volleyball.lu

Born in 2000

It started with a domain, a camera, and zero budget.

volleyball.lu was born from a simple idea: share volleyball photos online. In 2000, Francis Manderscheid registered the volleyball.lu domain on his own initiative — driven by a personal passion for the sport and a desire to give Luxembourg volleyball the media presence it deserved.

The first photos appeared in 2001, the humble beginning of what would become the largest freely accessible sports photo database in Luxembourg. By 2002, dozens of clubs across the country received their first-ever online presence through volleyball.lu, at a time when having a website was anything but obvious.

In 2025, a completely redesigned gallery was launched — faster, richer, and more modern — including an integrated shop where fans can purchase and download high-resolution photos directly. In 2026, volleyball.lu crossed two milestones: 100 000 photos online and 1 500 covered events.

Twenty-five years. One passion. One platform.

One person.
One mission.

No company. No investors. No salary.

volleyball.lu is run by Francis Manderscheid as a private, non-profit project. No company, no investors — just someone who got hooked on Luxembourg volleyball early on and never really stopped. The FLVB (Luxembourg volleyball federation) backs the project with a financial contribution that helps keep the infrastructure running, and a community of photographers gives their time freely.

Development, server management, design, content, coordination with photographers — most of it lands on Francis. That works, partly because the project has good support around it, and partly because there is something genuinely satisfying about building something useful for a sport you care about.

It's not the most efficient setup in the world. But it's been going for 25 years, so something must be working.

Made in
Luxembourg

Domain, server, photos, people — 100% Luxembourg.

From the very beginning, volleyball.lu has been rooted in Luxembourg — not just in spirit, but technically and structurally.

• Our domain is .lu — registered and renewed in Luxembourg.
• Our server is physically located in Luxembourg, hosted by our long-standing partner root.lu.
• Our photographers are based in Luxembourg and cover Luxembourg volleyball.
• Our photos show Luxembourg athletes, clubs, and moments.

This is a fully Luxembourg project — made for Luxembourg, by Luxembourg people. In an era where data and infrastructure are increasingly outsourced abroad, we are proud to keep everything local.

25 Years
& Counting

We didn't plan to still be here. We just never stopped.

What started as a personal experiment has grown into a 25-year journey. Here are some of the milestones along the way:

• 2000 — volleyball.lu domain registered, first website launched
• 2001 — First photos published in the online gallery
• 2002 — Club website service launched, giving dozens of clubs their first online presence
• 2025 — Completely redesigned gallery with digital download shop and photographer earnings system
• 2026 — 100 000+ photos milestone reached

The project has evolved continuously over the years, always driven by the same question: how can we serve Luxembourg volleyball better?

There was never a roadmap. There was never a business plan. There was just the next match, the next album, the next feature — and the community to share it with.

Meet
the Team

82 photographers. 1 developer. Countless hours. Zero salary.

Over the years, 82 photographers have contributed to volleyball.lu. Around 12 are actively shooting today, covering matches across all categories — indoor, beach, youth, international, Team Lux, GSSE, and more.

They are not employees. They are not paid a fixed fee. They are passionate sports photographers who show up — sometimes at multiple venues on the same day — because they love what they do.

Some have been with the project for decades. Others joined recently. Some have retired after years of dedicated service. All of them have left their mark on the gallery in the form of thousands of images that capture the spirit of Luxembourg volleyball.

Behind the scenes, Francis Manderscheid develops, maintains, and operates the platform, with advice and support from the broader community of photographers and friends who believe in the project.

A Day
in the Lens

Pack. Drive. Shoot. Edit. Upload. Repeat.

What does a match day actually look like for one of our photographers? More than most people realise.

