INSIDE THE REGIONS USA Volleyball to support new grassroots pro league U
SA Vol- leyball is creating
additional buzz to the world of adult volleyball with the establishment of a new adult league, which is expected to provide some quality battles at the upcoming 2012 USA Volleyball
Open National Championships to be held in Utah in May. The USA Premier Volleyball League (PVL) is a grassroots professional volleyball league beginning in 2012, and it is expected be made up of teams from among the 40 Regional Volleyball Associations across the United States. The PVL is being designed as an adult High Performance initiative based on the USA Volleyball Region system with a slight twist, a professional league in look and feel. The USA PVL will be sanctioned by USA Volleyball and will offer tournament play and a league championship event each year. In 2012 the PVL plans to offer a single league championship event at the USA Vol- leyball Open National Championships in Salt Lake City, Utah. Entry commitments have been received from the Florida Region, Intermoun- tain Region, Iowa Region, Puget Sound Re- gion, North Texas Region and Arizona Region to compete in the inaugural event with as many as eight other Regions working on getting a team in place. Depending on number entries, a prize fund of up to $20,000 could be offered. “While the PVL concept may take longer to gain momentum than other leagues in the past, I feel this model has a promising future,” said Tom Pingel, USA Volleyball senior director and PVL commissioner. “Many of the Regions of USA Volleyball have had Region High Per- formance programs for many years and this is a logical next step. For some Regions, this will be an easier program to implement than that for junior athletes. I very much feel the future for the PVL will be bright.”
Regions will have the option to plug in at many different levels based on their respec- tive budgets. They can simply fi eld a team for the PVL Championships in Salt Lake City, or they can schedule tournaments and exhibition matches in their respective regions prior to at- tending the PVL Championships. The beauty of this model is that every Region can participate if they choose.
In 2013 (and beyond), the PVL is expected to offer tournament play at various USA Vol-
24 | VOLLEYBALLUSA
playing opportuni- ties for post-col- legiate athletes in the participating Regions.
Along with
leyball Junior National Qualifi ers (JNQ’s) in addition to the USA Volleyball Open National Championships. Under the current plans, the league championships (starting in 2013) are expected to take place in conjunction with the USA Volleyball Girls’ Junior National Cham- pionships event that is held in various locations throughout the USA. The goal is to add a men’s division in the near future and the league championships for the men will take place at the USA Volleyball Boys’ Junior National Championships event. “The PVL has unlimited potential and could grow to become one of the largest professional sports leagues in the United States,” said Steve Bishop, Florida Region executive director and PVL assistant commissioner. “With the poten- tial of having up to 40 teams, I believe that our fans will enjoy seeing pro-level volleyball at many of the USA Volleyball sanctioned events in the United States. For me, this has been long-time coming. I am honored to be involved in the development and rollout of the fi rst USA Volleyball sanctioned professional league and I invite all volleyball enthusiasts to get on board and help us make the PVL a permanent part of the volleyball landscape.”
Post-collegiate athletes who are interested in participating in the PVL should contact their Regional Volleyball Association (RVA) offi ce and inquire about their respective team. Athletes must be registered with the Region in which they live; however, a two-person exception will be allowed for up to two athletes registered in another Region provided that the other Region does not have a team in the league.
There are many differences between the
PVL and all previous professional volleyball leagues. The PVL will not require ticket sales or television sponsorships to be successful. It is being built on the success of the USA Vol- leyball regions, which have continued to grow during one of the toughest economies in recent U.S. history. The PVL will take the pros to the fans and create role models for our growing junior volleyball population. The PVL is a grassroots, bottom-up model that will create
Pingel and Bishop, USA Volleyball CEO Doug Beal is also very involved in the planning and coordination of the PVL.
For the latest information on this develop- ing grassroots league visit
http://www.usapvl. com/
AboutUs.htm
Arizona Region helps add high school sand volleyball Thanks in part to USA Volleyball’s Arizona
Region, Arizona has become the fi rst state in the U.S. to make competitive sand volleyball a high school sport for the 2012 spring season. On Oct. 17, the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA), by a unanimous 11-0 vote, formally adopted a proposal brought forth by the Arizona Region of USA Volleyball. “Beach volleyball is an exciting sport to play and to watch,” Arizona Region Commissioner Harold Cranswick said. “The Arizona Region of USA Volleyball is excited to partner with the AIA to be the fi rst
state in the United States to offer beach vol- leyball at the high school level. The decision of the AIA to pilot this sport will mean more opportunities for young people to participate in sports.”
“I think it shows the traction that the sport
is likely to have going forward as more and more NCAA institutions adopt sand volley- ball,” USA Volleyball CEO Doug Beal said. “Arizona could easily become the model for the direction other states will follow in mak- ing this a sanctioned high school sport.” The region got the idea to add sand volley- ball at the high school level after the NCAA added it as an emerging sport for women. “We looked around and couldn’t fi nd any other states with high school sand volleyball,” said Eric Hodgson, outreach director of the Arizona Region.
Hodgson and Cranswick fi rst brought the proposal to add sand volleyball to the AIA in September of 2010. The proposal was met with interest, but put on the back burner. In September of 2011, the region returned
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