In the anniversary season, eight times as many participants will compete for the School Volleyball Cup as in the first season. The competition will be held for the 20th time this year, and finalists will be announced by March 31. This year’s cup is sponsored once again by top!, Latvia’s largest local store chain.
Since the first competition in 2001, comprehensive school teams will compete for the school cup for the 20th time, and the event has grown to become Latvia’s largest youth volleyball competition. If 660 people from 66 teams competed for the cup in 2001, over 4,100 young people from 199 schools in 502 teams competed last year, and approximately 5,300 people from 620 teams will participate in the anniversary tournament. Unlike sports school competitions, young volleyball players compete in this tournament alongside children from their class and school, i.e. their school friends with whom they spend the majority of their time. Professional athletes and children who simply enjoy volleyball compete on the same team, making the outcome of games unpredictable.
Throughout the years, the majority of the participants on the Latvian national teams have gained experience by competing in the school cup competitions. Special attention should be given to the games and creative events at the upcoming final stage, taking place on 21 April this year at Skonto Hall, located at 1a Emiļa Melngaiļa Street in Riga. Only a maximum of 32 teams will compete for the top! cup in each age group.
The top! cup qualifying tournament will be held in 27 locations: 34 municipalities and 6 state cities, covering almost all of Latvia, will take part in it. This stage is held in the form of round-robin tournaments, during which the municipality’s best teams are determined and the winners advance to the final round, which will take place on 21 April in Riga.
The goal is to identify the best teams and promote volleyball development, as well as to popularise a healthy and socially active lifestyle among young people, which will increase their interest in the sport. Therefore, the top! cup is organised as a volleyball festival for students from comprehensive schools. The Latvian Volleyball Federation organises the cup competition in collaboration with the store chain top! and local governments.
“We are truly honoured to continue our support for the youth volleyball competition this year, with the top! cup 2024 to be held in April. Supporting young people is important for us as a regional chain owned by local companies. We believe that sports have the power to bring people together and foster a thriving society for the future. Seeing how young people support one another during games, we come to understand that this is crucial not just in sports, but also in the overall growth of individuals,” says Ilze Priedīte, Member of the Management Board and Marketing Director of the store chain top!, as she describes the collaboration.