Volleyball continues to gain ground in the US, especially after the historic House vs. NCAA settlement. The monumental verdict has pumped $20.5 million, a yearly revenue-sharing cap, and universities like Nebraska and Illinois have already hinted at volleyball joining top sports like football. However, the push to gather momentum on USA Volleyball’s popularity has been hit-and-miss.
Fans welcomed big moves like VolleyballWorld’s deal with CBSSN and the Big Ten Network to broadcast international matches. Yet, things haven’t looked promising when it comes to fans attending live games. Despite the TV broadcast announcement preceding the 2025 VNL hitting American shores with a match in Arlington, the attendance numbers have not inspired confidence.
Avid Volleyball compared the current numbers against those from Nebraska nearly a decade ago, and the results only highlighted Nebraska’s importance as the USA’s volleyball capital. The average attendance in Arlington this year, at 2732, was only marginally better than 2237 in 2024. While it was much better than Shreveport 2022, at 911, it all paled in comparison to Lincoln, Nebraska.
During the 2018 and 2019 VNL Group Stage matches, Lincoln pulled 6500 and 5067 people on average. The story remained the same across VNL/WGP Finals/IOQT. Only 4925 in Arlington (2024), vs. 7679 in Lincoln (2016) and 7081 in Omaha (2015). “I think it’s pretty clear Arlington/Shreveport are failures,” added Avid Volleyball.
Average VNL Group Stage Attendance (2015-present)
Arlington 2025: 2732
ARL 2024: 2237
Shreveport 2022: 911
Lincoln 2019: 6500
Lincoln 2018: 5067
VNL/WGP Finals/IOQT
ARL 2024: 4935
Lincoln 2016: 7679
Omaha 2015: 7081 pic.twitter.com/MWGwP9BrqR
— Avid (@AvidVolley) July 15, 2025
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