EEVZA qualifier in Poland to determine first team set to compete at #EuroVolleyU16W 2025

The Polish city of Dębica is currently playing host to the Eastern European Volleyball Zonal Association (EEVZA) Championship for U16 girls. The tournament participants will include talented youth from Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, and hosts Poland – with the competition running from Wednesday to Saturday, November 23. The eventual winners will secure their participation in next year’s #EuroVolleyU16W in Albania and Kosovo, thereby becoming the first team to join those of the host countries. 

The competition takes place at the House of Sport – a multifunctional sports and entertainment hall within the Municipal Sports and Recreation Centre (MOSiR). 

The city of Dębica has been cooperating with the Polish Volleyball Federation for many years, organising numerous youth national championships. This time it hosts seven teams of girls from across Eastern Europe, born in 2010 and younger. The organisers are counting on having a full house of fans – the hall can accommodate up to 800 spectators. This is not the first international competition for the city authorities and MOSiR managers. For years, the residents of Dębica have had the opportunity to admire international competitions in various sports, such as sumo, karate, swimming, or table tennis.

“I am extremely proud that Dębica is hosting the Eastern European U16 Championship in women’s Volleyball. This is undoubtedly a unique event that not only promotes sport among young people, but also our community on the international stage. Organising such prestigious games shows that Dębica has the experience and infrastructure needed to deliver sports events at the highest level. I am glad that we can host teams from different countries, and at the same time inspire young people to develop their sports passions. I believe that this championship will not only be a celebration of sport, but also an opportunity to promote Dębica as a city open to cooperation and innovative initiatives. I invite our residents to cheer together and create an unforgettable atmosphere for all participants to remember,” said the mayor of Dębica, Mateusz Kutrzeba.

The home team, who will play their first match on the second day of the tournament, seem very excited to compete for a spot in next year’s continental championship.

Tournaments have been held under the EEVZA (Eastern European Volleyball Zonal Association) banner continuously since 2005 in the autumn and winter. They are intended to serve the development of, among others, the youngest age groups in Volleyball and to promote the discipline itself in the associated countries. For years Poland has been organising similar events for youth teams of both girls and boys.
 
“We are happy as a federation to have acquired the rights to organise a very important event for youth Volleyball. In addition to being the Eastern European championship in this age group, the tournament is the first stage of the qualifiers for the European championship in 2025. We are of course counting on our youngest female team to advance to next year’s championship by taking a win here. Additionally, it is important for us that we are returning to Dębica. We are returning to a city that is our time-proven partner, very supportive towards Volleyball. We have been to Dębica many times with Polish youth championships for various age categories,” said Jacek Sęk, Vice-President of the Polish Volleyball Federation and EEVZA Vice-President. 

All matches of the EEVZA U16 Women’s Championship 2024 in Dębica are streamed live on the official YouTube channel of the Polish Volleyball Federation @PolskaSiatkowkaOfficial.

Click here for a detailed match schedule, results and more.