The FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships Adelaide 2025 and Volleyball South Australia have jointly received the Community Impact Award at the 2026 Sport SA South Australian Sport Awards, recognising the event’s powerful legacy across sustainability, inclusion and community engagement.
Across the Global Volleyball Movement, there is a shared belief that volleyball has the power to do more than inspire on the court. It can bring people together, strengthen communities, protect the places where the sport is played and help shape a more sustainable future.
This belief sits at the heart of the FIVB Sustainability Pledge, aimed at building a better world for People, for our Planet and for Volleyball. From local courts to the world stage, the sport’s responsibility is clear: to ensure that every event, every partnership and every opportunity leaves a positive legacy for the communities and environments it touches.
At the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships Adelaide 2025, that commitment came to life in powerful ways.
Held in the heart of Adelaide from 14 to 23 November 2025, the Championships brought the world’s best beach volleyball athletes to South Australia for 10 days of elite competition, celebration and connection. More than 40,000 fans filled the stands, including over 1,200 students, while 42.3 million viewers followed the event globally.
But beyond the packed venue, the electric atmosphere and the unforgettable performances on the sand, Adelaide 2025 told a bigger story of sustainability, inclusion, community pride and long-term impact.
At the heart of that approach was a clear Sustainability Action Plan, led by a dedicated sustainability team. The plan focused on practical, measurable action, from smart venue design and responsible procurement to sustainable transport, waste reduction, local catering and site protection.
The results were significant. The Championships set a target to divert 80% of waste from landfill and ultimately exceeded it, achieving 83%. With support from waste contractor Closed Loop, an onsite sorting yard separated materials into seven streams, helping keep more than 107 of the 130 cubic metres of total waste out of landfill.
Sustainability was also built into the event’s design. Sand for the courts was sourced from a local quarry and returned there after the event, athletes and officials were accommodated within walking distance of the venue, food vendors were required to use recyclable or biodegradable packaging, and fans were encouraged to use refill stations and active or public transport options.
The Sustainability Action Plan was also launched through a beach clean-up with partner The Hidden Sea – a wine company that funds the removal of ten plastic bottles from the ocean for every bottle sold. Through South Australia’s (SA) Container Deposit Scheme, the event also raised AUD $3,984.50 for Volleyball SA’s “Here to Play” fund, which will help finance the SA Sitting Volleyball Team’s first-ever appearance at a national championship in 2026.
The positive impact of Adelaide 2025 is further detailed in the event’s dedicated Sustainability Report, which forms part of the FIVB’s wider effort to track, measure and strengthen environmental, social and governance data across multiple international volleyball events.
For the FIVB, the award is another important example of the Global Volleyball Movement’s holistic commitment to sustainability across environmental, social and economic impact.
