There’s little doubt that women’s sports as a whole are on the rise. Back in March 2024, Deloitte forecast that women’s sports could rake in $1 billion by the end of 2024, a record-breaking 300% increase from 2021. By now, the world has realized that ‘Everyone watches women’s sports’ is more than just a slogan. However, one of the biggest drivers of this growth has been volleyball.

Women’s volleyball set the bar in 2023 when Nebraska led the way by filling the Memorial Stadium in Lincoln with 92,003 fans. Since then, college volleyball has garnered millions in viewership across networks such as ESPN. In fact, the 2024 NCAA season helped ESPN reach 3.7 million combined views. However, a projection by market.us on pro leagues puts even these numbers to shame.

Volleyball could power growth in the billions

The explosive growth of college volleyball has supercharged the pro volleyball circuit. While Athletes Unlimited, a five-week pro league, became the first one in the U.S., the number now stands at three, with a fourth league on the way. According to market.us, such will boost the current $3.9 billion to a whopping $6.9 billion within the next decade, simply due to apparel sales.

Needless to say, the growing interest in women’s pro volleyball plays a crucial role. With teams from the Professional Volleyball Federation, League One Volleyball, and the upcoming Major League Volleyball building their identity, fans’ interest in buying their favorite teams’ merchandise will only grow.

Market.us believes that team-branded jerseys, shoes, and everything in between will provide this massive boost. They estimate the sport’s Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) at 5.9%. The fact that the sport is attracting hundreds of millions in investments already could be an early indicator for future growth. Despite the explosive growth, there is no shortage of investors.

The LOVB has garnered $160 million in investments ahead of its inaugural season. Meanwhile, the upcoming MLV has already generated $100 million. Yet, despite this positive growth, some believe that an air of uncertainty still lingers.

Exploring what could go wrong

While the growing number of pro leagues is a positive sign, many believe the so many pro leagues vying for the fans’ attention could be a detriment. Volleyball legends, such as Jordan Larson, have also expressed some concern. Larson sounded cautiously optimistic, discussing the issue after MLV announced their inaugural season will take place in 2026.

“You know, I do think competition is good, right?” asked Larson. She especially stressed that competition may help boost pro athlete salaries further. However, the Olympian and LOVB Omaha member also expressed her doubts about the sustainability of this rapid expansion. “I do think it’s going to be tough to continue this,” said Larson.

Meanwhile, her fellow Olympian Haleigh Washington was far more sarcastic with her critique. “Everyone and their Great Aunt Shirley wants to make a New Pro Volleyball League,” Washington said shortly after MLV announced their intentions. So while market.us has given fans a massively positive prediction, there may be some unforeseen variables in the way.

On the flip side, all the leagues may become successful simultaneously, eliminating any concerns the fans and players may have. However that may be unlikely. So the question is, will volleyball’s growth be able to keep up with market.us’s $3 billion figure?