It was William Morgan, a physical education teacher in an American university.
In 1892, one of his colleagues invented basketball, but he found this new sport too physically intense for most people to play.
So he thought up another game, which didn’t involve physical contact with opponents, to make the game playable by all, even the elderly.
This game was a mix of basketball, baseball, tennis and handball and in 1895, he created Mintonette.
It quickly became volley-ball from “volley”, meaning the flight of the ball before it hits the ground.
What are the rules of the game?
Two teams of six are separated by a net over 7 feet high.
Players can hit the ball with their hands or forearms, but can’t hold it or bounce it on the ground.
There is a maximum of 3 hits per side.
They score a point if the ball touches the court on the other side, or if the other team commit a violation or hit the ball out of the court.
Over the years, volleyball has become a high-level competitive sport. It has been played in the Olympic games since 1964, which has boosted its popularity.
With 800 million players today, it’s one of the most popular sports in the world.
And with beach volleyball, which is played on sand, lots of people do play… on the beach!