World Tour may soon return to U.S. soil

Todd Rogers tried to warn the AVP. The organization believed hosting an international beach volleyball event would be good for business, but Rogers, a veteran domestic and international player, insisted there were tough standards to meet.

"I kept telling the management of the AVP, which was fairly new at the time -- they had only been in charge for two years -- I'm like, 'You guys, you have no idea. This is really strict,'" he said.

Yet, Association of Volleyball Professionals CEO Leonard Armato forged ahead, signing his first deal with the FIVB in September 2002. It would bring one International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) Grand Slam event to the U.S. in 2003, two such competitions in 2004, and the FIVB World Championships in 2005. Ruben Acosta, the FIVB President at the time, said, "This is a landmark agreement involving unprecedented cooperation between FIVB and AVP."

But then, at the newly-opened Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., that first tournament took place.

"The event was absolutely a failure," says FIVB Beach Volleyball Director Angelo Squeo, who rattles off grievances from that one tournament like it happened yesterday. Among them: promotion that started too late, sand that was not deep enough or of good quality, poor athlete transportation from the airport, and a championship match played in front of "300, 400 people" at a venue that could hold 8,000. In the aftermath, the FIVB terminated the rest of the agreement and hasn't come back to the States since.

"We prefer not to have an event in the United States rather than a very poorly organized and promoted event," Squeo says.

With a new decade, though, there is hope. The AVP has visions of expanding abroad but will find it tough without the help of the FIVB. The FIVB wants to increase its exposure and no country can give a sport more publicity than the U.S. Thus, the two sides are in discussions to bring the World Tour back to America.

They made a late attempt to put a Miami event on the 2010 schedule, but couldn't hammer out the details in time. Among the sticking points (not including the poor state of the global economy) are sponsor recognition, TV production and promotion details. But what the organizations couldn't finalize this year likely laid the groundwork for years to come.

"Our intention is definitely to go to the United States, and then not only with exhibition or some minor events, but with a big event that can also be part of the Olympic qualification," Squeo says.

Says current AVP CEO Jason Hodell, "They want it to happen, we want to build a partnership with them, and it's in both of our best interests of the sport to work together on these things."

Hodell may be a reason international relations are turning. He took over as CEO when Armato resigned in April 2009, and in his first season implemented numerous positive changes. Included was a new contract for the players, which incorporated better language on the stipulations of playing on the FIVB Tour; and the AVP Challenge, a season-ending event in Arizona that pitted the top U.S. teams against the top Brazilian teams in a Ryder Cup-type event. Needing FIVB approval for such a competition, the AVP received it largely because Ary Graca, the president of the FIVB Beach Volleyball Commission, is Brazilian. The Americans won the challenge, but it was well-received by everyone.

"The Brazilian folks that came are very involved with the FIVB and they all had a great time," Hodell says. "It couldn't have gone better."

The relations are touchy because of the tours' histories. The AVP was born first, in 1984, and the FIVB beach circuit began three years later. Each tour has experienced its ups and downs, but both currently average about 15 or 16 events per gender per year. While played in different locations and attracting different audiences, they also have different procedures for putting on events.

"The FIVB standards for running a tournament are way, way higher than the AVP standards," says Rogers, an Olympic, world and AVP champion, adding, "(The AVP) is a much looser feel and it's run more like a fun time, 'Here, come out to the beach and enjoy yourself.' Whereas the FIVB wants to run it like a true professional sport, very rigid."

Rather than work together as they've grown up to foster the game of beach volleyball, the tours have largely become competitors.

But now, instead of separate visions, the two tours are trying to bring them together. It's not far-fetched to envision national tours in numerous countries someday run by the AVP with help from the FIVB. First, though, they need to bring the World Tour back to the country which arguably boasts the best players in the world.

"Once we start," Squeo says, "I think this will be a new era."