Team Insight

F irst played in 1895 in Holyoke, MA, vol- leyball was originally called mintonette — the current name was later introduced because the point of the game is to volley the ball back and forth over the net. It's also worth noting that Spalding produced the first volleyball in 1900. Since that inauspicious beginning the sport has been nurtured at many levels and has blossomed into a global game that is played equally by both genders, although the girls' version is more prevalent at the high school and club level in America. Participation by girls in high school volleyball is strong and showing no signs of slowing down. According to NFHS, girls' volleyball is a top three sport — second in terms of participation (444,779 players) and third in terms of the number of schools (15,992). The girls' game is played nationwide; by contrast, boys' high school volleyball is played in only 23 states. The top five states are Texas, California, Illinois, Florida and Ohio. Why the popularity? One high school athletic direc- tor has an interesting perspective on why there's a rising level of interest in girls' volleyball. "It's a sport that allows girls to be athletic, while still showing their feminine side," says Keith Huisman, athletic director at Calvary Christian School, Fort Lauderdale, FL. "Court volleyball is played in climate controlled gyms and there's no body contact with a teammate or the opposition, unlike the body contact that does take place in other girls' team sports like lacrosse, basketball, soccer and softball." At the collegiate level, there were 17,386 females playing volleyball during the 2016-17 school year. At the team dealer level, volleyball generates strong revenue 12 months a year, especially from females, many of whom play throughout the year at both the club and scholastic level. "We stock and sell everything connected to girls playing volleyball," says Duke Sporting Goods' Dale Keith. "Volleyball also has more personal items that girls want to buy, which makes it a good profit maker." "Volleyball is now the number one category for us," said Kratz Sporting Goods' Jim Brown. "Club volleyball is driving the sales in this category. Every year, club and travel teams are buying new travel warm-ups, uniforms, shoes, socks and backpacks. It's a bigger category than girls' basketball." In Hawaii, volleyball teams call Sports Line, Hilo, HI. "Volleyball is one of our strongest sports for girls," says salesman Damien Chow. "Female volleyball teams are buying volleyballs, shin pads, uniforms and socks." The enthusiasm and passion that volleyball players and parents have for their sport is quite high. That passion translates to spending money on the sport. "The support that volleyball is getting is rivaling football, in some instances," says Scott Nelson, of Local Team Shop. "The volleyball fanwear sales get stronger and stronger." "Volleyball has taken off here in West Virginia," agrees Spartan's Larry Foster. "Because of club volleyball's popularity, volleyball is my biggest team sport for girls," adds Medallion's Kevin Licata. "Every club team makes annual purchases of uni- forms, socks, warm-ups, backpacks and balls," he says. "Everything is customized for the team and personalized for the players." Q 32 Team Insight / March 2018 teaminsightmag.com GIRLS' & WOMEN'S SPORTS / VOLLEYBALL The strength of club programs teams with growth at the high school level to expand volleyball nationwide. NET EFFECT Volleyball serves up sales as top sport for some dealers. OF NOTE ... National participation numbers by SFIA indicate that females, especially young females, truly dominate participation in court volleyball. Nearly 60 percent of the 6.2 million court volleyball players in the U.S. are female. According to SFIA, there are 3.7 million females playing court volleyball, 52.7 percent of them ages 6-17 and another 16.5 percent ages 18-24. From an income perspective, 36.1 percent of all female court volleyball players come from homes where the combined annual income is at least $100,000. From a geographic perspective, the largest contingent of female court volleyball players lives in the South Atlantic region of the U.S. — Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. Q

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