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Post by txvbcoach on Sept 27, 2021 10:42:33 GMT -5
They’re already buying clubs from what I’ve gathered. They’ve reached out to a bunch, checking books, running valuations and buying them up if terms are agreeable. By keeping all customer facing aspects appearing untouched, nobody knows that ownership has changed. Tawa’s linkedin excerpt regarding League One: “Club Platform and Content League One Volleyball May 2020 - Present1 yr 4 mos Los Angeles, California I serve in an advisory capacity to LOVB, a mission-oriented start up aiming to change the way volleyball is played and expressed. My role includes envisioning how volleyball clubs can best operate, both ethically in the way they treat coaches and players and financially to maximize their revenue potential. It also includes advising the company on what clubs would be good fits for the LOVB community.” Aren't most clubs non-profit in the way that what money comes in goes out to coaches salaries, execs? unlike a business that has investors that would get a piece of the pie? someone smarter than me talk to me like I'm a 4th grader about this. So what would "maximize their revenue potential" mean? Like bring in more players and teams that support the bottom line? I wonder what he means by "change the way volleyball is played and expressed". |
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Post by txvbcoach on Sept 27, 2021 10:46:59 GMT -5
Not sure about the actual transaction or whether its just an alliance but it sounded like it was a strong alliance that included some form of ownership change. It was just announced to the Board this morning and I'm sure will be broadly announced soon with more details. Add Houston Skyline to the list. I'm surprised by this because I know the owners and they are controlling over their operations (in a good way). they only created as many teams as the gym space/available coaches/competitiveness allowed. I would love to hear more about what this means for the club. They've been uber successful the past few years competing for Nat. championships in open so what will LOVB do for them? Perhaps a pipeline for their players to compete in this pro league? |
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Post by SayonaraTachikara on Sept 27, 2021 10:55:35 GMT -5
Add Houston Skyline to the list. I'm surprised by this because I know the owners and they are controlling over their operations (in a good way). they only created as many teams as the gym space/available coaches/competitiveness allowed. I would love to hear more about what this means for the club. They've been uber successful the past few years competing for Nat. championships in open so what will LOVB do for them? Perhaps a pipeline for their players to compete in this pro league? Here is a recent snippet of info from a recent interview with A5. Not a ton of info, but more of a glimpse into the vision from a recent partner. (Bob Westbrook) www.facebook.com/volleyballmastercoaches/videos/559651865261103 |
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Post by txvbcoach on Sept 27, 2021 11:04:57 GMT -5
I'm surprised by this because I know the owners and they are controlling over their operations (in a good way). they only created as many teams as the gym space/available coaches/competitiveness allowed. I would love to hear more about what this means for the club. They've been uber successful the past few years competing for Nat. championships in open so what will LOVB do for them? Perhaps a pipeline for their players to compete in this pro league? Here is a recent snippet of info from a recent interview with A5. Not a ton of info, but more of a glimpse into the vision from a recent partner. (Bob Westbrook) www.facebook.com/volleyballmastercoaches/videos/559651865261103 Being more specific I was wondering about Houston Skyline and why they chose to "partner" with LOVB. |
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Post by SayonaraTachikara on Sept 27, 2021 11:18:10 GMT -5
Being more specific I was wondering about Houston Skyline and why they chose to "partner" with LOVB. I can't answer that specifically, but if you listen to the interview with A5 they give a little insight into the structure and future plans. They also touch upon what made it attractive to them as a club to partner with LOVB. Clearly still in it's infancy stage and all speculatory at this point. The opportunity to partner directly with a potential professional team in a given city and have them train in the club's facility seemed like a pretty attractive draw for the club. (again speculative) |
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Post by rockymountainhigh on Sept 27, 2021 13:56:02 GMT -5
Control as many large clubs as possible. Control what events they go to. Then, create events that they have to go to? Not nearly as much profit in clubs as there is in events.
