15 Division I College Teams to Compete in Sand Volleyball in 2012

SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND – December 22, 2011 -- One of America’s favorite Olympic sports -- beach volleyball -- is being rebranded as ‘sand volleyball’ at the collegiate and high school levels. Gone are the bikini uniforms worn at the beach and on television by Olympic athletes.   In their place will be young athletes representing their academic institutions wearing their school colors. 

According to SGMA Research, beach/sand volleyball is a growing sport which is gaining popularity at all levels. Since 2007, sand/beach volleyball has added more than one million annual participants, a 28% increase in four years.

At last Thursday’s (December 15th) SGMA Volleyball Council meeting in San Antonio, Kathy DeBoer, president of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), discussed the prospects of sand volleyball and its future.

"Adding sand volleyball to the emerging sports list for women was a great move by the NCAA," said AVCA Executive Director Kathy DeBoer. "This is a very popular sport, and quite distinct from court volleyball.  In the last two years, per SGMA reports, participation has increased almost 20% to more than five million players, and we are just at the beginning of the curve."

“The AVCA will be hosting the first Collegiate Sand Volleyball Championship on April 27-29 in Gulf Shores, Alabama -- with four schools vying to become the first national champion of the new sport.

In 2012, 15 colleges/universities will compete at the Division I level, with 11 of the 15 being located in the Southeast. For at least the first year of sand volleyball competition, no NCAA Champion will be crowned since the minimum number of teams needed for NCAA consideration is 40. With the emergence of sand volleyball as a recognized collegiate sport, the NCAA has announced that six scholarships will be available at the Division I level and five scholarships at the Division II level. David Clendenin from the NCAA announced that the NCAA has added its 89th Championship with the creation of the Division III Men’s Volleyball National Championship which will also be held in spring of 2012.

“Volleyball is in a great position moving into 2012,” Neil Schwartz, director of business development for SGMA Research. “The ability for the industry to take the exposure from the Olympics and translate it into participation growth will influence the future of the game for years to come.”

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