Kansas City has had professional teams from numerous team sports including football, baseball, basketball, soccer, ice hockey, indoor soccer and indoor football. Kansas City is now set to add its first-ever professional volleyball team to its arsenal.
The Pro Volleyball Federation, the preeminent professional women’s volleyball league in North America founded in 2022, announced intentions of Kansas City getting an expansion team to begin play in 2025 following the league’s inaugural season beginning in January 2024. Kansas City’s team is owned by Missy and Kent McCarthy, who have great ties to the University of Kansas and are members of the ownership group of MLB’s Kansas City Royals and NBA’s Sacramento Kings.
“We are so excited to bring the Pro Volleyball Federation to Kansas City,” said Missy McCarthy. “Kansas City is an outstanding sports town, and the action-packed sport of women’s pro volleyball played at its highest level is going to be something that we know Kansas City will rally around. In the coming months, we have some very special announcements and celebration events lined up. We can’t wait to introduce women’s pro volleyball to Kansas City.”
Missy McCarthy will serve as CEO with other organizational details including team name and playing facility yet to be named. Other leadership and branding will be announced in the months ahead.
The PVF season will run from January to May with each team playing a 24-game schedule before a champion is crowned after semifinal and final matchups. There are currently seven teams with markets in Atlanta, GA; Columbus, OH; Grand Rapids, MI; Las Vegas, NV; Omaha, NE; Orlando, FL; and San Diego, CA. Kansas City will be the ninth team with Dallas also joining in 2025.
“When I look at the trajectory of women’s sports and how they’ve grown in participation,
investment and viewership, I’m proud to say Kansas City is leading the way, and I can’t wait to
see the region embrace professional women’s volleyball,” said Kathy Nelson, President and CEO
of the Kansas City Sports Commission and Visit KC. “This is a perfect addition to our portfolio of
professional teams and will complement the thriving youth and collegiate volleyball programs
in our region.”
This team will be Kansas City’s ninth active professional sports franchise and the second active women’s franchise alongside NWSL’s Current. In a city that has hosted some important events like the 2023 NFL Draft and the 2017 NCAA DI women’s volleyball Final Four, and is scheduled to host another Final Four in 2025, Kansas City is a natural fit for a pro women’s volleyball team.
“Kansas City is famous for its passionate, welcoming sports fans and we are thrilled for its
franchise to join us in 2025,” said Dave Whinham, PVF co-founder. “Pro Volleyball
Federation is committed to driving equity, awareness and engagement to women’s sports,
something I know resonates with the Kansas City community. We look forward to bringing a
world-class experience in just over a year.”
Volleyball is among the most popular sports for girls and women, yet the game at the professional level has struggled to stay afloat. Even with its growing popularity, with a 15% increase since 2002 in high schools, there were no professional leagues in the U.S.
Despite the lack of domestic availability past college, the U.S. has been dominant in recent years and won the Gold Medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. This will give an opportunity for successful collegiate athletes to stay in the country to play professional volleyball rather than either moving overseas or quitting altogether.
“Kansas City is leading the way in the monumental shift in women’s sports, and we want to help shape that change,” Missy McCarthy said. “Volleyball is an incredible sport to play and watch, but there are no real opportunities to play it at its highest level in the United States. Until now.”
Kansas City Sports Magazine 