VOLLEYBALL WORLD, the commercial arm of the FIVB tasked with accelerating the sport’s global growth and fan engagement, has announced a global merchandising partnership with DECATHLON centred on the Volleyball Nations League (VNL). The collaboration marks Volleyball World’s first multi-channel retail partnership with a leading international sporting goods brand.
From March, DECATHLON will design, produce and distribute an exclusive VNL merchandise range. The collection will be available in selected DECATHLON stores across VNL host cities, as well as in host and participating countries including France, Italy, Germany, Serbia, Slovenia, Poland, Turkey, Switzerland, China, Thailand, the Philippines, Brazil, Canada and Japan. The partnership will place the VNL at the heart of in-store activations throughout the season and extend its reach globally via DECATHLON’s e-commerce platforms.
The licensed range will feature official VNL fan merchandise such as volleyballs, sportswear and volleyball accessories, designed to deepen fans’ connection with the competition’s teams, athletes and identity. The collection will complement the VNL’s official match ball supplied by Mikasa. Alongside physical products, the partnership will introduce new fan engagement initiatives and digital touchpoints across the season, with DECATHLON playing an integrated role in connecting with audiences worldwide.
According to the media release, the announcement comes at a time of strong momentum for the VNL, driven by record attendances, growing broadcast reach, increasing youth participation and a shared alignment between volleyball’s community-focused ethos and DECATHLON’s mission to make sport accessible to everyone.
Volleyball World CEO Ugo Valensi said, “This partnership is a milestone for the VNL and Volleyball World. It marks the first time we’ve entered a global, multi-channel retail collaboration with a major sporting goods brand, and DECATHLON’s passion for volleyball has been evident from the outset. Their commitment to developing the sport and making it more accessible reflects our shared ambition for global growth. Together, we are building a new retail and fan-engagement ecosystem that will bring VNL closer to people everywhere, and we’re excited about the positive impact this will have on the global volleyball community.”
DECATHLON volleyball sport leader Grégory Volpi added, “Volleyball is a universal sport that brings together millions of players around the world. At DECATHLON, our ambition is to make this passion accessible to as many people as possible. Becoming the Official Merchandising Partner of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) represents a major strategic milestone for our brand, combining our product expertise and innovation capabilities with one of the most visible and prestigious international volleyball competitions. We are proud to welcome the VNL into DECATHLON’s Volleyball family and to collaborate with Volleyball World to jointly contribute to the development and global reach of the sport’s worldwide community.”
