Founded in 2020 by former India national team captain Abhijit Bhattacharya, the Brahmaputra Volleyball League (BVL) has become one of the world’s most inspiring grassroots sports movements. Based in Assam, India, where many communities contend with poverty, limited access to education and healthcare, the league uses volleyball to bring people together and open doors for young people. What began as a local initiative has grown into a movement for social change.

Today, BVL reaches more than 12,000 children across over 400 teams, using volleyball as a platform for participation, education and leadership. Through community-based competitions, youth leadership programmes and partnerships with organisations such as UNICEF, young people grow not only as athletes but as advocates for change in their own communities. The league has challenged traditional gender norms, expanded opportunities for girls in sport, strengthened community safety through local infrastructure, and given thousands of children reason to believe in a brighter future.