Beach Volleyball Championship an economic winner

Beach Volleyball Championship an economic winner

Alabama’s Beaches Sports & Events earns national recognition

The City of Gulf Shores’ NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship was named among the 2025 Champions of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism by Sports Destination Management.
Alabama’s Beaches Sports & Events earned the award for presenting a record setting tourney just 100 days after the NCAA announced it was relocating the event to Gulf Shores from Huntington Beach to allow that area to focus its resources on supporting those recovering from the wildfire devastation that destroyed or damaged more than 16,000 homes in neighboring Las Angeles County.
The decision to move the championship was a mutual one between the NCAA and the Orange County Sports Commission, which collaborated with Long Beach State to make Huntington Beach’s championship host bid.
Alabama-Birmigham has collaborated to conduct the tournament with Alabama’s Beaches Sports & Events since the inaugural tournament in 2016, and Hangout Hospitality also played a huge role in producing the world class event.
Gulf Shores has already secured The National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship from 2026 to 2031, spurring the city to invest in capital improvements for the tourney that include the addition of spectator stadium seating, additional hospitality space and upgrades to the television compound. Alabama Beaches Sports & Events also committed to enhancing marketing resources and elevating the student-athlete experience.
Gulf Shores has reaped the rewards from jumping on board the emerging popularity of beach volleyball by hosting national championship contests at its public beach since 2012, four years before the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sanctioned beach volleyball as its 90th championship sport. CBS Sports broadcast the initial contests, before the games moved to the ESPN networks.
Close to 1,500 women competed in NCAA beach volleyball games in 2024, representing a 72% increase in seven years. Almost 100 NCAA schools sanction the sport, up from a mere 15 when the first tournaments were held in Gulf Shores.
“Every year is a chance for us to come up with ways to be even bigger and better, and that is reflected in the enthusiasm from fans and participating teams. Gulf Shores has been an incredible host city to all those who travel, both near and far, to attend this championship,” said Kristin Fasbender, director of championships and alliances with the NCAA.
The 2026 tourney at Gulf Shores Public Beach will be held May 1-3, two weeks after the city and Gulf Shores/Orange Beach Tourism host the April 17-19 AVCA Small College Beach Volleyball Championships.