Participation on volleyball teams jumped nearly 30 percent in three years, and the only sport with greater growth between 2021 and 2023 was fast-pitch softball, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association. All that adds up to plenty of volleyball clubs and event organizers looking for tournament space.
“Volleyball’s indoor and outdoor versatility enhances its appeal,” says Chris Ackerman, Director of Sales for Discover Lancaster in Pennsylvania. “Whether played indoors or on the beach, the sport remains accessible year-round, keeping athletes engaged. Volleyball also thrives due to its robust community and network. The sport is supported by a well-established base of clubs and regional organizations, offering substantial opportunities for social connection. Traveling to tournaments builds relationships among players, coaches and families, creating a sense of connection and a common goal.”
“I think that travel-team volleyball continues to grow in popularity because of the opportunities it offers to the young men and women that participate,” adds Joshua Robison, Experience Development Specialist at Visit Cape in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. “There are countless tournaments across the country that offer good competition, as well as accessibility across different ages and skill levels.
Indeed, volleyball-related sports tourism is booming.
“Years ago, teams would travel to large tournaments and there might be 100 to 200 teams at an event. Events today are considered large when 700 to 1,000 teams compete over a two-day or a three-day weekend,” says Alex Schiphoff, Athletic Events Coordinator at Experience Sarpy County in volleyball-crazy Nebraska. “Tournaments have expanded from utilizing local school gymnasiums to playing in convention centers with up to 100-plus courts. When convention centers started hosting and hotels started realizing the ability to bring in these families, they became weekend events everyone looked forward to. Teams, players, coaches and parents do things together on tournament weekends, which hasn’t always been the case.”
And, Schiphoff notes, it’s often the extracurricular activities that are just as important. “Depending on the city, the time of year and a tournament’s schedule, teams will organize team outings such as dinners, brunches, movies, bowling, paintball, fun parks and more. These team outing memories are what former players talk about much more than the matches being played.”
On top of all that, the formation of recent professional leagues like League One Volleyball (LOVB) and the Pro Volleyball Federation have bolstered the sport’s growth, along with the increasing popularity of college volleyball.
“The collegiate landscape continues to evolve and develop,” notes Dan Gallagher, director of sports sales for the Atlantic City Sports Commission in New Jersey. “Now that colleges and universities are able to endorse athletes, it creates a competitive market in both middle and high school that is truly unprecedented.”
From indoor courts to sandy beaches, the following eight destinations offer the facilities, the community spirit and the sports tourism know-how to make volleyball events of all sizes successful and memorable experiences.
Arlington, Texas
Located west of Dallas, Arlington offers the College Park Center, a multi-purpose arena on the University of Texas at Arlington campus, which hosted the 2023 Volleyball Nations Women’s Finals and the 2024 Volleyball Nations League Women’s Pool Play. Collectively over two years, the international competition spanned 11 days, attracted more than 45,000 attendees and generated $5.2 million in economic impact, according to officials at the Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau/Arlington Sports Commission.
The arena, which is home to UTA’s volleyball program, offers 12,000 square feet of floor space, can seat up to 7,000 fans and includes two practice courts.
Arlington is “a prime destination” for volleyball event planners, according to the CVB and commission, especially considering the city’s location between Dallas and Fort Worth, which offers participants and spectators alike opportunities to attend professional baseball, football, basketball, hockey and soccer games in the area.
Atlantic City, New Jersey
The Atlantic City Convention Center, one of the largest facilities of its kind on the East Coast and located right on the world-famous Atlantic City Boardwalk, can accommodate both indoor court volleyball and outdoor beach volleyball. Indoors, the facility offers almost 93,000 square feet of modular court space and 18 portable volleyball systems.
One of the premier annual events is the Boardwalk Block Party, which takes place in April at the convention center.
“Volleyball continues to make its mark,” Dan Gallagher, director of sports sales for the Atlantic City Sports Commission, says. “Atlantic City’s innate geographical amenities make it an ideal location to host a variety of different volleyball tournaments, whether it is setting up volleyball nets on the beach, utilizing our courts in the Atlantic City Convention Center or hosting a showcase court in Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall.”
Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Situated on the western banks of the Mississippi River about two hours south of St. Louis, Cape Girardeau boasts two indoor volleyball venues that regularly host tournaments and events. The hardwood space at the Cape Girardeau SportsPlex can convert to 12 volleyball courts and has welcomed major events like the NSSC Volleyball Club’s MLK Extravaganza and President’s Day Tournament, with the Level 12 Cape Girardeau Classic and the Memphis Metro Court Clash at the Cape on tap for early next year. The facility is well equipped to host tournaments and training camps, and it provides ample space for players and spectators, according to Joshua Robison, Experience Development Specialist at Visit Cape.
The Show Me Center on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University, meanwhile, was until recently the longtime host of the Missouri State High School Association’s Girls Volleyball State Championships.
“Volleyball events in Cape Girardeau have grown, due to the addition of the Cape Girardeau SportsPlex back in 2017, which allows us to attract teams from across the Midwest,” Robison says, noting Cape Girardeau’s central location and close proximity to cities in Illinois, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee. “The addition has also allowed local tournament organizers to expand their existing tournaments, as well as add new ones. Overall, volleyball has grown to be the number-one sport in our city for sports tourism.”
