She compares the approach to that of many teams in the MLS, which have close ties to youth teams in their home markets. "We're doing it in a very bottom-up way and not the traditional top-down, 'build it and they'll come' way," Gao said. Gao says LOVB is taking a different approach. For decades, attempts to form a lasting pro volleyball league failed.
Popular college programs such as the one at the University of Nebraska routinely sell out their arenas.īut even with that support, it's a daunting task to form a professional sports league from scratch. Indoor volleyball is undeniably popular in the U.S., with millions of current and former players and thousands of youth teams. LOVB is pinning its pro hopes on youth clubs But the celebratory homecoming didn't last long: Weeks after returning to the U.S., Wong-Orantes and other top players packed up again, so they could fly overseas and play in the pro leagues that pay their bills and sustain their careers. Wong-Orantes hit new heights in her sport this summer, winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics with the U.S. "I'm super excited to even be talking about having a league in America," Justine Wong-Orantes, a key player on the U.S. The athletes and sports executives behind the fledgling league call it a dream - but it's one they want to come true. LOVB plans to unveil its professional league in 2022. The league aims to keep top players at home doesn't have a pro league, she's currently playing in Germany. Team USA's Justine Wong-Orantes hits the ball in a match against Serbia during the Tokyo Olympics on Aug.
Gao's new league is meant to create a new option, to give top American players a reason to stay home rather than playing in Italy, Turkey, Japan and other countries with strong leagues.
The players leave because for most of them, the international leagues are the only way they can hone their skills, earn a living and maybe prepare for a shot at the Olympics. They want to be closer to home, closer to the communities that they have been brought up in." "We have 400 girls that have to go abroad if they want to continue in the world of volleyball," Katlyn Gao, the CEO of a new pro league called League One Volleyball, told NPR. does not: dozens of women's pro volleyball leagues that are crucial for players to reach the highest level of their sport. That's because the rest of the world has something the U.S. women head to international leagues after college. The game is thriving from the youth level up to the Olympics. women's volleyball is second to none, sitting atop the world rankings. League One Volleyball is a new pro league that aims to nurture players from the youth club level, where coaches and elite players will share their expertise.