• Before leaving home — charge batteries, check memory cards, inspect gear, pack everything carefully
• ~30 min drive to the venue
• 30–60 min before tip-off — arrive, find a good spot, set up
• Camera check — white balance, exposure settings tuned to the hall lighting, test shots during warm-up
• Quick word with officials — check whether team photos are on the programme, coordinate with the referee if needed
• Match coverage (1–2 hours) — constantly moving, capturing every facet of the game: attacks, blocks, digs, serves, sets, coaches on the sideline, fans in the stands, the DJ, referees, celebrations
• After the final whistle — team photos, celebrations, post-game moments
• Pack up — no one else does it for you
• Chat with the players — grab a drink, maybe a snack, a few words with the athletes
• ~30 min drive home
• Processing (1–2 hours) — import, select, edit, upload to the gallery
• Finally: feet up.

All of this voluntarily, on personal time, with privately owned equipment. No press accreditation. No reserved parking. No guaranteed payment. Just dedication to the sport.

Why They
Shoot

Nobody pays them to be there. They come anyway.

Ask any of our photographers why they do it, and the answer is always the same: for the love of the game.

There is no guaranteed payment waiting for them after a match. No press pass. No reserved seat. No one is obligated to be there. And yet, weekend after weekend, they show up.

They show up because volleyball in Luxembourg deserves to be documented. Because players, parents, fans, and coaches deserve to see these moments. Because a well-timed photo of a block, a spike, or a celebration can mean the world to someone.

Sports photography equipment is expensive. Cameras, lenses, bags, memory cards, a powerful computer to process the images, external drives to archive everything — the investment is significant. And then there are the hours. The drive. The editing. None of it is compensated by a fixed fee.

What drives our photographers is the same thing that has driven this project since 2000: a genuine, unconditional love for volleyball.

The Future

The dream: cover their fuel. Buy them a coffee.

Our most important goal for the future is a simple one: make sure our photographers can at least cover their costs.

Sports photography equipment is a real investment. A professional camera body, a fast telephoto lens, bags, cards, batteries — easily thousands of euros in gear. Add petrol, parking, and the occasional sandwich after a long match day, and the costs add up.

Today, photographers earn from photo sales — and every euro goes directly to them. But we want to go further. The ambition is to one day offer a small fixed contribution per match: not a salary, but a gesture of recognition — enough to fill the tank, grab a coffee, and know that their time is valued.

We are not there yet. But every photo you purchase, every donation to the project, every share on social media brings us a step closer to making that a reality.

Let's Talk
Numbers

Transparency matters. Here's the honest picture.

We believe in transparency. So here is the honest picture:

volleyball.lu is not a money-making operation. The project barely covers its running costs each year — and some years, it doesn't quite make it. The operator receives no salary for running the platform. The development costs are sponsored and financially covered by our partner media4all — without that support, continuous improvement of the platform simply wouldn't be possible. There is no profit. There are no hidden earnings.

What keeps the project financially afloat is a combination of three things:

• A financial contribution from the FLVB (Luxembourg volleyball federation), which helps cover infrastructure costs
• A preferential hosting rate from our partner root.lu, without which the server costs would be significantly higher
• Revenue from photo sales — the portion that photographers choose to donate back to the project

Together, these sources of support allow volleyball.lu to keep running — and keep the gallery free for everyone, forever.

If you have ever wondered whether someone is getting rich from this project: they are not. The goal has always been, and will always remain, to serve the volleyball community of Luxembourg.

What It
Costs

Domain. Server. Database. Development. Maintenance.

Running a platform like volleyball.lu is not free. Here is what goes into it, year after year:

• Domain — The volleyball.lu domain name, renewed annually
• Server — A physical server located in Luxembourg, providing storage and computing power for the gallery and associated projects
• Database — Storage and management of 100,000+ photos, user accounts, albums, tags, orders, and all associated metadata
• Gallery development — The new gallery platform, launched in 2025, required significant development effort; new features and improvements continue to be added regularly
• Ongoing maintenance — Security updates, bug fixes, performance improvements, and keeping everything running reliably, every single day

What we can say is this: every euro that comes in is used to keep the lights on. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Our
Partners

root.lu since day one. FLVB behind us. Community around us.

volleyball.lu could not exist without the support of its partners. We are deeply grateful to each of them.

root.lu
Our hosting partner since the very beginning — a relationship that spans 25 years. root.lu provides our Luxembourg-based server infrastructure at a preferential rate, making it possible to keep the platform running sustainably. Their trust in this project has been one of its cornerstones.