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Post by Maui’s Hook on Oct 16, 2021 2:22:52 GMT -5
Control as many large clubs as possible. Control what events they go to. Then, create events that they have to go to? Not nearly as much profit in clubs as there is in events. Correct. And the facebook link appears to be down…like facebook and it’s entities were, but they’re no longer down, but the volleyball master coaches video link is down…you get my point. I swear I’ve seen this all play out in the Dukes of Hazard re-hash a few years back where they bring familiar faces around, have a fancy race and in the mean time they’re selling the town at a city council meeting with nobody but the sheriff, judge, and developer in the court room. In this case, John Tawa, Kevin Wong, Jamie Morrison, Emily Hartong are around to show everything is copacetic, and while everyone goes about their business forgetting about corporate America’s gained interest in our sport *ahem* dollars; A5 sold, Houston Skyline sold, Aspire, Mizuno Long Beach, etc. So cool that Peter was able to do so much for USAV while sitting on the USAV Foundation that he had enough time to assemble a team with these great people who want to grow the game using their expertise in M&A. The youth and pro leagues are going to phenomenal to the point our TEAM USA athletes will compete for their country for less than they already do with coaches who love it so much they’ll dedicate their lives to doing it for free as well because USAV will be bankrupt and/or corrupt. Is this the part where I say ‘called it’ |
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Post by dodger on Oct 16, 2021 2:41:54 GMT -5
Control as many large clubs as possible. Control what events they go to. Then, create events that they have to go to? Not nearly as much profit in clubs as there is in events. Correct. And the facebook link appears to be down…like facebook and it’s entities were, but they’re no longer down, but the volleyball master coaches video link is down…you get my point. I swear I’ve seen this all play out in the Dukes of Hazard re-hash a few years back where they bring familiar faces around, have a fancy race and in the mean time they’re selling the town at a city council meeting with nobody but the sheriff, judge, and developer in the court room. In this case, John Tawa, Kevin Wong, Jamie Morrison, Emily Hartong are around to show everything is copacetic, and while everyone goes about their business forgetting about corporate America’s gained interest in our sport *ahem* dollars; A5 sold, Houston Skyline sold, Aspire, Mizuno Long Beach, etc. So cool that Peter was able to do so much for USAV while sitting on the USAV Foundation that he had enough time to assemble a team with these great people who want to grow the game using their expertise in M&A. The youth and pro leagues are going to phenomenal to the point our TEAM USA athletes will compete for their country for less than they already do with coaches who love it so much they’ll dedicate their lives to doing it for free as well because USAV will be bankrupt and/or corrupt. Is this the part where I say ‘called it’ There’s competition for LOVB out there: check out 3step sport !! It appears our little sport is drawing competitive equity money to its ownership!! |
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Post by SayonaraTachikara on Oct 19, 2021 10:02:12 GMT -5
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Post by Phaedrus on Oct 19, 2021 11:40:38 GMT -5
I was made aware of this a few months ago and I am still unclear how this would all work, but given that this is a brand new business model, I am willing to give them a chance to flesh out the details. Some thoughts: - I like that they are starting with emphasis on the club interaction, it is obvious that being affiliated with a local club would feed into the audience base, but we have seen that club players will go to a few matches a season but rarely will they put butts in seats for the whole season because they are too busy playing, how do they overcome that?
- Are they aiming for the haves in the club world? I could see why they would want to do that, but affiliating with the large clubs does not mean affiliating with the grassroots of the sport.
- Will they sponsor a Starlings team with each franchise? That would somewhat make up for the gap between the have's and the have not's.
- How will the interaction between club and pro take place? While the NCAA has become a bit limited recently, I don't see them opening it all up. There was a time that foreign players were deemed professionals by the NCAA because their club teams also fielded professional teams and the teams practiced in the same facility. Anyone know what the present interpretation is these days?
- How fast are they going to ramp up, from club activities to full blown pro action?
- It makes me leery when the vision is so amorphous. I am sure there is an internal vision and plan on how to grow the sport, but is the plan feasible and sustainable? Every professional volleyball league I have been witness to hasn't suffered from initial enthusiasm but solid financial backing for many years. I would say that you need to be ready to watch more money go out than come for at least five years before you can establish yourself.
