List of Inductees 2002

Ian
Stoddart

Builder

Ian Stoddart was one of the foremost builders of Volleyball Canada, or the Canadian Volleyball Association (CVA) as the first-ever Executive Director from 1970 to 1984.

Ian’s leadership and his vision for the sport were instrumental in the phenomenal growth of volleyball in the 1970s. When Ian first began the CVA had $10,000 in annual revenue and approximately 1,500 registered players.  When he stepped down 15 years later the CVA had annual revenues of $1.3 million and over 75,000 registered members. 

In order to raise revenues for CVA, Ian established SportQuip of Canada, a distribution company that was completely owned by the CVA.   SportQuip introduced the line of Tachikara products to North America and soon became the largest importer of inflatable balls in the country. Ian also established the CVA’s own Volleyball Publications and Boutique company which distributed books and manuals to schools and coaches across Canada and the USA.

Ian was also at the forefront of the computerization of organizations and at the end of his tenure, he computerized the organization with a donation from Apple – innovation which transformed the organization.

Whether it was putting in 70 hour weeks, developing new marketing and fundraising, making the CVA more professional, guiding and mentoring many volunteers, Ian worked tirelessly to build the organization and the sport of volleyball in Canada.  His passion and dedication eres unequalled. Through his leadership, Ian was instrumental in building volleyball into one of the most popular sports in the country and the association into one of the most respected.