Freeball: The Volleyball Podcast

Lets make this quick - We have had a long day! Hamburg is epic and so is our opener with Everett Delorme from Volleyball Source, Canada main source of all things Volleyball. We chat the open two day, our adventures, the pools and the things that we have seen! Loads of Volley Chat and great for the purist! Enjoy!

Our final official Hamburg preview show is a belter and our guest is one of the most knowledgable people in the game. Tim Simmons has been involved in Beach Volleyball since 1990 and has been working on the FIVB World Tour since 1999 as a Beach Volleyball Media Delegate, he also helps in the production of the famous http://www.bvbinfo.com which is database of everything you need to know about the sport and the characters that take central stage. In a fascinating preview of this years World Championships we  get very nostalgic  looking back at some of the great tournaments, teams, players and matches that Tim has witnessed within the sport. Tim is charming, charismatic and an absolute blast to chat too. It is a fitting final episode that will bring a smile to your face, oh ….and its a long one!

NEW Episode!! All eyes on Hamburg!!! This week we catch up with Aussie ripper Damien Schumann, We talk all things Hamburg which starts next week, we discuss his pool that includes Evandro and Bruno, Herrera Gavira and we also chat about his 9th last time out in Vienna. We discuss the ups and down of being a professional player playing on the world tour, his unbelievable performances to win a Gold Medal in the Commonwealth Games last year and we get to hear his American accent. Damo is a massive character and an awesome guest!! Enjoy!!

This week we interview the impressive Francisco Marco. Francisco is the head coach of Pablo Herrera and Adrian Gavira, one of the most successful teams on the world tour. We talk about the challenges of him being one of the youngest coaches with one of the most experienced teams, his journey from playing too coaching and his views on the FIVB World Championships in Hamburg, who he thinks will be successful and how he thinks his team will perform in the most competitive and open World Championships we have ever seen.

ALL EYES ON HAMBURG!! New Episode!! After a couple of quiet weeks, we are back with a BANG! WELCOME to Canadian World Tour Stud, Sam Pedlow!! We are delighted to welcome one of the most humble men on tour to our podcast as we start to look at The FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships in Hamburg this month. In this enlightening episode Sam tells us about his story, his Commonwealth Games silver medal, his ambition to go to the Olympic Games and his ambition to connect to fans and grow the game as much as possible. Sam also tells us about his teams aims for the World Championships and the teams to look out for. Sam is a great ambassador for our sport and this is a fantastic exclusive interview from the Freeball team.  We also look at the Mens draw for the World Championships with our guest host @bouncebeach, the internet beach volleyball highlight sensation, who is working hard to upload the all the biggest plays within the game. Enjoy!!!

This week we talk to Olympic Silver Medalist Paolo Nicolai. In another unmissable episode and exclusive interview, Paolo opens up about playing for Olympic Gold in 2016 on the Copacabana against Alison/Bruno, his 3 European Championships and how he felt a mixture of emotions at London 2012 when upsetting two of the best of all time in Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers. We also hear who Paolo’s dream partner would be for a one-off competition, it's a good one! Alongside this great guest, we discuss all things CEV Champions League Final with Co-host Five One VB. The Finals are taking place this weekend in Berlin and they are games that you do not want to miss!

NEW EPISODE!!!!  This week is an absolute cracker - We welcome Jamie Morrison to Free Ball - The Volleyball Podcast. Jamie is head coach of the very impressive Netherlands women's team that took a fourth in the World Championships last October and a second in the European Championships in 2017. Jamie has served as an assistant coach for The USA Men’s & Women’s program winning gold in 2008 (Men’s), silver in 2012 (Women) and bronze in 2016 (Women). Jamie is still only 38 and is already one of the best coaches in the world, in this enlightening, enthralling and entertaining episode we discus Jamie's career, his journey starting out as a coach at 19 years old and his role now. We also discuss this coming season, his philosophies, the heavy schedule and how he goes about managing his players. Jamie is as great coach and a great guy, this one is definitely worth a listen.

This week we talk with fellow Volleyball Podcaster Fiveone Volleyball, We discuss the Italian league, Russian league, transfers and give a full  preview to The VNL.  If you love generic Volleyball chat with a man that knows his stuff - This one is 1000% for you!

