Women’s Sports in Minnesota Continue to Grow with Two Pro Volleyball Teams Coming in 2027

Minnesota has long been a top-tier destination for women’s sports; it’s one of many reasons I love this state. So, it’s no surprise that the Twin Cities have caught the eye of two professional volleyball leagues. League One Volleyball Pro (LOVB Pro) and Major League Volleyball (MLV) will both debut Minnesota-based expansion teams for their 2027 seasons beginning next January.

“[Minnesota has] always been one of the bedrocks of volleyball, with one of the nation’s highest youth participation rates across the board and ranking in the top 10 volleyball markets from youth all the way to pro now,” LOVB Pro Minnesota advisor April Erhman says. “Since the announcement [of the Minnesota expansion team], what stood out isn’t just the excitement but a real sense of pride and possibility. You can feel it everywhere with players stepping up, families leaning in and fans across the state rallying around something that feels bigger than them.” 

Erhman added that LOVB Pro Minnesota has already seen hundreds of people putting down deposits for season tickets, and they haven’t even begun ticket sales yet. 

Pedro Mendes, the head coach and general manager of MLV Minnesota, also emphasized the significance of the state’s strong volleyball roots. This is something Mendes has experienced up close, having spent the past three years as an assistant coach with the University of Minnesota’s volleyball team. 

“What I learned pretty early [while working with the Gophers] is that the volleyball community here is very passionate about the game — they don’t only watch, but they actually like playing the game too,” Mendes says. “They know what the game is, they understand it and they can have a lot of opinions about it, so it’s just exciting to be a part of that community.” 

At just over six months out from their inaugural season, both LOVB Pro and MLV Minnesota are still rolling out a lot of announcements and establishing their brand identity. LOVB Pro Minnesota is leaning into the two youth teams they have already established in Minnesota, Kokoro and M1 Volleyball, to build excitement. Since its founding, LOVB has been focused on creating a track for athletes starting in their own youth programs up to their pro league.

On the other hand, MLV doesn’t own youth teams, nor do they intend to acquire any. Instead, MLV Minnesota is getting involved in the community by partnering with high schools or independent clubs to run clinics and camps, Mendes says. Another major piece of MLV Minnesota’s brand strategy is their home at the Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul. 

MLV Minnesota is owned by Minnesota Sports and Entertainment, which also owns the Minnesota Wild and holds the operating agreement for Grand Casino Arena, the RiverCenter and Roy Wilkins Auditorium, says Todd Fredrickson, the Senior Vice President of marketing for the Wild who is also helping with the rollout of MLV Minnesota. 

Minnesota Sports and Entertainment had seen the success of women’s sports both on a national scale and right in their very own building with the Minnesota Frost, which encouraged them to break into that market when they discovered the MLV, according to Fredrickson. 

“Women’s professional volleyball is an incredible sport, I mean, the way these players play the game and the intensity and joy they play it with was part of what made it attractive to us in terms of acquiring a franchise in volleyball,” Fredrickson says. “It’s such an entertaining game, and we think fans are going to love it.”

At time of writing, LOVB Pro Minnesota has not announced where they will play home games, although Erhman mentioned the team would potentially be practicing at the same facilities as LOVB’s youth teams. This is something some of the other LOVB Pro teams have done and helps to facilitate the LOVB’s youth-to-pro approach. 

Regardless of where LOVB Pro Minnesota ends up, Erhman is excited that more women will have more opportunities to pursue professional sports with the introduction of not just one but two new leagues. 

“Any opportunity for women in sports is a positive, and at the end of the day, we just want volleyball to win,” Erhman says. “Minnesota has really deep volleyball roots, and I don’t see that going away.”