INDIANAPOLIS – For the first time in history, professional women’s volleyball is coming to Indiana. On December 7, Pro Volleyball Federation—the premier women’s pro volleyball league in North America—announced that Indianapolis will be the 10th city to join the nationwide league. Indianapolis is one of three expansion teams scheduled to debut in 2025.
This team is the latest in Indy’s legacy of sports leadership, ensuring Indiana remains on the cutting-edge of industry innovation. For decades, Indianapolis has been a global destination for sports tech and entertainment—home to three national governing bodies, the NCAA Headquarters and the nation’s first sports commission.
2024 was already set to be a major year for sports in Indianapolis, between the NBA All-Star Game, the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials and the Big Ten Football Championship. Now, the announcement of Indy’s newest pro sports team has Hoosiers excited for the future of women’s sports.
“Here in Indianapolis, we’ve had the privilege of witnessing the rise and evolution of sports throughout the years, and this is the next step in that journey,” said Patrick Talty, President of Indiana Sports Corp. “The Pro Volleyball Federation is pioneering a new category of professional women’s sports, and we are thrilled to welcome some of the world’s greatest volleyball players to Indianapolis.”
Pro Volleyball Federation is REAL pro volleyball—with REAL opportunities for women to compete on a professional level and earn a REAL living wage. Starting in 2024, teams in Atlanta, Columbus, Grand Rapids, Omaha, Orlando, San Diego and Las Vegas will compete for a REAL championship title. Teams will play in major league arenas across the country with matches broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network.
“The Pro Volleyball Federation is pioneering a new category of professional women’s sports, and we are thrilled to welcome some of the world’s greatest volleyball players to Indianapolis,” said Patrick Talty, President of Indiana Sports Corp.
In the meantime, Indianapolis team owners Jim Schumacher and Don Hutchinson have already begun preparations for the 2025 season.
Schumacher is currently a principal with GRE Capital—an Indianapolis-based private equity firm—and father to two volleyball-playing daughters. Hutchinson is a principal at Goelzer Investment Management, who has spent over 25 years as a volleyball player and coach. Together, they are deeply passionate about the sport and the league’s efforts to propel volleyball further into the national spotlight.
“A professional volleyball league here in the United States is long overdue. This is especially true here in Indiana, where we already have a strong community of clubs, players and families dedicated to the sport,” said Hutchinson. “Joining the major leagues allows us to fuel the future of volleyball, create new opportunities for young athletes and ultimately inspire women across the country to achieve their dreams.”
Central Indiana has a nationwide reputation as a hotbed for women’s volleyball—with eight competitive clubs and more than 3,500 high school players taking to the court. In fact, MaxPreps ranked Indiana as one of the Top 5 States for Volleyball and named volleyball the #1 Female Sport in the state.
Indiana is also a leader in collegiate volleyball, boasting a total of 56 programs at all levels of college athletics. Over 150 club coaches in Indiana have gone on to coach college volleyball teams across the nation, including two former Munciana coaches that won the 2021 and 2022 NCAA National Championships.
“A professional volleyball league here in the United States is long overdue. This is especially true here in Indiana, where we already have a strong community of clubs, players and families dedicated to the sport,” said Don Hutchinson, co-owner of the Indianapolis Pro Volleyball Team.
“Indiana is the real deal when it comes to volleyball. But for all our titles and accolades, our athletes have never had the chance to compete on the professional level—until now,” said Schumacher. “Our team is excited to change that. Through both our athletics and our community engagement, we’re on a mission to ignite the women’s sports movement—and become a voice for gender equity here in Indiana.”
As part of its mission, the Indianapolis Pro Volleyball team will be dedicated to uplifting women throughout Indiana, starting with the thousands of young girls in sports across the state. The team looks forward to partnering with local companies and nonprofits to give back to the Indy community and empower young women to pursue their passions.
“Indianapolis has so many phenomenal women in sports, and those athletes then become role models for the next generation of girls,” said Melissa Thompson, President of WISE Indianapolis. “This women’s volleyball team has the potential to open doors for thousands of young women in our community, showing them that they can live a life of ambition—both in sports and beyond.”
Pro Volleyball Federation will begin play in January 2024 with seven teams each playing 24 matches before culminating in a four-team championship in May. In the coming weeks, the Indianapolis team will begin making announcements regarding the team name and logo, executive staff, coaching staff and playing venue.
ABOUT THE PRO VOLLEYBALL FEDERATION
Pro Volleyball Federation is REAL PRO VOLLEYBALL and the premier women’s professional volleyball league in North America. Pro Volleyball Federation will begin play in January 2024 with world-class players and coaches, including some of America’s greatest volleyball players and elite players from around the world. Our entire focus is on ensuring that our level and quality of play, our treatment of players, the quality of our event presentations and our day-to-day fan experience is world-class and the very best offered in North America. For more information, visit ProVolleyball.com.