Volleyball By The Numbers: Understanding The Youth Volleyball Landscape

Did you know that a volleyball was originally created by using the inside part of a basketball? You probably haven’t ever imagined what the inside portion of a basketball looks like, but it’s rubbery and functions much like a volleyball does today. The sport was invented in 1895 and the YMCA published the first rules. It didn’t take long for the sport to find its way over to Europe.

Volleyball is a a sport that has gained international recognition through the Olympic games and leagues like Athletes Unlimited in the United States. Volleyball is multi-dimensional too, which makes the sport even more popular and liked because of its indoor element and beach game. Both indoor and beach volleyball are Olympic sports.

Volleyball organizations, teams, and leagues use TeamSnap for management solutions. For volleyball teams, TeamSnap helps with scheduling, communication, shareable moments and more. For volleyball clubs and leagues, TeamSnap is the one-stop-shop for program management, financial reporting, and website integration to help simplify complex scheduling requirements.

Before we dive into why a volleyball organization would benefit from a service like TeamSnap for Clubs & Leagues, it’s important to understand the current landscape of the sport. COVID-19 drastically effected sports all across the globe. Volleyball was another sport that took a hit. While many leagues and teams are back to playing, numbers still are catching up to where they were. According to the Aspen Institute’s Project Play, there was a decline in athletes ages 6-12 as well as athletes ages 13-17 years-old.

Ages 6-12 who participated on regular basis 

• 2008: 2.9%
• 2018:  2.8% 
• 2019: 2.9% 
• 2020: 2.5% 
• 2019-2020 Change: -15.5%
• Total Participation: 684,000

Ages 13-17 who participated on a regular basis

• 2008:  7.3%
• 2018:  5.2%
• 2019: 5.6%
• 2020: 5%
• 2019-2020 Change: -11%
• Total Participation: 219,000

Between 2010-2019, high school volleyball in particular grew over 10%, increasing from over 450,000 participants to over 500,000 in that time according to data collected by Statista. So, the biggest participation gap was from 2019-2020. Another interesting statistic about volleyball is the popularity of the sport by young girls in particular. The girls volleyball participation ratio vs. boys is 8-1; in 2019, 450,000 girls participated compared to just 63,000 boys.

If you are a volleyball player, coach, parent or administrator, there are skills and drills on TeamSnap’s Coaches’ Corner to help elevate your team or organization’s game. Learn how you can take your volleyball organization to the next level by utilizing technology. Re-growth is occuring all over the country, so if you are looking to grow your volleyball organization today, TeamSnap for Clubs & Leagues can help you.

Watch how TeamSnap can help grow your program today: