AVP vs AVP America: What's the Difference?

The AVP is the professional tour where the best beach volleyball players in America compete. AVP America is its grassroots arm — a national network of local and regional tournaments for players of all ages and levels, run by partner organizations across the country. Think of it this way: the AVP is the show; AVP America is where everyone else plays.

The AVP: the professional tour

The AVP — Association of Volleyball Professionals, founded in 1983 — is the premier professional beach volleyball organization in the United States. It runs the AVP League (city-based teams, eight weeks, championship in Chicago), the Heritage Series majors (Manhattan Beach, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach), and Contender events with purses from $20,000 to $300,000. The athletes are full-time professionals, many of them Olympians.

You don't just sign up for the AVP. Entry into pro main draws is earned through AVP ranking points — your best three finishes in the last 365 days — or by surviving a qualifier against other aspiring pros.

AVP America: the grassroots network

AVP America is the AVP's grassroots movement: a sanctioning network that connects thousands of local tournaments, leagues, and events across the United States. Instead of the AVP running every event itself, local partner organizations — clubs, promoters, regional tours — run tournaments under the AVP America umbrella.

Anyone can play. AVP America events span juniors, adults, and all skill levels, from first-timers to serious amateurs. As an AVP member you earn AVP points and appear in the national rankings for your level, and membership includes participant injury insurance. It's the broad base of the sport's pyramid — the weekend warrior's version of the pro tour.

How they fit together: the development ladder

The AVP describes its setup as a three-tiered development system. At the base is AVPFirst, a youth program focused on access and healthy lifestyles. The middle tier is AVPNext, the developmental circuit where aspiring pros earn points and prize money. At the top is the AVP Pro Tour.

AVP America sits alongside this ladder as the grassroots foundation — it's where most players actually compete, and where future pros often start. The pipeline runs upward: dominate your local AVP America events, graduate to AVPNext, earn enough points to enter pro qualifiers, and eventually you're playing for real money on the tour.

Membership: what it costs and what you get

To play AVP America events you need an AVP membership. One partner organization lists two tiers: Bronze ($20/year, leagues only) and Silver ($35/year, tournaments and leagues). Membership fees help fund the national ranking system, national championships, and insurance coverage. Exact pricing can vary by organizer, so always check the event's registration page.

Juniors need an active AVP America membership for junior divisions, and many events award bids to junior national championships — typically requiring a minimum number of teams in the division for bids to be awarded.

Which one is for you?

If you're a casual or competitive amateur looking for local tournaments, you want AVP America — search for events near you and sign up with a membership. If you're an elite junior or college player with pro ambitions, your target is AVPNext, the developmental circuit. And if you're watching the best in the world on TV or from the sand in Manhattan Beach, that's the AVP proper.

The beauty of the system is that it's one continuous ladder. Every pro on the AVP once played their first local tournament somewhere — and for most of them, that somewhere was an AVP America event.