Players of all sexes who sport the same jersey number will wear each other's names for the first time at the 2021 VNL Finals.
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In a bid to support and empower gender equality, Volleyball World launched the Equal Jersey campaign on Tuesday. The campaign will see the sport’s top stars champion gender equality by wearing kits that feature their own name and one of a player from the opposite gender. Players of all sexes who sport the same jersey number will wear each other’s names for the first time at the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2021 Finals on June 25 and June 27. These jerseys will be during the finals to emphasize how volleyball, the players, and the fans, all strive to challenge gender inequality, especially in the case of the pay scale that exists between genders in the world of sports even to this day.
Three pairs of volleyball players have so far been confirmed as ambassadors for the Equal Jersey campaign. These are Lauren Carlini of the United States and Facundo Conte of Argentina, who will share the number seven jersey, Natalia Goncharova of Russia and Wallace de Souza of Brazil, who will share number eight, and Eda Erdem of Turkey and Nimir Abdel-Aziz of The Netherlands, who will be sharing number 14.
“While the rules in sports are often the same for all players, there remains a huge disparity between genders in sport which needs to be challenged,” Volleyball World said in a statement. “Volleyball aims to promote a level playing field across the sport with women’s and men’s major competitions receiving equal prize money and generating equal viewing figures,” it added.
The organization acknowledged that there was still a lot of room to improve regarding the issue. “However, Volleyball World recognizes there is always room to improve,” it said. “This is why the sport of volleyball, through the equal jersey activation, aims to rectify this situation and score another point for gender equality,” it concluded.
The body’s chief executive Finn Taylor said that Volleyball World was proud to be a leading advocate in promoting gender equality not just in volleyball, but in the world of sports in general.
“Gender equality and inclusivity are in volleyball’s DNA and we will always refuse to accept the status quo,” Taylor said. “It is a sport where, on an international level, women and men compete on a level playing field, with equal opportunities, equal pay, and equal attention,” he added.
“But we have to do more to lead from the front in this regard, showcasing volleyball’s culture of inclusivity and equality in new and innovative ways to encourage greater action across the world of sport. By launching the Equal Jersey campaign, we aim to showcase that volleyball is universal. It brings people together and players and fans cheer for all, championing equality, diversity, and inclusion as a limitless strength,” the Volleyball World chief concluded.
