growing involvement with the sport.
After hosting the Polish Sitting Volleyball Championships in November 2025, the club took the next step by welcoming one of Europe's premier international competitions.
"Thank you to ParaVolley Europe for the opportunity," Baran said. "It was the first international Sitting Volleyball tournament ever organised in Zawiercie."
For a club with no previous experience of hosting international Sitting Volleyball events, the tournament represented a significant challenge.
"We are proud that ParaVolley Europe trusted us. I am happy to see such strong teams and such a high quality of games in our sports hall."
And this is only the beginning.
"We always try to make the next step," Baran concluded. "If ParaVolley Europe proposes another tournament in the future, we would like to continue, become even more professional and keep developing Sitting Volleyball together."
As the Golden Nations League Men concluded in Zawiercie with European powerhouse Bosnia and Herzegovina claiming yet another title, one message stood out above all others: the future of Sitting Volleyball may well depend on more clubs following the path that Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie have already chosen.
A future where Volleyball is not divided by ability, but rather united by passion.