Yerevan Mayor's Cup 2025 sets tone for eagerly anticipated and historic #EuroVollezU16M Final Round

An international volleyball tournament known as the Yerevan Mayor’s Cup 2025 was held this past week in Yerevan, Armenia, with the event organised by the Yerevan Municipality and the Volleyball Federation of Armenia (VFA). It was a major and all-important test for the local Volleyball family since later this summer the #EuroVolleyU16M Final Round will be held in Yerevan as well. Nico Hoeben, who will serve as the Jury President for the continental championship, was present and seized the opportunity to run a second inspection visit to assess on the ground how the preparations for the #EuroVolleyU16M Final Round have been progressing. 

Mr Hoeben did meet with members of the Organising Committee to discuss a number of items to ensure a smooth and successful delivery of the event. 

The Yerevan Mayor’s Cup 2025 featured the national teams of Georgia, Uzbekistan, and Armenia, who competed against each other during three competition days. The agenda also included a seminar for e-scorers under the guidance of Mariya Numovich, delivered with the support of the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment programme. Theoretical classes were followed by practical sessions during the tournament, where the attendees tested their knowledge in a real competition environment. 

The Yerevan team was recognised as the winner of the tournament, as they defeated all of their opponents with much poise. The second place was taken by Team Uzbekistan, which also attached great importance to participating in this tournament, since the FIVB Volleyball Boys’ U19 World Championship will be held in their country this coming July. Team Georgia finished in third place and they left a very good impression on all observers as well. 

In short, the tournament turned out to be highly competitive, and the Mayor of Yerevan, Mr Tigran Avinyan, who was present at the award ceremony and attended the final match, noted in his speech that the tournament was successful and next year it will be organised on a larger scale and with the help of the VFA it should be possible to run it as an official competition placed under the auspices of the Eastern European Volleyball Zonal Association (EEVZA).

The teams were presented with certificates and medals by the Mayor of Yerevan, and the Yerevan team was awarded the cup for the winners. They also received financial support according to the final ranking, with € 7,000 going to the gold medallists, while the second and third-placed sides travelled home with a purse of € 4,500 Euros and € 2,300, respectively.