The North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) is the international
governing body
A governing body is a group of people that has the authority to exercise governance over an organization or political entity. The most formal is a government, a body whose sole responsibility and authority is to make binding decisions in a taken ge ...
for the sports of
volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
in
Northern America
Northern America is the northernmost subregion of North America. The boundaries may be drawn slightly differently. In one definition, it lies directly north of Middle America (including the Caribbean and Central America).Gonzalez, Joseph. 20 ...
,
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
, and the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean S ...
. NORCECA is the continental confederation that represents its 35 member associations at the
International Volleyball Federation
International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations".
International may also refer to:
Music Albums
* ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011
* ''International'' (New Order album), 2002
* ''International'' (The T ...
(FIVB) level. It also has six associate members:
Bonaire
Bonaire (; , ; pap, Boneiru, , almost pronounced ) is a Dutch island in the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. Its capital is the port of Kralendijk, on the west (leeward) coast of the island. Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao form the ABC isla ...
,
Saba,
Saint Martin,
Sint Eustatius
Sint Eustatius (, ), also known locally as Statia (), is an island in the Caribbean. It is a special municipality (officially " public body") of the Netherlands.
The island lies in the northern Leeward Islands portion of the West Indies, so ...
,
Sint Maarten
Sint Maarten () is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean. With a population of 41,486 as of January 2019 on an area of , it encompasses the southern 44% of the divided island of Saint Martin, while the north ...
, and the
Turks and Caicos Islands
The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI; and ) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and ...
. The confederation is responsible for, among other things, the staging of Olympic and World Championship zone qualification tournaments, as well as continental championships for both men and women in indoor volleyball and
beach volleyball
Beach volleyball is a team sport played by two teams of two or more players on a sand court divided by a net. Similar to indoor volleyball, the objective of the game is to send the ball over the net and to ground it on the opponent's side of the ...
. In 2022, NORCECA celebrated its fifty-fourth (54th) anniversary.
Origins and expansion
During the 1966 Caribbean and Central American Games held in
San Juan,
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
, the idea of the NORCECA concept was born. At that time it was known as the Caribbean and Central American Zone. The development of the NORCECA Confederation came from the visionary mind of today’s FIVB President, Dr. Rubén Acosta Hernández, in conjunction with several other sportsmen from Puerto Rico, Cuba, Dominican Republic and Haiti. NORCECA was formally created by the FIVB and its President, Mr. Paul Liband in 1968, when Canada and the United States of America joined the confederation. Its first Senior Championship was held in Mexico from August 4–9, 1969 and the inaugural game featured
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, an ...
vs.
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a List of transcontinental countries#North America and South America, transcontinental country spanning the Central America, southern ...
, with
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, an ...
winning 3-0. NORCECA’s first Junior Championship was staged in 1980.
NORCECA's presidents
*Dr. Rubén Acosta Hernández (1968–1984)
*Lcdo. Libertario Pérez, Esq. (1984–1988)
*Lcdo. Luis R. Mendoza, Esq. (1988–2001)
*Lic. Cristóbal Marte Hoffiz (2001–present)
Affiliated federations
AFECAVOL (Asociación de Federaciones CentroAmericanas de Voleibol)
CAZOVA (Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association)
ECVA (Eastern Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association)
NCVA (North Central Americas Volleyball Association)
Note:
* Associate members of NORCECA.
Tournaments
Organised entirely by NORCECA
*
Men's NORCECA Volleyball Championship (men)
*
Women's NORCECA Volleyball Championship (women)
*
Men's Junior NORCECA Volleyball Championship (men)
*
Women's Junior NORCECA Volleyball Championship (women)
*
Boys' Youth NORCECA Volleyball Championship (men)
*
Girls' Youth NORCECA Volleyball Championship (women)
*
NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit (men and women)
Current champions
Organised alongside the CSV
*
Pan-American Games
The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...
(men and woman)
*
Men's Pan-American Volleyball Cup (men)
*
Women's Pan-American Volleyball Cup (women)
*
Men's Junior Pan-American Volleyball Cup (men)
*
Women's Junior Pan-American Volleyball Cup (women)
*
Boys' Youth Pan-American Volleyball Cup (men)
*
Girls' Youth Pan-American Volleyball Cup (women)
*
Final Four Women’s Volleyball Cup (women)
Current champions
Sponsors
{{Volleyball
Volleyball organizations
Sports organizations established in 1968