The Association of Volleyball Professionals and USA Volleyball Enter into a Strategic Alliance to Focus on Growth and Enhancement of Beach Volleyball in the United States
Fountain Valley, Calif. and Colorado Springs, Colo. – November 16, 2021 – AVP, the U.S. premier professional beach volleyball organization and longest-running domestic tour, and USA Volleyball, the national governing body for beach, indoor and sitting volleyball, announced today a new partnership in an ongoing effort to grow and enhance the sport of beach volleyball within the United States.
The newly formed strategic alliance will collaborate on events, marketing, coaching and officials’ education, and more while creating new partnerships and sponsorship opportunities across the professional tour, as well as AVP America’s and USA Volleyball’s Beach Tour’s grassroots efforts. Additionally, a unified ranking system and coordinated event calendar will be the result of this partnership.
“After years of working alongside USAV — supporting each other, and sharing a common understanding of the sport, we recognized that together, our footprint could be bigger, better and the only real way to unify and enhance our sport across the dynamic landscape that we’ve each been building,” said Al Lau, CEO, AVP. “I am deeply proud of this opportunity and those involved to make it a reality — I know that there are only great things to come for those who love and play our sport. With beach volleyball expanding across the NCAA, this is the perfect time to create a proper ecosystem for the development and growth of beach volleyball.”
“As the national governing body for volleyball, our goal is to expand the strength and breadth of the sport in the United States and to have the world’s best grassroots programs and national teams,” said Jamie Davis, President and CEO, USA Volleyball. “I am convinced that partnering with the AVP in many aspects of the development of beach volleyball will lead to even further growth of the sport and enhance our competitive excellence on the world stage. Virtually all of USA Volleyball’s national team players also compete on the AVP Tour so this alliance makes total sense.”
About the AVP
Powered by some of the most dynamic and elite athletes in the world, the Association of Volleyball Professionals is the premier professional beach volleyball organization and longest-running domestic beach volleyball tour in the United States. Founded in 1983, the AVP has produced some of the world’s most beloved athletes, providing fans with unparalleled access to nail-biting matches on the sand. In 1996, beach volleyball became an official sport of the Olympic Games and the AVP proudly serves as the home court for Team USA’s Olympians.
Headquartered in southern California, the AVP operates a 3-tiered development system. AVPFirst, a 501(3)c youth program, is focused on creating healthy lifestyles and a lifelong connection to the sport by offering access to all. AVPNext is a developmental circuit providing athletes the opportunity to develop their skills and earn valuable AVP points to climb the rankings towards becoming a pro. The decorated AVP Pro Tour is the gold standard in beach volleyball, with over 100 pro athletes competing for top prize money in front of over 120 million fans worldwide. Additionally, in an effort to grow the sport and celebrate those who love the game, AVP America leads a grassroots movement across the United States to curate thousands of events and matches for fans and players
About USAV
Founded in 1928, USA Volleyball is a non-profit organization recognized by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) and World ParaVolley as the National Governing Body for the sport of volleyball including the disciplines of beach, indoor, sitting, snow and beach Paravolley in the United States. With more than 425,000 registered members, USA Volleyball conducts national championship events, coaching and officials certification programs, and grassroots development across all disciplines in a lifetime sport in which all can participate. USA Volleyball’s teams have won an Olympic medal in every Olympic Games since 1984, five Paralympic medals since 2004 and numerous World Cup, World Championship and Continental Championship titles. The United States women are the reigning Olympic and Paralympic gold medalists in beach, indoor and sitting volleyball. For more information on USA Volleyball, visit www.usavolleyball.org. #PathtothePodium