Rosie Spaulding [#79]: Building the "NBA of Volleyball" Through Unique Youth-to-Pro Model

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Dec 3, 2025

Join Rosie Spaulding, President of League One Volleyball, as she discusses her groundbreaking work in establishing a youth-to-pro volleyball ecosystem in the U.S. With a rich background in sports events, Rosie reflects on the importance of community engagement and athlete development. She reveals how LOVB nurtures young talent, enhances welfare standards, and fosters a sustainable model for professional volleyball. Learn about her ambitious goal of making volleyball as prominent as the NBA, while prioritizing athletes' holistic growth and retention.

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INSIGHT

Youth-First Pathway Drives Visibility

League One Volleyball built a youth-first ecosystem before launching the pro league to create a linked pathway from juniors to pros.
The pro teams train in club gyms so young players can see and aspire to the highest level up close.

ADVICE

Structure Whole-Athlete Development Monthly

Roll out personal and professional development programmes with monthly themes that scale by age group.
Provide on-court coaching plus off-court support like mental health and financial literacy for every level.

INSIGHT

Athlete Council Shapes Welfare From Day One

LOVB formed an athletes council in 2020 to co-design welfare and operational standards before launching the pro league.
Athletes are league employees and receive year-round health benefits, creating stronger buy-in.

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On today’s episode of the Sports Pundit Performance Podcast, Rich and I are joined by Rosie Spaulding, President of League One Volleyball (LOVB) Pro, the first fully-integrated youth-to-pro volleyball league in the United States.

Rosie’s 20-year career has taken her behind some of the world’s biggest sporting stages, from Super Bowl 50 to the Rugby World Cup Sevens and the America’s Cup, but it’s at LOVE where she is rewriting the playbook entirely. Rather than inheriting a league, she’s building one from the ground up, designed around the whole athlete.

Frustrated by the fragmented pathways and lack of infrastructure in women’s sport, LOVB have set out to create something radically different: a performance ecosystem where a 12-year-old club player can dream of turning professional without leaving the LOVB community.

In this conversation, we explore how LOVB is reshaping athlete development, redefining welfare standards, and building a sustainable professional model fuelled by youth participation, not broadcast dependency. This is the future of performance, built at the intersection of community, care and competition.

Timestamps

02:30 - Rosie’s Journey from Marine Biology to President of LOVB Pro
05:00 - Building a Youth-to-Pro Volleyball League
8:00 - Community Engagement and Athlete Development and The Whole Athlete Philosophy
15:00 - Challenges and Successes in Professional Volleyball in the U.S.
22:00 - Lessons on Leadership and Interdisciplinary Thinking
30:00 - Looking to Season 2 and Beyond…

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Rich Buchanan is a human performance consultant with extensive experience at the highest levels of sport, including roles as Performance Director at Swansea City FC in the Premier League and consultant for DC United in Major League Soccer.

With a background spanning coaching, physiotherapy, and strength and conditioning, Rich specialises in building multi-disciplinary teams that deliver resilient, high-performing support systems. Passionate about holistic performance, Rich is committed to evolving best practices and helping organisations sustain long-term success. Connect on LinkedIn

Andy Marston is the founder of Sports Pundit, a community and media platform for sports and technology executives. Through a weekly newsletter, podcast network, lively group chat, and regular social events, he shares industry analysis and connects leaders across the sector. Alongside Sports Pundit, Andy leads Corporate Venture at athlete-backed venture firm, The Players Fund, where he works with high-profile sports IP such as Como 1907 to design venture strategies and drive innovation initiatives.

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About Sports Pundit

Sports Pundit is a community-driven platform for executives working in sport, built around content, events, and conversation. Through its weekly newsletter, social channels, WhatsApp groups, and podcast network, it connects industry leaders across the globe.

At the heart of the platform is the Sports Pundit Podcast Network, a multi-show lineup created for sports executives, by sports executives. The network features six domain-specific podcasts spanning innovation, marketing, finance, performance, and media, alongside a conversational companion show, The Pitch. Together, they deliver insider perspectives that live up to Sports Pundit’s mission to be “The Voice of the Sports Industry.”

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