Volleyball — Step-by-Step Roadmap

1. 1
   Stage 1 · 8–14 · 10–18 Grassroots & local entry

   NSTC schools (8–14); a team in the top 4 at Sub-Junior/Junior Nationals or top 2 in the state opens SAI Training Centres. Confirm events with your state association — FIVB took charge in Apr 2026. [14][2]

2. 2
   Stage 2 · U16 · U18 · U21 State to national breakthrough

   Sub-Junior (Hyderabad), Junior (Lucknow) and Youth Nationals in 2026-27. KIYG 2026 lists volleyball. [7][23]

3. 3
   Stage 3 · Senior National camp & elite trials

   Senior Nationals and Federation Cup feed selection; trials must be announced and video-recorded, with a 7-day grievance window. NCOEs: Thiruvananthapuram, Dharamshala (girls). [7][6][14]

4. ★
   Stage 4 · India team International orbit

   FIVB's Steering Committee must bring transparent, merit-based national-team selection; FIVB is putting USD 258,000 into athletes and national teams in 2026. [2]

Fuel, from stage 1: food first. Pair cereals with pulses about 3:1 — roti or rice with dal, chana or rajma; vegetarians add milk or curd, others eggs, fish or meat. ICMR-NIN says most athletes get enough protein from food and protein powders are unnecessary; NADA warns that no supplement is risk-free. [24][13]

VFI age categories (selection policy, January 2026) [6]

• An athlete must be an Indian citizen, meet the age rule (VFI runs date-of-birth verification and random checks for every category except senior), be medically fit at pre-camp and pre-event checks, follow NADA/WADA rules and be free of any suspension. [6]

• Age screening at the 26th Youth Nationals (Bhubaneswar, March 2026): players born on or after 1 January 2005; bring the original birth certificate (issued at least 2 years earlier), passport, Aadhaar or a Government-hospital medical certificate. Affidavits are not accepted.
• No player plays without screening; a rejected player gets no ID card, no medal and no certificate, and the screening committee's decision is final. [8]

• SAI's Age Verification Test (boys up to 17, girls up to 15) uses a doctor's, a dentist's and a TW3 X-ray opinion; appeals go to the Medical Appellate Board at AIIMS New Delhi. [10]

• You must be available for doping tests in and out of competition and check every medicine against the Prohibited List; if no permitted treatment exists, apply to NADA for a TUE. [12]

National championships 2026-27 (VFI calendar issued 2 Feb 2026) [7]

This calendar was issued before the April 2026 change of administration — confirm each event with your State association before you travel. [7][2]

• Selection (VFI policy of 5 January 2026): based on recent Nationals, National Games and Federation Cup performance, selection trials or camp, physical fitness, discipline and teamwork.
• Trials must be announced in advance and video-recorded; minutes are kept, and an athlete can file a grievance within 7 days of a team being announced. [6]

• Team-sport trainees can join a SAI Training Centre if their team finished in the first four at Sub-Junior or Junior Nationals or first two at the State championship, and they pass the tests. [14]

• You cannot apply to become a Khelo India athlete — scouts pick from recognised competitions; register on the National Sports Repository System. [15]

SAI and FIVB centres with volleyball [14][4]

• A player's own kit is court shoes and the team uniform; the libero wears a different-coloured uniform or jacket. All match balls must share the same circumference, weight, pressure and type. [1]

Education Margdarshan does not print shop prices — no governing body publishes them. At the 26th Youth Nationals, players and officials paid a ₹50 registration fee each for their ID cards. [8]

Who pays — volleyball ladder [14][16][2]

• No supplement is 100% safe and strict liability applies — food first, with a certified nutritionist. [13]

• Volleyball is one of the 65 sports in the central sports quota for Group C posts, with up to 5 years' age relaxation (10 for SC/ST).
• These central instructions do not apply to Railways Services, the Department of Atomic Energy, the Department of Space and some DRDO technical services. [17]

• State medallists (up to 3rd) at Senior or Junior Nationals or the National Games come right after India players in the order of preference; Khelo India Youth Games (above-18), Junior Nationals and SGFI medals also count. [18]

• The Prime Volleyball League is the professional club route in India. [5]

• Pension to Meritorious Sportspersons: ₹12,000–20,000 a month after retirement. [16]

