LOVB Pro (pronounced "love" and commonly referred to as League One Volleyball) is an American women's professional indoor volleyball league. The league is owned by League One Volleyball (LOVB), a volleyball body founded in 2020. Its first season will begin in January 2025.
 | |
| Sport | Volleyball |
|---|---|
| Founded | October 19, 2021 |
| First season | 2025 |
| Owner(s) | League One Volleyball |
| CEO | Katlyn Gao |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Country | United States |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California, United States |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN |
| Streaming partner(s) | ESPN+ |
| Official website | LOVB.com |
History
editLeague One Volleyball (LOVB) was founded in 2020 by Katlyn Gao, Peter Hirschmann, and Olympian Kevin Wong as a network of youth volleyball clubs across the United States with the intent of eventually creating and sustaining a professional league.[1] As of August 2024[update], LOVB's youth business includes 60 club locations in 24 states, with over 14,000 youth athletes and 3,000 coaches. These clubs provide volleyball coaching and preparation for team competition for youth ages 12-18 interested in playing travel volleyball. [2]
On October 19, 2021, LOVB formally announced the creation of its professional league, branded as LOVB Pro.[3]
On March 9, 2023, LOVB announced its first professional cities as Atlanta, Georgia, and Houston, Texas.[4] Upon announcement, each team also announced their first player or players (all of whom have won Olympic medals), dubbed their "founding athletes"; Atlanta announced Fabiana Claudino and Kelsey Robinson-Cook, and Houston announced Micha Hancock and Jordan Thompson.[4] On April 27, a team was added in Madison, Wisconsin with founding athlete Lauren Carlini.[5] On June 5, the fourth city was announced as Salt Lake City, Utah, led by founding athletes Jordyn Poulter and Haleigh Washington.[6] On August 16, Omaha, Nebraska was announced as the fifth host city with founding athletes Jordan Larson and Justine Wong-Orantes.[7] In December, the league announced it would be building a dedicated training facility for LOVB Madison and area LOVB youth squads in the Madison suburb of Sun Prairie.[8] A week later, the league announced its final city as Austin, Texas, with founding athlete Carli Lloyd.[9]
Inaugural season
editOn May 9, 2024, LOVB and ESPN announced an international media rights agreement that would see 10 matches broadcast on ESPN networks and an additional 18 streamed on ESPN+ for the 2025 season.[10] Team venues and schedules for the 2025 season were announced on July 18.[11]
The 2025 season will feature four matches per week; a single head-to-head match and a homestand-style "Weekend with LOVB", where one team will host two others for three total matches. An in-season tournament, the LOVB Classic, will be held alongside the Triple Crown NIT youth invitational in February in Kansas City, Missouri, with the finals held in April.[11]
Teams
edit
LOVB teams do not have traditional team names, and instead compete as "LOVB" followed by the city name.
| Team | Location | Venue | Capacity | Joined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LOVB Atlanta | College Park, Georgia | Gateway Center Arena | 3,500 | 2025 |
| LOVB Austin | Austin, Texas | H-E-B Center Strahan Arena |
8,700 10,000 |
2025 |
| LOVB Houston | Rosenberg, Texas | Fort Bend Epicenter | 10,000 | 2025 |
| LOVB Madison | Madison, Wisconsin | Wisconsin Field House Alliant Energy Center |
7,540 7,432 |
2025 |
| LOVB Omaha | Omaha, Nebraska | Liberty First Credit Union Arena Baxter Arena |
4,600 7,898 |
2025 |
| LOVB Salt Lake | Salt Lake City, Utah | Lifetime Activities Center Maverik Center |
5,000 12,500 |
2025 |
Sponsorship and funding
editOn September 28, 2022, LOVB raised $16.75 million in a Series A funding round, headlined by Billie Jean King and Kevin Durant.[12] A year later, LOVB raised $35 million in a Series B round that included investments from Lindsey Vonn, Jayson Tatum, and Candace Parker.[13]
On June 17, 2024, LOVB and Adidas signed an apparel partnership that would make Adidas the uniform supplier of LOVB Pro.[14] Two days later, LOVB announced a partnership with Spanx, the apparel brand's first sports partnership, to provide apparel and support league initiatives for LOVB's youth and professional circuits.[15]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "USA Volleyball and League One Volleyball Announce Partnership". USA Volleyball. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
- ^ Pimental, Joseph (March 11, 2023). "Are you ready for some volleyball? A new women's pro league hopes the answer is yes". Spectrum News.
- ^ Chappell, Bill (October 19, 2021). "Are you ready for some volleyball? A new women's pro league hopes the answer is yes". NPR.
- ^ a b "LOVB, eyeing 2024 pro volleyball season, announces Atlanta and Houston locations". Volleyballmag.com. March 9, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
- ^ Jacques, Mike; Nijhawan, Shaina (April 27, 2023). "Professional volleyball coming to Madison". WMTV-TV. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
- ^ Page, Jared (June 5, 2023). "LOVB invites Salt Lake City to host new pro women's volleyball team". Gephardt Daily. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
- ^ Krueger, Adam (August 16, 2023). "Omaha named new team in League One Volleyball". KMTV-TV. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
- ^ Jacobs, Kylie (December 4, 2023). "LOVB Madison to open first pro facility; announce first pro player". WMTV-TV. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
- ^ Jones, Kimberley (December 11, 2023). "A New Women's Pro Volleyball League Is Launching in Austin in 2024". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
- ^ Cahillane, Mollie (May 9, 2024). "League One Volleyball signs media deal with ESPN ahead of debut". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
- ^ a b Feinswog, Lee (July 18, 2024). "League One Volleyball announces 2025 pro venues, six-team schedule". Volleyballmag.com. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
- ^ Smith, Chris (September 28, 2022). "League One Volleyball looks to accelerate growth after Series A funding round". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
- ^ Feldman, Jacob (September 27, 2023). "League One Volleyball Raises $35 Million to Serve Growing Fanbase". Sportico.com. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
- ^ Pelit, Asli (June 17, 2024). "Adidas, League One Volleyball Ink Multiyear Partnership". Sportico.com. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
- ^ Hendriksz, Vivian (June 19, 2024). "Spanx partners with League One Volleyball to support young volleyball players". FashionUnited. Retrieved August 3, 2024.