AVP Champions Cup Series to be held in Long Beach

The Assn. of Volleyball Professionals has announced that it has been forced to forego some events with fans due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Alternatively, the beach volleyball organization will introduce the AVP Champions Cup Series, a three-part series in Long Beach this summer.

The series will be held over three weekends — July 18-19, July 25-26 and Aug. 1-2. It will include an eight-team main draw with a 12-team qualification cap.

A purse of $200,000 will be up for grabs for the men’s and women’s events, while a $100,000 bonus pool will be in play for the teams with the top finishes.

“With the restrictions and regulations in place, we were forced to suspend all fan-attended events and refocus on creating the best possible scenario to bring fans the sport they love so much and provide a meaningful way for our athletes to compete,” Donald Sun, the owner and CEO of AVP, said in a statement. “I am extremely proud of my team and our partners for getting creative and finding a solution to ensure we don’t miss a year of beach volleyball.”

The AVP’s tournament schedule had included stops in Hermosa Beach (July 24-26), Manhattan Beach (Aug. 14-16) and Huntington Beach (Oct. 2-4).

“We continue to have a long-standing, solid relationship with the AVP,” Huntington Beach Mayor Lyn Semeta said in a prepared statement. “However, we were unable to guarantee them with an event permit, due to current statewide restrictions that prohibit large gatherings and events.

“Based on this predicament and the advanced planning required to hold an event of this magnitude, the AVP made the decision to cancel the Huntington Beach portion of the tour and relocate it to Long Beach.”

Semeta said that it would have been difficult to prevent spectators from breaking social distancing guidelines on the city’s outdoor beaches.

“Although we are disappointed that the AVP Tour will not take place on our beaches this year, our current priority is to protect the public health of our visitors and residents during COVID-19,” Semeta added. “Yet, the AVP is and always will be a flagship event that showcases the deep-rooted volleyball culture in Huntington Beach, and we certainly intend to work with the AVP to bring it back to our beaches in 2021.”

The events will be held without spectators, but fans will be able to view coverage of the AVP Champions Cup Series through Amazon Prime Video and NBC.

“The AVP Pro Tour is the highest level of competition for athletes here in the U.S. and each season I’m motivated to continue to grow the sport and raise the bar,” two-time Olympic medalist April Ross said in a news release. “The AVP is home court to most of Team USA and with the COVID-19 pandemic, we unfortunately lost the opportunity to compete for a medal in Tokyo this year but fans can still get in on the action with the AVP Champions Cup Series.”

Rob Espero, well-known around the sport as an announcer, said that whether he is brought on as a broadcaster or not, he will be watching.

“We have not only the absence of the beach volleyball, but obviously all the college and indoor ... volleyball that was happening,” said Espero, referencing the impact of the pandemic. “The fact this event is able to go on after having this hiatus since the first week of March, I mean people are desperate to see it.

“Others that feel this is a waste, how could it be a waste? We’re at least seeing some kind of competition.”

::

Support our sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.

For more sports stories, visit latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/sports or follow us on Twitter @DailyPilotSport.