What Does It Look Like To Be A Professional Volleyball Player?
When I was researching how to play volleyball professionally, there wasn’t much out there and I kind of went into it blind. So, I thought it would be a good idea to go over in detail what it looks like to play pro. Over the next month or so, I’m going to be doing an in depth series of how to get there, what it looks like, and my experiences of playing abroad.
The first of the series will be a general overview of what it looks like to play volleyball professionally! Unlike the NBA or NFL, there is no established volleyball league in the U.S. (but how fun would a NVA be??) However, as of now if you want to continue playing volleyball after college, you must go overseas. There are leagues in Europe, South America, and Asia. Europe is the most common, but there are Americans that play in Brazil, South Korea, China, etc. I personally have played in Sweden, Switzerland, and France. This first week I’ll answer some common questions people ask me about volleyball leagues overseas:
What team/country do you play for?
Each country has its own league, and there are many teams in each country. For example, in Sweden I played for Lindesberg Volley, lived in Lindesberg, Sweden, and played teams all over Sweden. I think there were about 10 teams when I played there. In Switzerland I played for VBC Cheseaux and there were 8 teams at the time in the first league, and in France I played for Saint-Raphaël and there were about 14 teams in the first league. There is a second or even third league in many countries as well. There are also different tournaments where the top teams in each country get to play each other. First there is the Challenge Cup, where usually the number 4 or 5 seed in certain countries play each other. Then there is the CEV Cup which is a step above, and then the top tournament is called Champion’s League where the top teams in each country play each other, and it is very high level. So, usually you play teams in your own country unless you are in one of these leagues or you play in preseason tournaments against teams from other countries. It’s still fun playing teams in the country you’re living in because you get to know the country really well.
Do you get paid?
Yes! The salary varies depending on the level of the league, but I’ve heard of people getting paid anywhere from €500 a month to €500,000 for the whole season. I’d say it’s probably pretty typical to earn around €10,000 to €30,000 for a season, but a lot of this is me guessing and a lot depends on your position as well. The nice part is that they pay for your housing, insurance, flights home, and sometimes you’ll get a certain number of meals per week and transportation, such as a car or bus/train pass. You can come home with a good chunk of money at the end of the season, even if you like to travel and experience Europe while you’re over there (like I do!).
Are there other Americans on the team?
In Sweden I had one American and one Brazilian teammate, in Switzerland I had one American and one Canadian, and in France I had 2 Americans, 2 Brazilians, a Canadian, a girl from England, and a girl from Croatia. Each country has their own rules about how many foreigners (we’re considered the foreigners) can play on the court at one time. For example, in Sweden, 3 Swedish girls had to be on the court at a time, in Switzerland it was 2, and in France it was 1. This is why certain leagues are higher because they’re able to pool from more people. It’s super fun getting to know people from all different cultures.
How do you understand what’s going on? Do you speak another language?
I tried my best to learn Swedish and French, but I was fortunate enough that all my coaches and teammates spoke at least some level of English and we were able to communicate. If I didn’t understand what was going on either in club meetings, at practice, or with some logistical thing, my teammates have all been so helpful to help me translate. They’ve come to the hospital with me, the bank, have read my mail, and sat by me at meetings to translate quickly with what a club member was saying (which is so impressive how quickly they are able to translate). I’ve heard in certain countries where the coach doesn’t speak English, they’ll hire a translator for the player.
How long is a season?
A season typically runs from August to May, with preseason for a month or 2, and playoffs at the end of the season. You usually play 1 or 2 games per week, and practice every day, sometimes twice a day, and have an off day per week. Each league varies with how much you practice and whether you all practice together in the mornings or if it’s just the foreigners. For example, in Sweden and Switzerland the Swiss and Swedish girls had either work or school during the day, so we would practice all together every evening, and us foreigners would lift and practice in the mornings together. In France, the whole team lifted and practiced together in the mornings and evenings
How do you find a team?
I have an agent- Joost Kooistra of eLTee Volley, and I send him my highlight video, 2 full matches of video, and my stats for the year, and he sends it to clubs to see if they need a middle blocker and are interested in me. The first year was the hardest to find a team because clubs in Europe don’t know teams in the U.S. as well, but after I played a year or 2 it was easier to get higher level contracts. There are also combines or tournaments people play in to get exposure and have coaches come watch them, so it depends. Usually, hiring an agent is the way to go.
I hope you have found this helpful! I will continue on with this series for the month of December so we can go further in depth of what life as a professional volleyball player looks like and how you can get to that level! Stay tuned for more!