The US Beach Volley pro players finds the smile with the Beach Championship Series

IMG Action Sports, a division of IMG Worldwide, and USA Volleyball (USAV) announced today a multi-year agreement to create a jointly owned series of pro beach volleyball tournaments in the United States, effective immediately.

IMG Action Sports and USA Volleyball will both be responsible for packaging the Beach Championship Series for sponsorship and media partnerships while IMG Action Sports will provide event management and tournament execution services for the new series. As the National Governing Body (NGB) for indoor and beach volleyball, USAV represents rights, access and competition expertise critical to the immediate impact of the series on the volleyball industry. The four to six-stop Series will create a stable events platform for elite U.S. beach volleyball talent.

"This represents USA Volleyball's continuing commitment to and investment in beach volleyball," said USA Volleyball CEO Doug Beal. "This partnership will allow us to promote the beach game while giving U.S. beach volleyball teams the opportunity to compete at a high level as we move toward London in 2012."

In the coming years, the Series will expand on both the amateur and the professional side with more tournaments and increased prize money.

"Pro beach volleyball has always been an important and vital part of the lifestyle sports landscape," IMG Action Sports Senior Vice President James Leitz said. "Pro beach volleyball has a passionate fan base and a loyal list of brands committed to its ongoing success. The new series fits well into our portfolio of lifestyle and action sports properties. Alongside USAV, we see a bright future for the sport through 2016 and beyond."

Creating a comprehensive sponsorship program and a compelling offering for network and new media platforms, as well as developing a solid schedule in fan-favorite markets are the first orders of business for the new venture. USAV and IMG have also been actively engaged with top players and player representatives/agents to ensure that the wants, needs and voice of the players are well-integrated into the core elements of the Series.