Cashing in on fan culture

On the lookout for a logo

After years of stagnation, volleyball is sprucing up its image and wants your help.

A competition has been opened to the public to find a new logo and mascot for the China Volleyball League.

The designer of the best logo will pocket a 50,000-yuan ($7,400) prize, while 30,000 yuan ($4,400) is on offer for the mascot winner.

"We want to visualize the spirit of volleyball," said Yu Suwei, chief operating officer of Volleyball World, a subsidiary of merchandising specialists iRENA.

"Although the China Volleyball League has made substantial progress, the development of its fan culture and merchandise is still inadequate."

The women's national side gained fame and respect on the international stage by winning gold at last year's Rio Olympic Games, garnering new fans and generating renewed enthusiasm for the sport here in the process.

However, compared to leagues in other volleyball powerhouses such as Italy and Turkey, China's main domestic competition still lags behind in terms of professional management and marketing.

With that in mind, the China Volleyball Association has hired Volleyball World to oversee its marketing development from the new season and hopes the logo and mascot selection will be the first step in attracting a new generation of fans and players.

"We want to give a physical form to the spirit of Chinese volleyball," said Eric Gao, CEO of iRENA. "The purpose of redesigning the logo and mascot is for the public to feel the change of the league, and to attract more young people to the sport. The spirit of Chinese volleyball has huge value, and we have to make use of it."

The CVA is understandably excited by the new beginning.

"The new understanding toward the sport and the further cooperation between the CVA and iRENA will bring new changes to the league," said Meng Jian, the CVA's deputy general secretary.