• Try some of these free volleyball gifts for friends and family who are fans of the sport.volleyball girl image by alice rawson from Fotolia.com
  
  Volleyball was invented in 1895 by William G. Morgan. Interestingly, Morgan was attending Springfield College's YMCA, which is the same place that basketball was invented just a few years earlier in 1891. Originally designed to be a combination of basketball, handball and tennis, Morgan dubbed his new game mintonette. Since that time, volleyball has become a sport which is celebrated around the world in high school, collegiate, and the Olympic games. It even spawned the spin-off beach volleyball. Finding a free volleyball gift might take a little extra work, but with a little ingenuity, it can be done.
  
  

Tickets to a Match

• Volleyball is played competitively in high school, college and professional leagues. Some of the smaller schools may not charge admission to their games. Searching for local teams and their playing schedules will help you determine if there are free volleyball matches to watch in your area. For larger college and professional matches, you can try and win tickets during radio and contest promotions in your area. Also, you can check to see which corporations are sponsoring professional volleyball events. Those corporations usually get free seats. If you are a patron of the company and use their services or products, call up their customer relations department and see if you can get free tickets. Then give those tickets as a gift.
  
  

Equipment

• The old adage, "one man's trash is another man's treasure," applies here too. There are many people, especially in cities which are largely populated, which give items away for free. Sporting equipment, such as volleyball nets and balls can be tough to move large distances. For instance, someone leaving the sunny skies of Los Angeles for New York, would probably not take their volleyball equipment with them across the country. Look through community message boards to see who is offering "free merchandise." Then, when you find volleyball equipment, you can give it as a gift.
  
  

Volleyball Lessons

• If you are a volleyball enthusiast who loves to teach, you can offer a friend or family member free volleyball lessons with you. Determine the amount and length of lessons you want to give your friend. Be sure that you can get volleyball court time for free for those lessons. Free courts can usually be found in public parks or on beaches which have volleyball courts installed year round. Not only will you have fun introducing your friend to the sport of volleyball but you will get out to play a little yourself.
  
  

Volleyball Game

• If you have friends and family that love volleyball, you can give them the gift of organizing a free game at the local city or state park that has a volleyball facility. Create an e-mail or invite for family and friends and have them RSVP so you are sure you have enough players. Then, on the day, you can also bring picnic food, music, and other toys (such as frisbees or footballs) and you and your family and friends can enjoy volleyball in the outdoors.