Belmar volleyball tournament is shutting down because of financial hardship
Professional volleyball in Belmar appears to have been spiked for good. The Association of Volleyball Professionals announced on Friday that it is shutting down its operations due to financial hardship, effective immediately. The Belmar stop on the AVP circuit had been a mainstay for 17 of the past 20 years and had evolved into the Shore’s most identifiable summer events. Belmar mayor Kenneth E. Pringle said he was “saddened” to hear of the AVP’s demise.
“It’s kind of like the passing of an old friend,” Pringle said. “But this has been a very challenging economic environment. There’s a huge core of fan support for beach volleyball in this area, and we had been looking to build upon that support. Maybe they’ll find a way to resurrect the tour some time in the future.”The AVP started as a player’s association in 1983 and ran its first domestic tour in 1988. It had been in search of new investors, Mike Dodd, AVP commissioner, said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the time constraints were such that pulling the trigger on the amount of money necessary to salvage this season were too great,” Dodd said.
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