Join the Discussion "The AVP should adopt the FIVB rules, rally score, small courts, let serves and all. If the US ever wants to once again become the dominant beach volleyball power, our players have to train / play / live by the same rules that everyone else plays by. " ECBERMAN

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By Scott Hammon

"Unity in our sport gives it a new beginning," were the words of Andy Reif, Chief Operating Officer of the newly acquired Association of Volleyball Professionals.  These inspiring words represent the direction the AVP is heading as Leonard Armato and his company Digital Media Campus take their turn at trying to turn around the plagued tour and finally bring stability to professional beach volleyball in the United States.

Leonard Armato, the creator of the Association of Volleyball Professionals, left the sport in 1989 after a player coup that left the AVP run by a collection of the players that competed on the tour.  The sport seemed to enjoy success up through the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta; however, player squabbles, rising prize moneys and sponsors leaving after being faced with so many uncertainties, soon spelled a recipe for disaster, bankrupting the tour in 1999. 

Last year for the 2000 Olympics, Charlie Jackson stepped in to give the women a place to play domestically after the Women's Professional Volleyball Association failed.  With the AVP sinking deeper and deeper, Charlie Jackson elected to bring men into the tour and about three months ago saught Mr. Armato's help in marketing the tour.  Then, Spencer-Trask approached Mr. Armato offering to sell the AVP and Leonard Armato began formulating a plan to unify the two tours.  The sponsorship money does not exists to support two tours, and a unified professional volleyball tour will allow for a more concentrated sponsorship effort.

The "new" AVP is about success.  Winning the war of sponsorship money, the AVP will keep the old ties while reaching out to make better ties with old conflicts like the FIVB.  The AVP will play with the FIVB rules and court size; however, they will still play with a Wilson ball.  Wilson is making a brand new all-white ball for this season that will mimic the larger and heavier FIVB Mikasa ball.  The AVP has also limited the number of women's events so that the existing FIVB women's tour schedule would not present a conflict with the newer AVP schedule - allowing the women on the AVP tour to play as much as possible internationally.

Who's playing??  Practically all the main players have signed on with the AVP.  On the same court we will see the old names like Karch and Sinjin.  Eric Fonoimoana and DAin Blanton have joined up, able to sign on late after a vote of approval from the players already signing.  The women are well represented also.  Practically all the BVA players except Misty May and her new partner have signed on.  Misty, reportedly doesn't like the contract wording and will only play internationally. 

The AVP's new plan is to bring everyone back together.  "Get them back home so they can launch the great sport of beach volleyball into the next atmosphere."  Mr. Reif and the AVP want to sell the sport 24 hours a day by using the Internet, radio and TV.  They plan to launch a new site with in the next 45 days while at the same time being more media friendly to get the information out.  They also want to reach out to the amateur tours and set up a strong grass roots program to bring out the players and get them interested again in pro beach volleyball.  There mission is simple, manage it well and grow it.