A MESSAGE FROM THE USAV CEO First 100 days — more energized than ever
http://www.facebook.com/USAVolleyball http://twitter.com/USAVolleyball Digital issue:
www.usavolleyball.org/mag
CORPORATE PARTNERS ® SPONSORS / SUPPLIERS
WITH 100 DAYS BEHIND ME AS THE NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF USA Volleyball, all I can say is WOW! I have spent my entire 26-year career in the sports broadcasting, marketing and digital industry, and now know first-hand how misunderstood the perception of volleyball is in the general public’s mind. The majority of Americans only think about volleyball for 17 days every four years and they have no idea what an unbelievable game they are missing. They also have no idea how large and impact- ful this sport has become in the lives of the American youth. Even myself, a career sports executive, had no idea that girls’ volleyball is today the highest high school team participa- tory sport, surpassing girls’ basketball, and that boys’ volleyball has become the second fastest growing high school sport over the last five years. Even more exciting is the fact that this momentum is not just limited to indoor vol- leyball – the sport is firing on all cylinders! When it comes to beach, the NCAA last year made women’s volleyball a full championship sport and over 55 Division I and Division II schools now have programs that will feed into the beach volleyball championship this May. USA Volleyball has expanded its Junior Beach Tour to record numbers, and the beach high performance pipeline continues to grow to accom- modate the surging demand among our youth players. Our Women’s Sitting Volleyball Team captured gold at the 2016 Paralympic Games after silver medals in 2008 and 2012 and the discipline is growing in popularity and attention across the country. In my first 100 days, I have witnessed firsthand the excitement of volleyball here in the
United States and now know why we are on a rocket ship together. In February, I attended the FIVB Fort Lauderdale Major that kick-started the international beach season. The players, both from the USA and abroad, were bigger than life and the action on the court in front of a packed arena was absolutely must-see. The energy from the crowd and the non-stop entertain- ment all week long made me never want the event to end. I was also fortunate to take in the unique Boston Volleyball Festival the first weekend of
March. It was amazing to see 650 teams compete in the Boston Convention Center where junior athletes competed on side-by-side courts with adults in separate competitions. The event served as a qualifier for our USAV Girls’ 18s Junior National Championships along with brackets for other youth age divisions. Exposing these exceptional young athletes to the adult play right beside them allowed these players to witness how volleyball extends past college and can be a lifelong sport. Also, during the course of the Festival, a sitting volleyball court was set up where youth and adult players could try this discipline for the first time. What better way to expand participation and the fan base of sitting volleyball than to try it yourself? I have seen first-hand that our players rank as our top commodity to sell the sport, along with the coaches and lay leaders. The passion the players have while inside the white lines – whether in beach, indoor or sitting volleyball – is unparalleled. The dedication coaches have in teaching our athletes sparks a love for the game, and the commitment shown by the leaders within our Regional Volleyball Associations and our national office staff is tireless. Through our website and social media, we are growing fan connections to our national team athletes and sport in general. Our website had 4.7 million visitors in 2016 (64 percent annual increase) with just under 20 million page views (50 percent annual increase). We have over 1.3 million social media fans led by 657,000 on our Facebook page, 189,000 on Twitter and 409,000 on Instagram. In 2016, we experienced an overall 38 percent growth in all our social media accounts.
After my first 100 days on the job as the CEO of USA Volleyball, I am energized more
than ever to support and grow this amazing game in America. Thank you all for the wonderful foundation you have laid!
Jamie Davis USAV CEO
PHOTO: USAV
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78
