CEO’S MESSAGE
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Family favorite
A NEW FIVB INITIATIVE HAS BEEN PROMOTING AND POSITIONING VOLLEYBALL as the world’s No. 1 family sport. I don’t pretend to be objective, but I think that’s right on the mark. As much or more than any other sport, volleyball brings families together and can appeal to the whole family. I saw a great example of this when I was in Poland in 2014 for the FIVB Men’s World Champi-
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onship. Everywhere you looked in the stands, there were families enjoying the matches, cheering, appreciating the big plays, vocalizing their approval. You could tell by the looks on their faces that it wasn’t just about supporting the home team. They were passionate about the sport as a whole. Children enjoying a great sporting event and a great sport just has to be a very good thing. The numerous volleyball players, coaches and fans I interact with on a regular basis only bolster my belief that promoting the family element of this sport is not only a good strategy, it’s a genuine one. Over the summer in Rio de Janeiro, we had a very successful finish to our quadrennial, winning a Paralympic gold medal (women’s sitting) and three Olympic bronze medals (men’s and women’s indoor, women’s beach). But as you know, success in sports is about more than medals. I’m most proud of the way our athletes carried themselves on these international stages. They’re just fantastic individuals – personable, well-spoken, engaging and available – and they model character traits that any parent would value. They work hard and compete hard but also practice good sportsmanship. They think for themselves but are also willing to hear the viewpoints of others. And they’re resil- ient. All of the medal-winning teams I mentioned above had setbacks during the Olympics, and all of them pulled together, refocused and bounced back to play another day of great volleyball. Picking yourself up after a very tough loss makes the next success that much more rewarding and special. In January, I will be retiring after 12 years as CEO of USA Volleyball, and it genuinely has been my honor! But I’m not retiring from the game. I plan to be very involved in working to develop professional volleyball in this country so more families can enjoy it. With the continued support of USAV, my hope is that we can build on models that are already in place. In the indoor game, for instance, USAV supports and sanctions the Premier Volleyball League (along with other entities), which is made up of teams from among the 40 Regional Volleyball Associations across the U.S. With a modest investment, I believe the PVL could grow in ways that would help our national teams as well as offer more opportunities for volleyball fans to see high-level play, maybe leading to pro volleyball. Growth on the beach is equally important. In the upcoming quadrennial, I hope to see increased collaboration between USAV and all of the entities that currently run pro beach volleyball, from the AVP to the NVL to the organizers of FIVB tournaments held on U.S. soil. Mutual cooperation would go a long way toward not only growing the pro level of the game but expanding junior and grassroots beach programs; something that is just exploding across the country. Also on my wish list: Increased funding for sitting volleyball. Anybody who followed the Paralym- pics is well aware that this is such an exciting area of the game. It’s fun to watch, and it’s great for athletes with disabilities to represent their country and play at the highest level of competition. Each of these athletes have overcome tremendous physical challenges and have compelling stories to share. I’ll wrap this up with a call to action: Whatever challenges and differences of opinion there may be, let’s work through them to bring this terrific game to more people. It won’t be an easy task, but it will be a worthy one. The future for our sport couldn’t be brighter.
Doug Beal
PHOTO: WALLY NELL
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