League One Volleyball (LOVB), the first full season professional women’s volleyball league in America, has announced that it has selected Atlanta as one of its first pro team markets.
Atlanta was announced alongside Houston, TX as the two initial cities to receive teams in the upcoming volleyball league. In total, LOVB plans to feature six pro clubs in different U.S. cities by the start of the league’s inaugural season.
LOVB says that it chose Atlanta and Houston based on numerous criteria, including current volleyball spectatorship, level of fandom in the market, travel conditions, arena availability, and more.
The league will look to connect its pro teams with area-adjacent volleyball clubs to solidify a club to the pro model, as well as help professional players to familiarize themselves with club talents and the community, according to a release.
LOVB says it plans to tie Atlanta’s pro team with the A5 Volleyball Club — a junior volleyball organization in Roswell, Georgia.
“At LOVB, we are not just setting out to create another league, but to make major league volleyball in the U.S. a reality,” said Katlyn Gao, co-founder, and CEO of LOVB.
“We are being incredibly methodical and purposeful in how we build. Through our community up model, which starts with our clubs, we are actively creating a path from club to pro, as well as building an ecosystem of engaged fans from the ground floor. We believe volleyball deserves to be on center stage and are incredibly proud of the strides we are making in the sport.”
The inaugural season for the LOVB pro league is set to start in November 2024 with its preseason. The regular season will begin in January 2025 and finish in April.
For more information on League One Volleyball, head over to their website.