This week we catch up with Dutch blocker Madelein Meppelink, who is a 2 x European Champion , 2 x Olympian and World Tour Winner. In an intriguing interview we listen to the ups and down of her career,  the hard work it has taken to get Madeleine where she is today and also her plans in the run up to Tokyo 2020 which hopefully will be her third Olympics.  Madelin has also started the IBVPA (International Beach Volleyball Players Association) alongside Swiss player Anouk Verge - Depre its an organisation to represent the players at world level and we get to hear about that too! In addition to all this Lewie is joined by young English beach Player Sam Dunbavin - the boys discuss snow volleyball, Giba playing in London for IBB Polonia, Matt Andersons transfer to Modena and the Xiamen 4*

Episode 13 GIBA! The aggression of tiger, The grace of a swan, the charm of a prince and he has won more medals than we have had hot dinners! This week we welcome the best that has ever lived… GIBA!! Giba is in town playing for IBB Polonia this Sunday and we had the chance to talk with him! What a treat….  Here are some of his achievements! 8 South American Championships, 3 America's Cups, 8 World League titles, 3 World Grand Champions Cups, three World Championships (2002, 2006, 2010) and the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, the silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and the silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, where he was the team's captain. We talk past, present and future of Giba in one of our favorite episodes yet!

We interview Volleyball power couple Kyla Richey and Rudy Verhoeff! Kyla, the captain of the Canadian Women’s National Team has just won the Peruvian Championships, whilst Rudy is a  Canadian Olympian (Rio 2016) won the inaugural Rupay Pro Volleyball Indian League and finished as top scorer with Chennai Spartans. In this really intriguing and enlightening episode, find out about a married couple playing on opposite corners of the globe, whilst hearing about the highs and lows of professional sport in different countries.

This week we are treated to an interview with the current FIVB World Tour Champion, European Champion and winner of the FIVB Most Outstanding player, Most Improved player , Best Blocker, Best Offensive player and all round great guy. At just 22 Anders Mol alongside Christian Sorum and The Beach Volley Vikings had a remarkable 2018 and set the beach world on fire winning 4 competitions in a row,  We discuss Andy's injury that kept him out of the FIVB Doha 4*, their journey to winning championships, that time when Alison called him a big baby, their incredible season and who their biggest threats will be going forward to the World Championships and Olympic Games. We also discuss the launch of @IBVPA and what the players are trying to do to represent themselves.

This week, the boys talk to Chaim Schalk. Chaim has a fascinating story of his volleyball career. After transitioning to the beach after college, Chaim has enjoyed great success on the beach, even placing 9th at the Olympics. Now, Chaim had been sitting out of international volleyball while he changes his volleyball citizenship to American! We discuss this huge decision, his AVP career and what the future holds for this legend.

Cam and Lewie go in a slightly different direction this week when they catch up with Volleywood. With over 800,000 followers across his social media platforms, Volleywood has one of the largest Volleyball information hubs in the world. The boys chat to him about how he got started, why he loves it and the future of the platform. Make sure you stop past his website and check it out: Volleywood.net

This week the boys catch up with absolute super star and captain of the USA - Jordan Larson. Jordan is a double Olympic medalist and a world champion who is undoubtably one of the worlds best players. She talks life on the USA National Team under Karch Kiraly, playing for Eczacibasi and her potentially surprising plans for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Larson is another top guest who proves to be as humble as she is talented, huge thanks to her for coming on the show and sharing so much with us! We look forward to seeing what she can achieve next! The boys also talk about the new CEV Champions League format and Cam is excited to be back! To listen simply click the link in our bio or search Free Ball:The Volleyball podcast on iTunes or Spotify and don’t forget to subscribe and rate us!

This week, Lewie is Joined by special guest host Mark Garcia-Kidd, part of the GB beach program and all-round volleyball legend. We look into the world of players playing professionally for the first time. We catch up with 2 different players enjoying completely different experiences in different teams, leagues and countries. Brenden Sander (USA) and Ana Sofia Jusino (Puerto Rico) both graduated from college last year, Sanders journey has see him travel in his brothers foot steps to the prestigious Cucine Lube Civitanova in Italy where he is playing in one the of worlds most glamorous rosters. Jusino's first contract has seen her land in the unlikely destination of Altay Volleyball Club in Kazakstan -  this episode is insightful and not to be missed.

This week, Cam and Lewie discuss the incredible achievements a beach volleyball legend and speak to Ferhat Akbaş about what it was like coaching for Lang Ping, the hectic volleyball schedule and his enormous decision to leave his job as assistant coach for the Japanese National Team.

Cam and Lewie sit down with volleyball superstar Lonneke Slöetjes, discussing burnout, family and playing with your heroes

We talk to French national team player Kevin Tillie all the way from his current residence in China! We discuss his current season, life in China and plans for the futer.

We bring you some of the latest news from the world of Volleyball including who's going to be facing off in the Intercontinental Olympic Qualifiers. We then have our interview with the incredible Karol Klos. World Champion and All-Star Middle in 2014 and dominant force for the legendary Skra Bełchatów. We discuss his team, taking time off for injury and of course, we find out Karol's Dream 7!