NCAA's CWA recommends adding sand volleyball

to list of emerging sports for women

In July, 2008 the Committee on Women's Athletics recommended that a governance entity for each of the Divisions of the NCAA sponsor legislation to add sand volleyball to the list of emerging sports for women. Schools can use emerging sports to help meet NCAA minimum sports and financial aid requirements. Sand volleyball can become an NCAA championship sport if 40 member institutions support the sport.

Quoting from The NCAA News:

The Committee on Women’s Athletics gave its recommendation to move forward with sand volleyball after hearing a presentation by American Volleyball Coaches Association Executive Director Kathy DeBoer and Delaware volleyball coach Bonnie Kenny. The conversation centered on the growth and popularity of the sport. According to a 2007 report by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, more than 200,000 females participate in the sport, including 32,654 females under the age of 18 in the U.S. who are frequent participants. DeBoer and Kenny said sand volleyball is not currently a high school sport, but the number of girls playing only sand volleyball with frequency in high schools is more than the other emerging sports. The same research revealed that sand volleyball had increased by 35 percent among core participants since 2006. This compared with only a 2.3 percent increase in the indoor court game.