Pro Volleyball Federation Provides New Horizon For Volleyball Players

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Nov 17, 2022, 14:27 ET

- Super Bowl Champion Among Backers Of North America's Premier Volleyball League -

FRISCO, Texas and COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A historic day for women's professional sports in North America has arrived with the launch of Pro Volleyball Federation. The indoor volleyball league will take the court in February 2024, providing a new professional horizon for volleyball players throughout North America.

Pro Volleyball Federation has attracted some well-known founding partners from inside and outside the sport. Super Bowl Champion Trent Dilfer highlights an impressive roster of founding partners in support of the venture. In addition, two legends of the sport – Dr. Cecile Reynaud and Laurie Corbelli – will be intimately involved from the start, as will Team USA veteran Jenna Rosenthal.

"I'm really more known now as the 'Dad of Setters' than a Super Bowl champion, so this is really meaningful to me and my family," said Dilfer, who has three volleyball-playing daughters. "The lack of a major league women's professional volleyball league has always perplexed me. The athleticism, determination and emotion of the athletes is so much fun to watch, and the game is so big overseas. I am so excited to be a part of something long overdue."

Founders of the league are Dave Whinham, President & CEO of The TEAM Management, LLC, and Stephen Evans, President of The Remedy. The duo boasts many years of combined experience in building and managing professional sports leagues and teams and providing comprehensive consultation and thought leadership to the industry.

"We're establishing a league built on the pillars of viability, quality, and fairness," Whinham said. "That's not a slogan – it's a commitment. We have set out to impact lives and help create legacies – and that's what really matters."

Pro Volleyball Federation is a women's professional league that will be run primarily by women. Jen Spicher, a respected business executive who has built sales teams responsible for billions of dollars of revenue generation, has been tapped as Chief Executive Officer. Reynaud, a member of the USA Volleyball Hall of Fame who spent 26 seasons as head coach at Florida State, will serve as Vice President of Volleyball Operations. Corbelli, also a Hall of Fame coach who amassed more than 600 career victories, will assist Reynaud in developing the league's volleyball operations.

"This is something that we have been building for more than 18 months and we are finally at this exciting point where we can tell the world about this fantastic new opportunity for these awesome athletes," Spicher said. "I was a college volleyball player and know first-hand the excitement these young ladies are feeling to finally have a meaningful opportunity to be a professional volleyball player without having to go overseas."

Eight to 10 initial teams will debut in volleyball hotbeds throughout the nation in 2024, with additional markets added in subsequent years. Pro Volleyball Federation, which has already identified ownership groups in five markets, will begin announcing markets and ownership groups in December.

The regular season will consist of 16 matches during the inaugural campaign. Rosters will include 14 players and the league expects to have a minimum of three National Game of the Week windows on major broadcast networks and a worldwide streaming partner.

First-year base salaries in Pro Volleyball Federation will be similar to those of current first-year WNBA players. Pro Volleyball Federation players will be able to earn additional compensation based on achievement and postseason advancement, while also sharing revenues with the league.

"One of the paramount motivations for building this league was a desire to treat our athletes the right way," said Evans. "We are proud that we are the first professional volleyball league to provide our players a living wage while playing in North America."

"Volleyball is one of the most popular sports around the world and many countries offer a variety of leagues for athletes to participate in," Reynaud said. "The United States is one of the few that has not had a true professional league providing athletes opportunities to continue to play at a high level after college. Pro Volleyball Federation is ready to establish a league with teams around the country that will support these top athletes and coaches."

In addition to upcoming announcements of team markets and ownership groups, Pro Volleyball Federation will soon be making announcements related to corporate partners, media and broadcast alliances, additional league investors and other key partners.

Those wishing to become a part of Pro Volleyball Federation, whether as a prospective player, coach, team owner, investor, sponsor, vendor, media company, or host venue, can email [email protected] or visit provolleyballfederation.com.

SOURCE Pro Volleyball Federation