Key Takeaways
- League One Volleyball is adding a seventh franchise in Los Angeles, backed by Alexis Ohanian’s Seven Seven Six, set to debut in January 2027
- LOVB operates a vertically integrated model connecting 3,400 junior athletes and 3,000 coaches across 28 states directly to professional clubs
- The league has been profitable since launching in January 2025, driven by its nationwide youth academy network
- LOVB’s inaugural season generated 191 million impressions and 38.9 million views of match content across platforms
- Southern California’s existing LOVB youth ecosystem includes top-ranked clubs Team Rockstar, SC Rockstar, Tstreet Inland Empire, and Tstreet Irvine
Youth Academy Network Drives Professional League Expansion
League One Volleyball (LOVB) is expanding its professional footprint to Los Angeles through an ownership group led by Reddit founder and venture capitalist Alexis Ohanian’s investment firm, Seven Seven Six. The LA franchise, scheduled to launch in January 2027 as part of LOVB’s third professional season, represents the league’s seventh market.
The expansion builds on LOVB’s unique business model that integrates youth development with professional competition. Unlike traditional professional leagues that operate independently from grassroots programs, LOVB connects junior athletes directly to its pro clubs through a network spanning 28 states.
“The League One Volleyball team impressed me early with their youth-first model, and as they refined their business, it became clear they were building something sustainable,” Ohanian told The Athletic. “When the opportunity came up to buy the Los Angeles franchise, it was an easy call.”
The league currently operates with 3,400 junior athletes and 3,000 coaches across its youth academy system. This infrastructure creates what Ohanian described as “lifelong fandom that’s built from the ground up.”
Southern California’s Established Volleyball Infrastructure
Los Angeles enters LOVB’s professional network with an already developed youth ecosystem in place. Southern California, recognized as a volleyball hot spot, hosts several top-ranked clubs already operating under the LOVB umbrella.
These include Team Rockstar and SC Rockstar (formerly Mizuno Long Beach and SCVC), Tstreet Inland Empire, and Tstreet Irvine, which holds the number one ranking in Orange County. The presence of these established programs provides the LA franchise with immediate access to high-level talent pipelines and existing community engagement.
The vertical integration model allows these youth clubs to function as development channels for the professional team while maintaining their local operations and coaching structures.
Financial Performance and Investment Scale
LOVB has achieved profitability since its launch in January 2025, a notable outcome for a startup professional league. The league’s financial model centers on its youth academy operations, which generate consistent revenue streams independent of professional game attendance or media deals.
As a startup league, LOVB raised $160 million in 2024, including a $100 million funding round led by Atwater Capital, with continued backing from Ares Management and Left Lane Capital. The financial size of the Seven Seven Six investment in the LA franchise has not been disclosed, though Ohanian indicated additional investors may join the ownership group.
“LA is a very desirable market,” Ohanian said, hinting at potential expansion of the ownership structure.
The league’s inaugural season drew 191 million impressions, achieved a 10 percent engagement rate on TikTok, and generated more than 38.9 million views of match content across its platforms. The championship final between Omaha and Austin attracted over 1.1 million viewers.
Media Strategy and Digital Engagement Focus
Ohanian’s investment thesis emphasizes digital engagement metrics over traditional broadcast ratings. “I care less about traditional TV ratings, those are driven by gatekeepers deciding what gets airtime and more about where attention actually lives,” he explained. “Social media is the freest market there is, and in volleyball, the numbers are real.”
This approach aligns with LOVB’s distribution strategy. While the league secured a multiyear partnership with Versant (the entity formed from Comcast/NBCUniversal’s cable network portfolio) for prime-time Wednesday broadcasts on USA Network starting January 2026, the emphasis remains on building direct audience relationships through digital platforms.
The league’s 10 percent engagement rate on TikTok significantly exceeds typical sports content benchmarks, suggesting strong organic interest from younger demographics.
Competitive Landscape in Professional Volleyball
LOVB operates in an increasingly active professional volleyball market. Two other leagues have launched in the past four years: Athletes Unlimited, now in its fifth season as of October 3, and the Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF), which recently merged with Major League Volleyball (MLV) and is scheduled to debut in 2026.
At the collegiate level, volleyball demonstrated significant growth potential when an NCAA match between Nebraska and Omaha drew 92,003 fans in Lincoln in 2023, setting a global attendance record for a women’s sporting event.
Volleyball ranks as the second-most popular sport among female athletes in the United States, providing a substantial participation base for professional league development.
Strategic Implications for Youth Sports Organizations
LOVB’s expansion validates the vertically integrated club-to-pro model in youth sports. By controlling both the development pipeline and professional destination, the organization creates aligned incentives across its entire system.
For youth sports operators, the model demonstrates how grassroots operations can serve as both revenue generators and talent pipelines for higher levels of competition. The approach differs from traditional academy systems where youth programs operate separately from professional clubs with limited formal connections.
The LA franchise will be Ohanian’s third investment in the Los Angeles sports ecosystem, following NWSL’s Angel City FC and the Los Angeles franchise of Tiger Woods’ TGL golf league. His portfolio also includes the women-only track tournament Athlos and a 20 percent stake in WSL’s Chelsea FC Women.
The professional league officially launched in Austin in January 2025 with six founding franchises: Omaha, Austin, Madison, Salt Lake City, Houston, and Atlanta. Each market was selected for existing youth and collegiate volleyball infrastructure.
via: The Athletic
photo: LOVB
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