1. FIVB — Official Volleyball Rules 2025–2028 (English, v05) (opens in a new tab) Court, free zone, net, ball and pressure, team size, liberos, scoring, 8-second serve, serving-team positions · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
2. FIVB — Statement on the Volleyball Federation of India (21 Apr 2026) (opens in a new tab) Revocation of VFI interim body's recognition, FIVB–IOA Steering Committee and its mandate, USD 258,000 in 2026 · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
4. FIVB — Athletes take centre stage as KIIT-KISS Centre of Excellence is formalised in India (14 Dec 2025) (opens in a new tab) FIVB/KIIT/KISS Centre of Excellence, Odisha · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
5. FIVB — Leagues in Australia, India and USA crown their winners (4 Nov 2025) (opens in a new tab) Prime Volleyball League 2025 final, Bengaluru Torpedoes · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
6. Volleyball Federation of India — Selection Policy for National Teams & National Coaching Camps (5 Jan 2026) (opens in a new tab) Age categories, athlete eligibility, selection criteria, video-recorded trials, 7-day grievance window · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
7. Volleyball Federation of India — Calendar of National Championships 2026-2027 (2 Feb 2026) (opens in a new tab) Senior, Junior, Sub-Junior, Youth Nationals and Federation Cup venues and months · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
8. Volleyball Federation of India — Rules & Regulations, 26th Youth National Volleyball Championship, Bhubaneswar (7 Feb 2026) (opens in a new tab) Birth-date eligibility, age-proof documents, screening, team size, ₹50 registration · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
9. Volleyball Federation of India — Clarification on player participation & eligibility (13 Feb 2026) (opens in a new tab) No playing down an age group, two-year limit, Senior Nationals players barred from Youth Nationals · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
10. SAI Khelo India Talent Identification Division — Circular on Age Verification Test (24 Aug 2022; copy on the IWLF website) (opens in a new tab) AVT ages, clinical/dental/TW3 X-ray method, AIIMS appeal · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
12. NADA India — Athlete's Rights & Responsibilities (opens in a new tab) Testing availability, Prohibited List, TUE · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
13. NADA India — Managing the Risk of Nutritional Supplements (opens in a new tab) Supplement risk, strict liability, food-first approach · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
14. SAI — Brief on Sports Promotional Schemes 2024-25 (opens in a new tab) Volleyball NCOEs, STC team-sport entry, NSTC schools · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
15. Khelo India — How to become a Khelo India Athlete (opens in a new tab) Scouting, assessment camps, NSRS registration · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
16. PIB — Financial Support to Athletes (5 Aug 2024) (opens in a new tab) Khelo India, welfare fund, pension · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
17. DoPT — Instructions on Recruitment/Promotion for Sportspersons (18 Nov 2022) (opens in a new tab) Volleyball in the 65-sport list, Group C, Railways exclusion · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
18. DoPT Office Memorandum, 4 March 2024 — Incentive for Sportspersons (opens in a new tab) Order of preference, Khelo India Games, Junior Nationals and SGFI medallists added · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
19. SAI NSNIS Patiala — Six Week Certificate Course in Sports Coaching (opens in a new tab) 6 weeks (4 online, 2 offline), ₹14,800, Class 12 + district-level top 3 or state / inter-university / SGFI / national participation · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
20. SAI NSNIS Patiala — Diploma in Sports Coaching (course page, 2026-27) (opens in a new tab) 1 year, ₹63,800, 785 + 104 seats in 26 disciplines at Patiala, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram; Category A (Class 12 + international record), B (graduation + national record) · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
21. Western Railway RRC — Employment Notice RRC/WR/01/2026 (Sports Quota), 27 Aug 2026 (opens in a new tab) Age 18–25 on 1 Jan 2027, Level 5/4, 3/2 and 1 sports norms, MoYAS-recognition rule, fees · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
22. CRPF — Recruitment of Meritorious Sportspersons, HC & Constable (GD), Sports Quota 2026 (Advt. R.II-21/2026-Sports, 17 Sep 2026) (opens in a new tab) 521 posts, age 18–23 on 1 Aug 2026 with sportsperson relaxation (+5 UR, +8 OBC, +10 SC/ST), qualifications, fee, ₹1 lakh bond · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
23. Khelo India Youth Games 2026 (Telangana) — Sports (opens in a new tab) The 25 disciplines listed for KIYG 2026 · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
24. ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition — Dietary Guidelines for Indians (booklet), Guideline 8 (opens in a new tab) Cereal-pulse 3:1 protein quality, vegetarian and non-vegetarian protein sources; most athletes meet protein needs from food, protein powders unnecessary · Last checked 19 Oct 2026