Spalding reports that its volleyball dollar share within the Sporting Goods channel has spiked to 35%, up from just 7% one year ago and now takes over as the category leader. The company says its strong market sahre improvement comes from a combination of the introduction of its NEVER FLAT technology (the category's #1 ball), major grass roots initiatives and strong player acceptance of other innovative products including the All Weather ball.
Since introducing its NEVER FLAT technology to the outdoor volleyball market in February, Spaldings volleyball dollar share within the Sporting Goods channel has grown at a staggering pace. Its solid performance at retail included a stellar July 4th week, historically the biggest week in volleyball retail sales, when Spalding was the #1 brand.
“Our momentum and recent success in the category is a result of great product, a compelling technology story and laser-focused efforts,” stated Dan Touhey, vice president of marketing. “Spaldings involvement in major tournaments and events across the country has led to more than 30,000 hard core players using our All Weather ball and thats tremendous exposure for the Spalding brand.”
Spalding has increased its presence at high profile events including the U.S. Open of Volleyball, the California Beach Volleyball Associations (CBVA) Premier Volleyball Tour, USA Volleyball Jrs Tour, and more than a dozen others across the country. All Tours and Events will utilize Spalding as the Official Game Ball.
“Spalding has definitely become a major player in the sport of outdoor volleyball. The brand not only stands for high quality and performance, but it also captures the passionate and engaging lifestyle of the outdoor player,” said Billy Berger Spaldings volleyball director.
Spalding also has one of the games greatest ambassadors on its team. Karch Kiraly, a three-time Olympic gold medalist was involved in the field testing of Spaldings marquee product, the new Spalding NEVER FLAT King of the Beach volleyball, centered around similar technologies found in its top selling NEVER FLAT basketballs. It is the first-ever volleyball with proprietary pressure retention technologies and is guaranteed to stay inflated 10 times longer than traditional volleyballs.
