Pro women’s volleyball is getting another chance in America.
The Pro Volleyball Federation announced its presence Thursday and said it will begin play in February 2024, calling itself “real pro volleyball and the premier women’s professional volleyball league in North America.”
The organizers, while making their announcement, revealed that Columbus, Ohio, and Dallas-Fort Worth will be two of what it expects to be eight to 10 cities the first season.
What’s more, they said players will earn “a living wage” from the start.”
The opportunity will present itself for USA women to play at home year-round. It may not be as conventional as playing a pro season in Europe, for example, but with Athletes Unlimited Volleyball moving to the fall of 2023, players could play in the AU in the fall and then PVF in the spring. League One Volleyball (LOVB) has said it plans to start a pro league in 2024 but has not announced details.
PVF players will earn about $60,000 a year, organizers said, noting that the salary is comparable to what first-year WNBA players make, and that there will be bonuses, and players on a championship team could make $100,000 or more in 2024 with those numbers escalating over time.
Dave Whinham, who lives in Columbus, Ohio, is the president and CEO and founding partner of The Team Management LLC.
“Very soon we’re going to announce an NBA ownership group,” Whinham said, adding that the names of owners and the PVF cities will begin being revealed in the next few weeks.
His volleyball partner is Stephen Evans, who lives in the Dallas suburb of Frisco and is president and founding partner of The Remedy. Together they are the founders of Pro Volleyball Federation.
Another partner is Super Bowl-winning quarterback Trent Dilfer, whose three daughters all excelled at volleyball, including Tori, who is playing professionally now in Perugia in the Italian league.
“This is the first volleyball league in the United States that will be offering their players a living wage,” Evans said. “And I think we’re the first league ever in sports to do revenue sharing with the players from day one.
“And the reason for that is the players are the product and the players are the most important part of this.”
The league’s vice-president of operations is former Florida State coach Cecile Reynaud, who has served as the chair of the USA Volleyball board of directors.
“I couldn’t be more excited…
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