ANCIENT ORIGINS

LIBERO LIBERATES THE FLOW OF PLAY

Watch out for the libero in Sydney; he or she will be the one wearing a shirt that doesn't match those of any of his or her team-mates. The new position is designed to produce longer rallies and spectacular defensive play. However, the libero may not serve, spike (hit for a point) or rotate into the front zone that is marked by a line three metres back from the net.

The libero is just the latest change in a series of innovations since volleyball was conceived at the YMCA in the late 19th century as an alternative to basketball for middle-aged businessmen. The inventor was William Morgan. He first used a basketball but found it too heavy to handle and ordered a smaller lighter ball, similar to the one used today, to be made.

Thanks to the network of YMCAs throughout the world, the game soon spread far and wide. Japan was among the first to take up the new craze, which developed in the early part of the 20th century into the game we know today.

The set and spike originated in the Philippines in 1916, while teams of six became standard in 1918 and rules dictating only three hits per side and back-row attacks came into being in 1920. The game spread further when US soldiers played it at their European bases during the Second World War.