Unique Spaces: The Trend of Playing High School Volleyball on Football Field

Bringing the tradition indoor game into a stadium environment adds a new element of excitment for players and fans

The Nebraska Cornhuskers during pregame of the Volleyball Day in Nebraska Outdoor Volleyball Match. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

In August of 2023, the country watched as 92,003 fans were enamored by the display of athleticism on the biggest stage. It wasn’t a football game that fans flocked to at Memorial Stadium, but volleyball. A gritty, physical game with half the number of players on the playing field, and a net between the two of them. 

The impact that “Volleyball Day in Nebraska” had on the way individuals interacted and engaged with set a precedent for former and volleyball players, new and old fans, and a growing community of youth athletes and athletic departments across the country to replicate the magnitude of that day at a smaller level. 

The Upward Growth of Outdoor Volleyball Matches

Nestled in the Metro Atlanta area, the defending GHSA 5A Champion Pope Greyhounds hosted local crosstown opponent Walton for an adequately named “Backyard Brawl”. Head Coach Erica Miller referenced her first exposure of an outdoor volleyball game being Volleyball Day in Nebraska.

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“Nebraska's outdoor match last year was our first exposure to the idea of an outdoor match,” said Miller, an Ohio Volleyball alumna.  “A group of parents also saw that a school in Iowa did this on a smaller scale and approached me about doing this. I said ‘no way’ to adding it last year while the season was already underway, and we tabled it.”

The Iowa game was the September 17th match between West Delaware and Mt. Vernon in 2024. The success of that began to pick up steam, with the following season, seeing more and more outdoor court volleyball matches, Pope included. Miller decided to revisit the match for the 2025 season, where she did additional research to turn the idea into reality. “The girls were excited about the opportunity from idea to execution. Our parents were incredibly supportive and stepped in to help in many ways.”

While the idea was in its early stages, many programs across the country wanted to follow suit in the creation of this event at the high school level.

Cross Country Impact

Georgia wasn’t the only location that saw the vision come to fruition. Cities in Texas, Ohio and New York looked to replicate the idea of an outdoor volleyball match. In Hamburg, New York, Frontier Volleyball followed suit with a match of their own in early September. Both the boys and girls programs hosted an outdoor event complete with over 2,000 fans in attendance.

Director of Athletics, James Helmicki, was the mastermind behind the Frontier Volleyball Stadium Series. The Falcons brought the similar idea of the outdoor volleyball event with the added feat in having the first sanctioned outdoor boys court volleyball match in the country. “The outdoor concept and plan of action was shared with our superintendent and Board of Education,” said Helmicki on the preparations of the match. Similar to Pope, the Falcons had to have financial backing as well to make the idea come to fruition.

“We were able to purchase the outdoor court and netting system. From there, we worked with many stakeholders to have trial runs of putting the court together and playing on it, to make sure it was perfect for game day.”

2,000+ fans for high school volleyball just outside of Buffalo, NY!

HISTORY MADE on the Frontier High School field as the first ever boys high school volleyball match held outdoors in the United States! pic.twitter.com/lIihun0moZ

— Mr. Penberthy (@mrpenberthy) September 9, 2025

Though the sport of volleyball is known for its impact on the collegiate level in the states and professional level internationally, high school volleyball is a hidden gem. In the shadow of the Friday Night Lights, many fall programs don’t receive the level of attention as its football counterparts. Despite football being one of the largest and most popular sports in high school, volleyball is one of the largest youth sports for young girls in the United States, with a 40 pecent increase from 2017 to 2023 according to Sportico.

Games like Volleyball Day in Nebraska or the Crossover at Kinnick for women’s basketball had made it impossible to ignore the impact of hosting sport in an unconventional space. Programs like Pope and Frontier saw value in the creation of putting their programs on display in a way that drew attention to the game in the same way it did at Nebraska. 

“While the Volleyball program has won state in 2022 and 2024 (and four other times since 2008), we simply don't have a large fan base,” said Miller. “Our hope was that this game would get fans in the stands and that they would continue to come out and cheer on our team”

Community Efforts

The Greyhounds and Falcons not only sought out local support within their immediate school environment, but community support. Like Pope, Frontier relied closely on community efforts, including the school district, board of education and administrative higher ups to get the ball rolling. Local outlets, social media and marketing helped expand the impact far and wide, in addition to coaches assisting in outreach and hype for the finishing touches. 

“The community received videos, photos and newscasts on local stations to create excitement and anticipation for the event. It was easy to see the students and community excitement for the event as ticket sales soared through the month of August and the views on social media reached 100,000+” said Helmicki on Frontier’s preparations and reception. 

With a collective 3,500 fans between both programs in attendance, in partnership with local and national outreach from school programs interested in replicating the event with their own teams, the impact expands past the community of Hamburg and the Metro Atlanta area. Miller and Helmicki acknowledged the impact that the game itself had on the community and national impact of youth volleyball and to expand on highlighting athletes in unique ways that increase interest.