- Longest season in more than a decade begins May 6 with AVP Pro Series Austin Open and runs through November 20, with tournaments in 12 states across the country
- AVP to broadcast 44 hours of tournament coverage across FS1, Bally Sports regional networks, and more
- Robust roster of corporate sponsors returns to support the country’s premier professional beach volleyball tour
Fountain Valley, California (May 4, 2022) – The Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) is set to serve up its 2022 season beginning May 6, featuring the professional beach volleyball tour’s longest schedule and biggest total prize purse in more than a decade, a broadcast schedule that includes 44 hours of tournament coverage across three television networks and support from a robust roster of corporate sponsors eager to align themselves with the excitement and growth surrounding the AVP.
The AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour season will begin with the AVP Pro Series Austin Open from May 6-8 and run through November 20, totaling 16 tournaments across the United States and offering $2 million in prize money. The number of tournaments and total prize money are both the largest for the AVP since 2009.
The AVP’s newly developed three-tier system includes seven Tour Series events (24-team brackets competing over two days for a $50,000 purse), five Pro Series events (16 teams, three days, $125,000 purse), three Gold Series events (16 or 32 teams, three days, $300,000 purse) and a new two-day, $100,000 Championship event.
Each of the Pro Series and Gold Series events, as well as the Championships, will be televised, with nine tournaments totaling 44 hours of television coverage on FS1, Bally Sports regional sports networks (RSNs) and Tennis Channel. During Pro Series and Gold Series events, all matches from the stadium and one other court will be streamed live on the AVP’s YouTube channel (@avpbeach). Veteran broadcasters Dain Blanton and Camryn Irwin will call all the AVP action.
The complete TV schedule is below, and the full AVP Tour schedule, featuring 16 events from May through November in 12 states across the country, can be found at https://avp.com/events.
“We are excited to get the 2022 schedule underway and look forward to a tremendous season that will highlight some of the most incredible athletes in the world not only at our tournament venues but to audiences nationwide watching on television,” said Al Lau, CEO of the AVP. “Our new broadcast agreements with FS1, Bally Sports and Tennis Channel will expose millions of viewers to the AVP Tour and hopefully create some new fans of professional beach volleyball.
“Beyond that, we’re proud to be able to offer a schedule for our players that features more tournaments and more prize money than have been offered in 13 years. The AVP’s new three-tiered system improves the professional pipeline and increases money for athletes breaking into professional beach volleyball, which supports the long-term growth of the sport.”
Corporate support of the AVP Tour has been exceptionally strong heading into the 2022 season. New and returning partners include: AAA Flag & Banner, Athletic Brewing Company, Corner Bakery, Fabletics, KLĒNSKIN, Kona Brewing Co., KT Tape, Monster Hydro, Skyy Vodka, Teremana Tequila, TNNS, Waiākea Water, Waste Management, WeWork, White Claw and Wilson Sporting Goods.
Bally’s Corporation acquired the AVP in July, less than a year after Bally’s entered into a strategic partnership with Sinclair Broadcast Group.
“The AVP is an attractive property for us and provides a terrific platform for engaging content across our media assets,” said Adi Dhandhania, Chief Operating Officer of North America for Bally’s Interactive. “Beach volleyball is one of the most dynamic and athletic sports out there, with ample opportunities for us to gamify content to drive viewership and engagement. Our first AVP Predictor free to play game is now available on www.ballyplay.com and we are excited to launch additional gamification with the AVP.”
2022 AVP TELEVISION SCHEDULE
EVENT DATES | TOURNAMENT | AIR DATE/TIMES (ET) | NETWORK |
FR 5/6 – SU 5/8 | AVP Pro Series Austin Open | TU 5/10, 10 p.m.-12 a.m. | FS1 |
SA 5/14, (times vary by region) | Bally Sports | ||
FR 5/27 – SU 5/29 | AVP Pro Series New Orleans Open | TU 5/31, 10 p.m.-12 a.m. | FS1 |
SA 6/4, (times vary by region) | Bally Sports | ||
FR 7/8 – SU 7/10 | AVP Pro Series Hermosa Beach Open | TU 7/12, 11 p.m.-1 a.m. | FS1 |
SA 7/16, (times vary by region) | Bally Sports | ||
FR 7/29 – SU 7/31 | AVP Pro Series Fort Lauderdale Open | MO 8/1, 10 p.m.-12 a.m. | FS1 |
SA 8/6, (times vary by region) | Bally Sports | ||
FR 8/5 – SU 8/7 | AVP Gold Series Atlanta Open | TU 8/9, 10 p.m.-12 a.m. | FS1 |
SA 8/13, (times vary by region) | Bally Sports | ||
SU 8/28, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. | Tennis Ch. | ||
FR 8/19 – SU 8/21 | AVP Gold Series Manhattan Beach Open | TU 8/23, 10 p.m.-12 a.m. | FS1 |
SA 8/27, (times vary by region) . | Bally Sports | ||
SU 8/28, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. | Tennis Ch. | ||
FR 9/2 – SU 9/4 | AVP Gold Series Chicago Open | TU 9/6, 10 p.m.-12 a.m. | FS1 |
FR 9/9, 12-2 p.m. | Tennis Ch. | ||
SA 9/10, (times vary by region) | Bally Sports | ||
FR 9/16 – SU 9/18 | AVP Pro Series Atlantic City Open | TU 9/20, 10 p.m.-12 a.m. | FS1 |
SA 9/24, (times vary by region) | Bally Sports | ||
FR 9/23 – SA 9/24 | AVP Phoenix Championships | TU 9/27, 10 p.m.-12 a.m. | FS1 |
SA 10/1, (times vary by region) | Bally Sports | ||
SU 10/2, 12-2 p.m. | Tennis Ch. | ||