Volleyball Data (Nevobo — Dutch Volleyball)

Before writing queries, consult references/api-reference.md for endpoints, ID conventions, and data shapes.

Setup

Before first use, check if the CLI is available:

which sports-skills || pip install sports-skills

If pip install fails (package not found or Python version error), install from GitHub:

pip install git+https://github.com/machina-sports/sports-skills.git

The package requires Python 3.10+. If your default Python is older, use a specific version:

python3 --version  # check version
# If < 3.10, try: python3.12 -m pip install sports-skills
# On macOS with Homebrew: /opt/homebrew/bin/python3.12 -m pip install sports-skills

No API keys required. All data comes from the Nevobo (Nederlandse Volleybalbond) open API.

Quick Start

Prefer the CLI — it avoids Python import path issues:

sports-skills volleyball get_competitions
sports-skills volleyball get_standings --competition_id=nevobo-eredivisie-heren
sports-skills volleyball get_results --competition_id=nevobo-eredivisie-dames
sports-skills volleyball get_schedule --competition_id=nevobo-topdivisie-heren-a

Python SDK (alternative):

from sports_skills import volleyball

standings = volleyball.get_standings(competition_id="nevobo-eredivisie-heren")
results = volleyball.get_results(competition_id="nevobo-eredivisie-dames")

CRITICAL: Before Any Query

CRITICAL: Before calling any data endpoint, verify:
- The competition_id uses a valid value from references/competition-ids.md — never guess.
- For club-specific commands, you have a valid Nevobo club_id (use get_clubs to find one — the organisatiecode field).
- Do NOT guess club IDs or competition IDs. Use get_competitions or get_clubs to discover them.

The competition_id Parameter

8 leagues across the top 3 tiers of Dutch volleyball are pre-configured. The competition_id follows the pattern nevobo-<league>-<gender>[-<pool>]:

• Eredivisie (Tier 1, 8 teams): nevobo-eredivisie-heren, nevobo-eredivisie-dames
• Topdivisie (Tier 2, 10 teams/pool): nevobo-topdivisie-heren-a, nevobo-topdivisie-heren-b, nevobo-topdivisie-dames-a, nevobo-topdivisie-dames-b
• Superdivisie (Tier 3, 10 teams): nevobo-superdivisie-heren, nevobo-superdivisie-dames

For lower divisions (1e/2e/3e Divisie, regional, youth, beach — 6,400+ poules), use get_poules to discover them.

See references/competition-ids.md for the full reference with team counts and the Dutch volleyball pyramid.

Commands

See references/api-reference.md for full parameter lists and return shapes.

Examples

Example 1: Eredivisie standings
User says: "What are the current Dutch volleyball standings?"
Actions:
1. Call get_standings(competition_id="nevobo-eredivisie-heren") for men
2. Call get_standings(competition_id="nevobo-eredivisie-dames") for women
Result: League tables with rank, team name, matches played, and points

Example 2: Recent match results
User says: "Show me recent Eredivisie volleyball results"
Actions:
1. Call get_results(competition_id="nevobo-eredivisie-heren")
Result: Match results with home/away teams, match score (e.g. "3-1"), and set scores (e.g. ["25-21", "25-18", "21-25", "25-20"])

Example 3: Club schedule
User says: "What matches does LSV have coming up?"
Actions:
1. Call get_clubs(limit=10) and find LSV's organisatiecode (CKL5C67)
2. Call get_club_schedule(club_id="CKL5C67")
Result: Upcoming matches for all of LSV's teams with venues and dates

Example 4: Second tier standings
User says: "Show me the Topdivisie standings"
Actions:
1. Call get_standings(competition_id="nevobo-topdivisie-heren-a") for men pool A
2. Call get_standings(competition_id="nevobo-topdivisie-heren-b") for men pool B
Result: Two pool tables with 10 teams each

Example 5: Discover lower divisions
User says: "What divisions are available in Dutch volleyball?"
Actions:
1. Call get_poules(regio="nationale-competitie", limit=20)
Result: List of national-level poules including 1e/2e/3e Divisie with their abbreviations and descriptions

Commands that DO NOT exist — never call these

• ~~get_scoreboard~~ — does not exist. Use get_results for recent match results.
• ~~get_rankings~~ — does not exist. Volleyball uses get_standings for league tables.
• ~~get_team_roster~~ — does not exist. Use get_clubs for club information.
• ~~get_player_info~~ — does not exist. Player-level data is not available via this API.

If a command is not listed in the Commands table above, it does not exist.

Error Handling

When a command fails, do not surface raw errors to the user. Instead:
1. Catch silently and try alternatives
2. If a club name is given instead of ID, use get_clubs to find the organisatiecode first
3. If a competition_id returns no data, use get_competitions to verify available leagues
4. Only report failure with a clean message after exhausting alternatives

Troubleshooting

Error: sports-skills command not found
Cause: Package not installed
Solution: Run pip install sports-skills. If not on PyPI, install from GitHub: pip install git+https://github.com/machina-sports/sports-skills.git

Error: Standings returns empty list
Cause: The competition's regular season phase may have ended, or the season hasn't started yet
Solution: Use get_results to check recent results, or get_poules to discover current active poule paths

Error: Schedule returns 0 matches
Cause: The competition phase has completed and no more matches are scheduled for that poule
Solution: This is expected between season phases. Check other leagues (Topdivisie/Superdivisie may still be active)

Error: Club schedule/results returns error
Cause: The club_id may be incorrect
Solution: Use get_clubs to find valid club IDs (the organisatiecode field, e.g. "CKL5C67")

Error: Connection errors or timeouts
Cause: The Nevobo API may be temporarily unavailable
Solution: Wait a moment and retry. The API is public and unauthenticated but may have brief outages