Volleyball for Everyone

VakıfBank was founded in 1954 with a capital of 50 million TL to support economic development and improve national savings. Today, with its broad branch network, digital channels, and international presence, it maintains a strong position in the banking sector and continues contributing to Turkey's growth.

Established in 1954, VakıfBank founded the VakıfBank Women's Volleyball Team in 1986 with the specific aim of nurturing young women through volleyball and successfully representing Türkiye in the international arena. VakıfBank Sports Club holds the distinction of being 'Türkiye's most trophy-winning team,' boasting four FIVB Club World Championships and six CEV Champions League titles. Furthermore, a dedicated communication team is maintained at the Bank's headquarters specifically for the women's volleyball team, which stands as VakıfBank's longest-running corporate social responsibility project.

Our team has been successfully managing all communication processes of VakıfBank Sports Club for years. In addition to sporting activities, our PR team also develops social responsibility projects and touches disadvantaged individuals in the society. The 'volleyball for everyone' activity with Blindlook was also realised in this context.

The visually impaired volleyball project organised at VakıfBank Sports Palace is the first volleyball project in the world. Many social responsibility projects for visually impaired individuals have been realised before, but it has never been seen before that visually impaired individuals played volleyball with a volleyball team in a large volleyball hall.

Hosted by VakıfBank Sports Club Vice President Ferkan Merdan, the guests first visited VakıfBank's trophy-laden museum, where they experienced the atmosphere by touching the cups, jerseys and medals. The guests then toured the VakıfBank Sports Palace, arriving at the main court. While the guests touched the net, the ball, and the court floor, the rules and movements of volleyball were explained to them using detailed audio descriptions.

Guests had the opportunity to play volleyball with world-famous volleyball coach Giovanni Guidetti.

Guidetti took care of each visually impaired guest individually, providing them with an unforgettable experience. Meanwhile, a narrator explained the atmosphere to them.

Following their tour of the VakıfBank Sports Hall and their hands-on volleyball experience, the visually impaired sports fans attended the continuation of their visit: VakıfBank's opening match against Calcit Kamnik in the CEV Champions League Group C. Seated in the dedicated stand, the guests followed the match through headphones, which provided audio description.

This project, a first for the sport of volleyball, allowed the visually impaired to share in all the excitement of the game. The guests, who had every action of the match narrated to them from start to finish, had an unforgettable volleyball experience.

Visually impaired visitors were also given the opportunity to listen to the tactics delivered by VakıfBank Head Coach Giovanni Guidetti to the players during timeouts. A second microphone was provided to VakıfBank Assistant Coach Saim Pekkan, who activated the microphone during the breaks, allowing the visitors to hear the tactics and feel the excitement as it unfolded moment by moment.

At the end of the day, special interviews were conducted with the guests and their opinions about their experience were heard. The project's 360-degree communication was successfully implemented.