LOVB Partners With Investment Bank Amid Rising Team Values

LOVB is partnering with Inner Circle Sports to guide investment and expansion as franchise values continue to rise.

A LOVB Houston player high fives her teammates on the way to the court. / LOVB

Headed into its third season, League One Volleyball announced a partnership with Inner Circle Sports, an investment bank focused on the sports industry, to aid in the league's expansion and long-term growth.

Inner Circle Sports will work with the league's executive leadership on potential expansion markets, ownership opportunities and other strategic decisions as the league looks to grow its national footprint.

The partnership gives LOVB an adviser with experience navigating expansion in another rapidly growing women's professional league. Inner Circle Sports previously served as a financial and strategic adviser to the National Women's Soccer League, including leading the NWSL's competitive expansion process during a period of growth for women's professional sports.

"This is a pivotal moment for professional volleyball and for women's sports more broadly," said Sandra Idehen, Commissioner of LOVB Pro. "LOVB Pro was built with a long-term vision to create a league that elevates athletes, connects communities and grows the sport at every level. As we continue expanding, Inner Circle Sports brings the experience and perspective needed to help us identify the opportunities that will strengthen the league for the future.

Additionally, LOVB has announced the sale of ownership stakes in seven of its ten teams, with each deal valued at approximately $20 million.

LOVB Austin, two-time league champions, are co-owned by G9 Ventures, Bolt Ventures and Spurs Sports & Entertainment, the organization behind the San Antonio Spurs.

Now that LOVB has an investment bank that specializes in the business behind professional sports, the firm will help evaluate potential markets and ownership groups as the league determines where, and with whom, it should expand next.

"We want these investors to be the long-term journey with us," Idehen said on Bloomberg Open Interest. "We want to make sure we're in markets that have strong commercial value for local ownerships; we also want to make sure we're in markets that have a thriving youth volleyball ecosystem already present."

LOVB has emphasized lifting youth volleyball while promoting competitive professional women's volleyball.

The league is part of 98 junior clubs reaching over 27,000 players in over 2,800 teams. The junior clubs are credited as being the heart of LOVB, and the league has focused on creating a path for young players to eventually reach the professional level.

LOVB Houston was acquired in November 2025 by Lone Star Sports & Entertainment, the sister company of the NFL's Houston Texans. In March, Synergy Sports Capital, a private equity fund led by former NFL players Terrence C. Murphy Sr. and Reggie Bush, invested in LOVB and acquired operating rights to LOVB Salt Lake City.

"It's been incredibly to see the appetite and the demand from the market," Idehen said.

LOVB has not announced the next cities it is targeting or how many teams it ultimately plans to add, but hiring an investment bank with experience running competitive expansion processes suggests the league has high hopes for the future.