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Located in northeastern Indiana not far from the Ohio border, Fort Wayne is home to several venues that offer several volleyball courts all under the same roof. They include SportONE Parkview Fieldhouse, which delivers no fewer than eight indoor volleyball courts, and Empowered Sports Complex, which accommodates four modular-surface volleyball courts and five indoor beach volleyball courts. The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum also hosts high-profile volleyball events, including the annual Team Indiana MLK Volleyball Challenge, the President’s Day Volleyfest and the Onset Invitational.
“Volleyball has continued to grow at the youth level and has seen tremendous growth at the state level for boys’ volleyball, specifically due to the recent Indiana High School Athletic Association’s approval of it as a fully recognized sport beginning with the 2024-25 school year,” says Jazmin Zavala, sports sales manager for Visit Fort Wayne. “Fort Wayne/Allen County has strong Olympic, collegiate and club leadership that has supported the growth of youth volleyball with over 300 established club teams [that] have long-established roots and experience in hosting annual high-level, high-attendance events, utilizing every available court in our community over various weekends throughout the year.”
Lake Charles, Louisiana
As a destination within a three-hour drive of Houston, New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Lake Charles is evolving into a popular volleyball destination for both indoor and beach competition, according to local tourism officials.
Two facilities on the McNeese State University campus, the McNeese Recreational Sports Complex and the Legacy Center, join the Lake Charles Ward 3 Recreation Power Center as local volleyball venues. Those facilities, along with several schools, will host the Cajun Elite Volleyball Club’s Cowgirl Classic in January. What’s more, South Beach Sports Bar & Grill offers nine sand volleyball courts that host events. The sand game has generated plenty of local interest since McNeese State added beach volleyball as a sport in 2023, according to Erik Zartler, Senior Vice President of Sports for Visit Lake Charles.
“As a destination, we went from no volleyball events to four to six youth indoor events annually and several beach opportunities for youths and adults,” he says. “What sets Lake Charles apart from other volleyball destinations is the same thing that sets us apart in general, for all sports. Our location, history, culture, cuisine and Southern hospitality are the things that visitors cite as their top reasons for enjoying all Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana has to offer.”
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Strategically situated between major metropolitan areas like Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., Lancaster in southeastern Pennsylvania is home to two major sports venues in the Lancaster Convention Center and Spooky Nook Sports Lancaster. The convention center hosts the annual MLK Volleyball Tournament, which attracts more than 7,000 daily participants, coaches and families from the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond, according to Chris Ackerman, Director of Sales for Discover Lancaster..
Meanwhile Spooky Nook is among the largest indoor sports complexes in the United States, with 10 hardwood courts and three outdoor sand courts that host more than 200 volleyball events per year. The facility also features four modular-surface courts and dozens of other surfaces to accommodate matches. In February, it will host the Keystone Region Volleyball Association’s Boys Atlantic Northeastern Qualifier, a major youth volleyball showcase that will bring in teams from around the country to compete for bids to the USA Volleyball Boys Junior National Championship.
“[The qualifier] tournament not only highlights elite talent but also underscores Lancaster’s reputation as a top destination for volleyball excellence,” Ackerman says. “The event continues to strengthen Lancaster’s role in shaping the future of youth volleyball.”
Plano, Texas
Plano’s north Texas location makes it a prime sports tourism destination, and it now offers four large indoor sports facilities under the Plano Sports Authority name. The nonprofit organization partners with Plano Parks and Recreation to offer leagues, lessons and tournaments that cater primarily to volleyball and basketball, according to Alysha Carse, Director of Sales for Visit Plano.
She notes that two of the facilities feature four full-size hardwood courts and seven junior-size multi-use courts (PSA 1) and eight full-size hardwood courts (PSA 2).
“As of right now, both facilities only have league play and have not had any recent volleyball tournaments,” Carse says, but that could change as the facilities become more popular. She also cites a pair of auxiliary facilities in nearby McKinney and Murphy, which provide a “great opportunity allowing for tournament growth.”
Sarpy County, Nebraska
Nestled in far east-central Nebraska (and the third most-populous county in the state), Sarpy County is a short drive from both Omaha and Council Bluffs. And it’s a volleyball hotbed, according to Alex Schiphoff, Athletic Events Coordinator at Experience Sarpy County
“Some of the best competitive youth clubs in the state are located across Sarpy County,” he says. “Instructors and coaches with years of high-level collegiate experience are sprinkled around the county. With the addition of top-notch facilities in recent years, Sarpy County has separated itself as a premier volleyball destination in the region.”
Those facilities include The Volleyball Academy in La Vista (eight hardwood volleyball courts); the Lied Activity Center, which is affiliated with Bellevue Public Schools (four volleyball courts); and the Papillion Landing Community Center (six hardwood volleyball courts).
High-profile events include the annual Summer Volleyball Classic, which brings more than 30 high school varsity and junior varsity teams from across the state to The Volleyball Academy, and the GoSarpy.com Volleyball Classic, hosted by Bellevue University at the Lied Activity Center and considered one of the largest National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics regular-season college volleyball tournaments in the country; it typically includes multiple teams ranked in the nation’s top 25.
“Nebraska is known for competitive volleyball and premier facilities,” Schiphoff says. “In Sarpy County, you do not have to look far to find either.” SDM
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