Set for Big Things

Is women’s volleyball a kill or a fault for dealers? There are differing schools of thought

When it comes to women’s volleyball, dealers seem to fall into one of two categories — either they see the glass half-full or half-empty.

Dusty Crane, assistant manager and road salesman for Best Sports in Arkansas, is an optimist. Best Sports has been in business since 1972 andf caters to schools within a 120-mile radius of its locations in Fayetteville and Rogers. Best Sports does some retail business, but its bread-and-butter is team sales.

“Volleyball is relatively new to our area,” Crane says. “It has continued to grow over the last few years, and I only see it getting larger. All of our large schools have volleyball, and I can see the smaller ones adding it in the next couple of years.”

Kerry Klostermann, secretary general for USA Volleyball, backs this assertion fully. “Women’s volleyball is exceptionally strong,” he says. “Especially the junior girls program. The sport has great appeal. It’s teamwork oriented, and the risk of injury is low.”

The picture of women’s volleyball is even rosier
when you look at the statistics, particularly in comparison to the men’s game. According to USA Volleyball, 49 states now offer high school volleyball for girls, as opposed to just 22 for boys. The total number of girls who play at the high school level is approximately 400,000. SGMA reports that among court volleyball players 17 or younger in 2007, 73 percent were female.

Additionally, participation by women on NCAA teams has increased by 47 percent since 1990.
That last statistic, points out Klostermann, reveals one of the reasons why the popularity of USA Volleyball’s junior girls program has skyrocketed. “It’s a direct result of the opportunity for college scholarships,” he says.

But Bob Beniers, owner of Beacon Sporting Goods, Quincy, MA, isn’t convinced of women’s volleyball’s ability to be a big-time revenue generator. Beacon does a strong team business, with baseball, football and hockey leading the way, but views women’s volleyball as no more than a fill-in. “The numbers just aren’t there,” he says. “We can’t make a living off of it.”

For that reason, Beacon really doesn’t approach women’s volleyball the same way it attacks other sports. Most of the business is repeat customers. “There are only a few other team dealers in our area,” says Beniers. “Everyone has their niche.
Not many do women’s volleyball.”

Crane, by contrast, sees opportunity in lesser competition. He also believes that women’s volleyball has the grassroots support necessary to withstand the shaky economy. “Right now some of our schools are cutting budgets,” he says. “It has not slowed our sales yet, but in the coming year it may be an issue. Our athletic directors have the final say on spending, but luckily our schools have great booster clubs that will pick up the slack.”

Klostermann agrees. “Women’s volleyball is a stable market and a growth market,” he explains. “Uniforms represent a significant part of it. Price doesn’t seem to be an issue.”

Klostermann adds that the future looks bright for the sport. “Despite the economy, it was a good year in terms of participation and events for women’s volleyball,” he says. “There’s also the emergence of sand volleyball, which will start on the NCAA level in 2011. Women’s volleyball has proven to be fairly recession proof. The sport is positioned for continued growth.”


Participation Spikes
According to USA Volleyball, these are the Top 10 regions for women’s volleyball in terms of membership:

1. Ohio Valley (Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton)
17,222 members
2. North Country (Minneapolis, St. Paul)
16,750 members
3. So. California (Greater LA, San Diego)
15,966 members
4. Great Lakes (Chicago, Springfield)
13,506 members
5. No. California (San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland)
12,598 members
6. Lone Star (Dallas, Ft. Worth, Austin)
11,081 members
7. Heart of America (KC, Topeka, Wichita)
9660 members
8. Badger (Milwaukee, Madison)
8578 members
9. Iowa (Des Moines, Cedar Rapids)
8331 members
10. Hoosier (Indianapolis, Louisville)
8115 members

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