FLVB — Fédération Luxembourgeoise de Volleyball
The Luxembourg volleyball federation supports volleyball.lu with a financial contribution that helps cover infrastructure costs. Their backing is a vote of confidence in what we do, and a recognition that this gallery serves the entire volleyball community.

media4all
As individual clubs gradually established their own web presence, media4all stepped in to take over the management of club websites under the volleyball.lu umbrella — allowing the gallery to focus on what it does best: photography.

Our photographers
Without their time, their passion, and their equipment, there would be nothing to show. They are not just contributors — they are the heart of this project.

You
Every person who browses the gallery, downloads a photo, shares an image, or simply passes the link to a friend is part of this story. Thank you.

Join for
Free

More features. Zero cost. Always.

Creating an account on volleyball.lu is free — and it stays free, forever. No subscription, no trial period, no credit card required. Here is what you get:

• Email notifications — get notified as soon as new albums are published. Never miss a match you were at.
• Like photos — show photographers your appreciation with a simple click. It matters more than you think.
• Purchase & download photos — buy high-resolution digital photos directly from the gallery. 100% goes to the photographer.
• Share to social media — use the share button to download any photo in the format that fits your platform best (square, portrait, landscape) — ready to post on Instagram, Facebook, or wherever you like.
• Order history — access all your past purchases in one place, at any time.
• Photographer profile — if you contribute photos, your account becomes your portfolio: a public profile page with all your albums and stats.

The gallery is and will remain freely accessible to everyone — no login required to browse or view photos. A free account simply unlocks a few extras that make the experience better.

Create your free account

Free to
Share

Use it. Credit it. Keep the logo. Everyone wins.

All photos on volleyball.lu are free to view — and we genuinely want you to share them. There are just a few simple rules that make a big difference to the people who created them.

What you can do:

• Share photos of yourself, your teammates, or your club on social media — go for it, that's exactly what they're there for
• Use the built-in share button to download the photo in whichever format suits your platform — square for Instagram, landscape for Facebook, portrait for Stories. No need to crop anything manually, and no need to remove any watermark.

The one thing we ask: keep the image as it is. Don't crop out the logo or the photographer credit. That small "volleyball.lu – Photographer name" in the corner is the only thing they get in return for hours of work. It costs you nothing to leave it there — and it means everything to them.

Commercial or editorial use (press, advertising, publications) requires express written permission. When in doubt, just ask — we are easy to reach and happy to help.

It's a small gesture. But respecting the credit is one of the most direct ways to show appreciation for the people behind the lens.

Buy a Photo.
Change a Day.

Every sale goes 100% to the photographer. Every single one.

When you purchase a high-resolution shot on volleyball.lu, you aren’t just getting a digital file—you’re fueling the person behind the lens.

Whether it's an early morning serve or a game-winning spike, our photographers are there, equipment in hand, capturing the magic. Most of them are powered by passion and a healthy dose of caffeine! By buying a photo, you’re essentially sending a fresh cup of coffee (or two) their way to keep them fueled for the next match.

Where does your money go?
To be crystal clear: 100% of every sale goes directly to the photographer. Not to the platform, not to the middleman. Just the creator.

Photographers can see their earnings in their personal account and choose what to do with them:

• Withdraw — request a payout directly to their account
• Save — let the balance accumulate over time
• Donate — contribute part or all of it back to the project, helping to cover server and infrastructure costs

Why it matters
Our photographers invest their time, talent, and gear freely to capture your best moments. This model ensures that the people creating the value are the ones who benefit from it.

The next time a photo makes you smile, remember: a few euros might seem small, but it makes a massive difference to the person who stood on the sidelines to get the perfect shot. Buy a pic, fuel a photographer!