13 Ways to Explore the International Volleyball Hall of Fame in Holyoke, MA
The year 2025 marked the 130th “birthday” of volleyball and a renewed pledge to celebrate the international popularity of the sport. On a recent visit to the Springfield, Massachusetts area we decided to stop in Holyoke to to learn more about volleyball at the International Volleyball Hall of Fame.
Volleyball was invented in 1895 at the Holyoke YMCA by instructor William G. Morgan, who studied under and worked with James Naismith, the inventor of basketball at the same YMCA. Naismith encouraged Morgan to invent a new game that was meant to be “safer” and “less strenuous” than the basketball craze. Morgan “borrowed” elements of basketball, tennis, handball, and even baseball to create a new sport that would be collaborative and athletic, but without a lot of physical contact between players. The sport grew in popularity quickly and is now one of the big five international sports (according to the IVHF website)
The Hall of Fame and museum first opened in 1987 in a small section of the building that was originally the home of the Skinner Silk Mill and then expanded throughout more of the former factory in 1998. The IVHoF is currently fundraising to expand the Hall of Fame and move to a location that will allow it to showcase more memorabilia and create more interactive exhibits, as well as build 16 full size volleyball courts to host tournaments and competitions.The Hall of Fame holds its induction ceremony every fall- read more about it here.
The Hall of Fame is located inside the Holyoke Heritage State Park, which includes the adjacent Holyoke Children’s Museum, a Merry-Go-Round (open on weekends), multiple playgrounds, a spray deck, and paved walking paths along the Canal. There’s also a Park Visitor Center (open Tuesday through Sunday). See a good map here.
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13 Ways to Explore the Volleyball Hall of Fame:
- Learn about Morgan’s idea to create a “safer” game of basketball with the invention of volleyball.
- Follow the timeline of the evolution of volleyball from 1895 through 2025.
- Peek inside lockers from the original Holyoke YMCA locker room.
- Read about the international popularity of volleyball in the military, starting with World War I.
- Learn about Dr. Harold T Friermood, the National Director of Physical Education, who advocated for volleyball to become an official Olympic sport and succeeded with its inclusion in the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
- Test your spiking skills by practicing your vertical leap.
- Check out the referee stand from the 1996 Atlanta Olympic games, and see other Olympic medals, guides, and photos from Olympic volleyball competitions.
- See the over 160 of inductees on display at the Wall of Honor, which includes players, coaches, and referees from 25 different countries.
- Look carefully at various volleyball trophies dating back to the early 1900s.
- Engage with the touch screens for a timeline of the history of beach volleyball, dating back to 1905 on the beaches of Uruguay and the Philippines.
- Read about the creation of sitting or paravolleyball, which was created in London as a form of rehabilitation for veterans in the 1940s.
- Choose a favorite volleyball from the collection of 60 volleyballs on display and scan the QR code to learn how to build a volleyball with only plastic balls and rope.
- Learn the rules of Wallyball and Snow Volleyball.
Looking for other fun adventures in Springfield? See our full City Guide here. And check out our features of the Basketball Hall of Fame, Hockey Hall of Fame, Tennis Hall of Fame, Sailing Hall of Fame, Racing Hall of Fame, and Baseball Hall of Fame.
Disclosure: Our family was given a media pass to explore the Hall of Fame; all opinions expressed are my own.
who knew?!
I didn’t think of Holyoke as having much….now I find it interesting, thanks to you, to someday visit the park as well…