- Will the professionals come? They all say they want to come home and play, but are they willing to put up by giving up the salaries during the prime of their careers for any idea?
- The idea of television always pops up. I have been seeing the professional bass fishing, professional bull riding,and even professional corn hole leagues show up on the sports channel feeds. A few have a steady spot on the sports mix but many disappear quickly to be replaced with something else.
- I suspect the initial offering will be suffering from quality problems, depending on who decides to play and when the league plays. Athlete's United was popular because they were playing when nothing else was on and they played some fun volleyball. The chaos of changing teams weekly actually played to their favor somewhat. Coaches hated it because the play was pretty basic because they didn't have time to work on anything too complicated, but the players I spoke to loved it because they made all the decisions with the help of the coaches and their enthusiasm was contagious as I watched.
- If they build it, will they come? Enough to make it work? I don't know. Starting in small arenas is smart, but once again, how much money are they willing to lose per year to keep it going until the league builds an audience?
One thing I forgot, will their well intended outreach to clubs backfire? That is: will the internecine competition amongst clubs rear up and affect who they partner with? Will the clubs that are not selected be left out of their educational opportunities for coaches etc. because of the competition within a region for players? Will those clubs that are not invited boycott the league? How will they do regional outreach while still be partnered with an "anointed" club? |
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Post by avid 2.0 on Oct 19, 2021 12:36:43 GMT -5
- Will the professionals come? They all say they want to come home and play, but are they willing to put up by giving up the salaries during the prime of their careers for any idea?
This is my concern. In the article, it mentions the WNBA model where they play overseas in the offseason.... I don't think that will work in volleyball. Overseas club season is from October to roughly March/April and into May for the elite teams. LOVB could do the summer model... but then risk the name drawers being with their NT's for the international season. I don't see how it could work without it being a 4-6 week model like AU. On the flip side.... there's a ton of quality players not making a ton of money in europe, who would be willing to stay home if the salaries are just enough. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2021 13:39:18 GMT -5
- Will the professionals come? They all say they want to come home and play, but are they willing to put up by giving up the salaries during the prime of their careers for any idea?
This is my concern. Based on what I have heard, they do not expect to attract NT level talent initially. They will target younger players or those not making a ton of money in Europe but with strong connections to the local fanbase - Norene Iosia playing for a team in Hawaii for example. |
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Post by dodger on Oct 19, 2021 15:41:47 GMT -5
Based on what I have heard, they do not expect to attract NT level talent initially. They will target younger players or those not making a ton of money in Europe but with strong connections to the local fanbase - Norene Iosia playing for a team in Hawaii for example. You believe they will have a team in Hawaii?? I hear Carlini wants to play in Madison: rumor is she already has been offered a contract starting in 2023: the year they originally stated league would start! But NPR Article says 2022: maybe its a 2022-2023 thing? And counting on young players to pay to attend games wishful thinking on LOVB’s part |
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Post by SayonaraTachikara on Oct 20, 2021 7:50:59 GMT -5
Based on what I have heard, they do not expect to attract NT level talent initially. They will target younger players or those not making a ton of money in Europe but with strong connections to the local fanbase - Norene Iosia playing for a team in Hawaii for example. You believe they will have a team in Hawaii?? I hear Carlini wants to play in Madison: rumor is she already has been offered a contract starting in 2023: the year they originally stated league would start! But NPR Article says 2022: maybe its a 2022-2023 thing? And counting on young players to pay to attend games wishful thinking on LOVB’s part I am guessing the affiliated larger youth clubs (Houston Skyline , A5) will somehow bake season tickets for each youth player into the annual fee's ( or offer a sweetheart deal) to drive attendance. Plus, it sounds like the teams will practice and actually play initially at these larger clubs (that have facilities) so the youth athletes will naturally gravitate to the teams they see training right next to them on a day to day basis. The smart thing to do would be to schedule matches after peak practice times for the teams to drive attendance. It's a great way to build an internal fan base and culture. |
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Post by jumboshrimp on Oct 20, 2021 9:40:53 GMT -5
Is Athletes Unlimited supporting a volleyball season again in 2022? The two leagues can't coexist. Can they?
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