League One Volleyball (LOVB), the first professional full-season volleyball League in the U.S., announced it has chosen Houston, Texas as one of its first pro team markets. With LOVB’s Houston Skyline’s robust club presence in the city, LOVB will strategically tie its pro team to its clubs in the region, helping the league to build an ecosystem of fandom, starting on the ground floor as pro players become even more familiar and accessible to club players and the community at large. Houston Skyline has 79 teams across three locations in the greater Houston area. It has also developed a number of marquee players like Madisen Skinner, who was a part of Texas’s 2022 NCAA Volleyball championship team, as well as others who’ve gone on to play in college and beyond.
“Houston is thrilled to have been selected as one of LOVB’s first pro team markets,” said Janis Burke, Harris County – Houston Sports Authority CEO. “As interest in women’s volleyball continues to grow and as a region that champions female athletes, we look forward to bringing new opportunities to all involved. LOVB’s unique model will allow even more individuals to get involved and advance within the sport.”
LOVB also announced the addition of superstar athlete, Haleigh Washington to its pro league roster. Following the December signings of Olympic Gold medalists Kelsey Robinson and Justine Wong-Orantes, Washington will join LOVB’s ever-growing slate of remarkable talent as it prepares to launch its pre-season following the Paris Olympics in 2024.
“At LOVB, we are not just setting out to create another league, but to make major league volleyball in the US 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.”
To determine its first two pro team locations of Houston and Atlanta, LOVB examined club to pro viability against a robust list of criteria. The league looked at everything from the level of women’s volleyball fandom in the market, current volleyball spectatorship, ease of travel and proximity to airports, availability of arenas and more. The league also consulted its athletes council to determine what they believed would make for a successful season.
At launch, LOVB’s professional league will start with six teams, in six different cities across the country. The inaugural season will begin with a pre-season in November 2024, and then will move onto the main season starting in January and concluding April of 2025.
“LOVB is bringing the right energy and rigor to the sport and is taking the right steps to ensure that the structure, benefits and opportunities it offers both on and off the court are equitable and enticing to players around the globe,” said Haleigh Washington. “I’m thrilled to be joining LOVB’s pro league at such an important inflection point in volleyball’s trajectory and believe this is only the start of something big.”
For more information about LOVB, its club teams and launch of its pro teams, please visit www.lovb.com
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About Harris County – Houston Sports Authority
The Harris County – Houston Sports Authority (HCHSA) maintains the facilities and services the debt of the world-class, professional sports venues it was created to build. To support this primary mission, the HCHSA serves as a leading proponent for attracting sporting events to Houston and for promoting the city as a home for sports-related activities, to ultimately enhance Houston’s economic development and bring better quality of life for its residents. HCHSA also created the annual Houston Sports Awards to honor the area’s outstanding athletes. HoustonSports.org
About LOVB
Founded in 2020, LOVB’s mission is to reimagine the future of volleyball. With a unique community up approach, the female first, single entity league has attracted the attention of notable investors from female founded companies who understand the opportunity the league will bring as it reaches 38 million former and current players in the US and continues its trajectory of being the most played youth sport for girls. For more information on LOVB, its athlete council and its professional league, please visit www.lovb.com or on social channels likeInstagram.
