Volleyball Nationals Brings In Near Superbowl Numbers

In 2017, Volleyball Nationals racked up an estimated economic activity impact of nearly $210 million. According to the Minnesota StarTribune, the Minnesota Superbowl Host Committee estimates that the Twin Cities could bring in $338 million in economic activity from the February 2018 game.

From the same StarTribune article, it is estimated that there were 40,000 players, coaches and spectators in attendance of the Minneapolis, Minnesota USAV Nationals, which ran for 10 days. An estimate of $50 million was spent in these 10 days, which runs that everyone there spends $300-plus per day, including food and lodging.

Not only does volleyball have one national that you can qualify for – USAV Nationals, but it also has an AAU National Championship that is held in Orlando every year. The Nationals held in Orlando is nearly three times the size of the USAV Nationals. It has been said to be the world’s largest volleyball event by USA Today. In total 133,000 players, coaches and spectators will attend just the AAU Nationals in Orlando. With the same numbers used from the USAV Nationals, the AAU Nationals would bring in an estimated $160 million.

Combine the two nationals and that brings the number to $210 million. Though, still a long ways off of the Superbowl’s economic impact the event is ever-growing.

It does, however, surpass the numbers of the baseball World Series, which could bring up to $45 million to a host city in four games. This number doesn’t compare to that of USAV Nationals let alone AAU Nationals.

In addition to these two large national events, there are also a number of large scale events, such as these, being held across the country from January until May – bringing in big numbers for the cities that host these large scale tournaments.

Over the past five years, men’s volleyball at the high school level has grown around 12% while women’s has only grown by 4.2% from 2011-16. At the men’s level, it is the second most among any sport, according to NRHS.org. Volleyball is on the rise and is bringing in large numbers for their host cities and could very soon reach numbers comparable to the Superbowl.