LOVB SF owners on unique Bay Area ecosystem that makes volleyball franchise a smash hit

The GIST: This Thursday, LOVB serves up its championship weekend, which will air on USA Sports for the first time. This will be the last chip featuring the league’s inaugural six teams as three expansion teams will be added next year, including LOVB San Francisco.

• This week, we had the opportunity to hear from members of the new team’s ownership group — Danielle Slaton, Chantell Preston, Arielle Chambers, Kate Johnson, and Stephanie Martin — about why they’re keen on bringing volleyball to the Bay in a whole new way. Dig it.

The location: According to LOVB SF’s owners, the Bay is an ideal place to launch a new franchise. Slaton highlighted that “every business across the globe has ties to the Bay Area,” while others cited its unique ecosystem rooted in rich community, and how its progressive mindset shapes fandom.

• Chambers said in her experience, “other women’s sports are trying to figure out how to get participation like volleyball” and noted strong D1, youth, and adult recreational volleyball interest in the Bay Area.

• Slaton noted how the Bay Area was voted the best women’s sports city, and Chambers said when she began posting about LOVB SF online, fans engaged immediately and dubbed themselves “Love Bugs.” This is similar to how the city’s WNBA and NWSL teams received warm welcomes before their inaugural seasons.

• Preston celebrated the region’s startup culture and ability to assess future value, saying it’s “ahead of the rest of the country” in women’s sports support because “it understands value before it becomes obvious.” Preston also suggested it’s the best place to build the future of sports because “there’s a natural alignment here around innovation, equity, and long-term thinking.”

The brand value: Previously, fellow LOVB SF owner Jes Wolfe told us she envisions LOVB SF games as a networking event, with Slaton echoing this is “part of the vision” for LOVB SF gamedays — especially for women business leaders. And owners are already signaling which categories should tap in: Johnson said she’s eager to form relationships with women’s health and med tech companies.

• Martin said other sectors should consider the opportunity with this primarily family-oriented audience of women: LOVB says its target fanbase is about 68% women. She said the club is “especially focused” on categories catering to everyday life – beauty, wellness, finance, tech, retail – where women are the primary decision-makers. Holding all the tickets.