Although most people might associate the sport of volleyball with girls volleyball, men’s volleyball is not talked about enough. I appreciate all aspects of volleyball, including when a game is really fast-paced, and if you have ever watched professional men’s volleyball, it is incredibly fast. Despite that, men’s volleyball tends to be overlooked because mostly women play the sport.

There are not many volleyball organizations that even have boys volleyball as an option because they wouldn’t have enough players to make a team. Not many boys know that it’s even an option for them to play volleyball. 

I am only aware of one club,  Austin Junior Volleyball, that has more than one boys team for an age group. Just searching for “boys volleyball” on Google, AJV is the first result. Although AJV made their boys program in 2009 and started out with only one team of boys playing, AJV now has teams from 12 to 18 with one to two teams per age group. The sport has definitely grown from what it was in the past, but I still don’t believe enough boys know that it’s an option for them.

Some players that I know said they compete against the same teams over and over again because there are just not enough boys that play. In girls volleyball tournaments, I play so many different teams that I hardly recognize any of the girls playing. 

Boys players also rarely have the option to play volleyball outside of their club volleyball seasons. In public schools, it is very uncommon to have a boys volleyball team in high school, and I think it’s unfair for the boys that do want to play. For girls volleyball, the school season often prepares us for club season, allowing players to stay on top of their skills and technique so they can perform well in the club season. Most boys don’t even have a possibility to play in high school, which is unfair for them.

Most boys also don’t know about college men’s volleyball. Boys can get scholarships to play for big schools like UCLA, Stanford, and Princeton as a boys volleyball player, similar to girls volleyball. Boys have the ability to play at the next level with athletic scholarships, and if boys are really interested in the sport, volleyball could possibly help them get into their dream college.

I think that boys volleyball can be a great opportunity for young boys who want to play on a competitive team and are willing to learn to play a sport that plays at a high speed. I think volleyball tends to be perceived as a women’s sport, but I believe it should be perceived as a sport that everyone can enjoy.