USA Volleyball announced on Monday, in a joint press conference with USA Water Polo and USA Badminton at the Anaheim Convention Center across the street from Disneyland, that it had extended its agreement with Sports Anaheim until 2020. The three organizations came together to sign partnership agreements with Sports Anaheim, a division of Visit Anaheim that works to bring professional and amateur sporting events to Anaheim and Orange County.
While USA Volleyball’s organizational structure is located in Colorado Springs, both the men’s and women’s national teams have been headquartered in Anaheim for a number of years. “USA Volleyball could not be more pleased that our USA National Women’s and Men’s Teams will be calling the City of Anaheim home for another four years,” said Kerry Klostermann, Secretary General, USA Volleyball. “The Men’s team relocated to Anaheim in 2006 and the Women followed in 2009. The Olympic medals won by the teams in 2008, 2012 and 2016 are attributable to the generous support provided by the City of Anaheim and its citizens.”
USA National Women’s Coach Karch Kiraly and Men’s Coach John Speraw, were on hand to talk about the renewal of USA Volleyball’s partnership with Sports Anaheim, saying:
“This is critical support for us. We could not do what we do, and compete on the world stage, at the elite level that we do… without the kind of support Anaheim is providing in terms of our great facility at American Sports Center and our offices and all the other components that go in, that are absolutely essential to our performance.” -Karch Kiraly
“I can’t emphasize enough how impactful Anaheim has been in our success. It really has been incredible for us and we are exceptionally grateful to continue this relationship into the future.” -John Speraw
Both USA Volleyball and USA Water Polo, whose national governing body is headquartered in Huntington Beach, warmly welcomed USA Badminton to Southern California. USA Badminton’s Board Chari, David Simon, explained the organization’s relocation to Anaheim. “We are excited to be headed to Anaheim where we will benefit from being closer to so many of our members and athletes,” Simon said. “The sport is experiencing tremendous growth in California. This move puts us close to both current and prospective sponsors and by being on the Pacific Rim we will be a nonstop flight away from many major badminton nations.”
Visit Anaheim’s President and CEO, Jay Burress, summed it up by stating, “It is an historic day in Anaheim, for Sports Anaheim and the amateur sports community. Today marks an important turning point for Sports Anaheim and the faith that USA Water Polo, USA Volleyball and USA Badminton have placed in our organization and ability to build a game-changing amateur sporting event destination. The agreements signed solidify Anaheim’s place in the growing amateur sports community.”
From the Press Release:
At an event today at the Anaheim Convention Center, officials from USA Water Polo, USA Volleyball and USA Badminton came together to sign agreements with Sports Anaheim. The agreements signed today include:
USA Badminton: Anaheim will now serve as USA Badminton’s national headquarters and training center. The organization will relocate from Colorado Springs, CO.
USA Volleyball: Sports Anaheim will be assuming the contract between USA Volleyball and the City of Anaheim. The extension will be valid through 2020.
USA Water Polo: Anaheim will now be the official travel destination for USA Water Polo (e.g., USA Water Polo National Junior Olympics 2017 and 2019 tournaments will be held in Anaheim).
About Sports Anaheim
Sports Anaheim was established to bring in local, national and international sporting events into the destination, and serve as a resource for local organizations needing support in their bid to attract sports business. Since its launch in March 2016, the division has forged partnerships and inked deals to bring the following events into Anaheim and Orange County:
- American Athletic Union: First West Coast office in Anaheim
- 2017 International Weightlifting Federation World Championships
- 2017 USA P&G Gymnastics Championship in Anaheim
- LA24 Bid for 2024 Olympic Games
- 2017 USA Weightlifting American Open
- 2017 USA Fencing North American Cup
- North American Chinese Invitation Volleyball Tournament
- Varsity Spirit Corporation
For more information on Visit Anaheim, please visit: www.visitanaheim.org/sports-anaheim.
About Visit Anaheim
Founded in 1961, Visit Anaheim is a 501 (c)(6) nonprofit destination marketing organization. Visit Anaheim’s mission is to develop, market and sell Anaheim benefiting the economic vitality of our communities. Follow Visit Anaheim on Facebook (Facebook.com/VisitAnaheim) Twitter (@Visit_Anaheim), Instagram (Instagram.com/VisitAnaheim) and LinkedIn (VisitAnaheim).
Leave a Reply