Calgary, Vancouver and Edmonton to host WL in Canada

OTTAWA, Canada, March 12, 2014 - Volleyball Canada is pleased to confirm the Canadian host cities and venues for the intercontinental round of the 2014 FIVB Volleyball World League.

Calgary will host weekend one as Canada faces Finland - Saturday, May 31 and Sunday June 01 - at the Stampede Corral; followed by Vancouver at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre (UBC) - Friday June 13 and Saturday June 14 – against Belgium. Rexall Place in Edmonton will host the final weekend in Canada on Friday, June 20, and Saturday, June 21, when Canada meets Australia.

“World League is definitely a highlight on our men’s team calendar,” said Canada’s men’s national team head coach, Glenn Hoag. “Last year’s games in Quebec City and Mississauga gave us the opportunity to play in front of enthusiastic home crowds, and we’re looking forward to bringing that excitement to Western Canada this summer.”

This year, Canada will be the top-ranked team (11th) in Pool C. Belgium is currently 37th in the world; Finland is 30th and Australia is 14th.

The FIVB Volleyball World League is synonymous with fantastic matches and top-class sport and entertainment. This year, World League is expanding from 18 countries to 28 for the first time.

In 2013, the Canadian team won its pool, advancing to the playoffs and winning an exciting battle against the top-ranked Russian team, ultimately finishing fifth overall. The team’s performance resulted in a seven-place gain for Canada in the World Rankings – from 18th to 11th. Russia went on to win World League after beating Brazil 3-0 in the final match.