League One Volleyball (LOVB), the first professional full-season volleyball league in the United States, raised $35 million in its second round of funding, with help from investors Lindsey Vonn, Kevin Durant and Candace Parker and her daughter Lailaa. Here’s what you need to know:
- Jayson Tatum, Amy Schumer and Jordyn Poulter (Olympic volleyball gold medalist), among others, also invested in LOVB.
- LOVB’s inaugural season debuts next year, with preseason starting November 2024 and the regular season running January through March 2025. The LOVB Pro Finals begin in April.
- There will be six host cities of the league, including Atlanta, Houston, Omaha (Neb.), Salt Lake (Utah), Madison (Wisc.) and one more to be announced later this year.
Backstory
There are more than 38 million current and former volleyball players in the United States, according to LOVB. The sport had a recent historic breakthrough on Aug. 30, when a University of Nebraska volleyball game recorded the world record for fan attendance at a women’s sporting event, surpassing 92,000 fans. The previous U.S. record was established on July 10, 1999, at the Rose Bowl as Team USA beat China in the Women’s World Cup final.
The event, called “Volleyball Day in Nebraska,” was held at Nebraska’s football venue,…
