US sports broadcaster ESPN has agreed a deal with the National Collegiate Athletic Association for rights to its Women’s Beach Volleyball Championship.
The five-year deal will cover the 2018 to 2022 editions of the event.
Next year’s tournament runs from May 4-6 in Gulf Shores, Alabama, and ESPN will provide live whip-around coverage of every match of the event. The ESPN 3 channel will deliver full coverage of every individual game from all five courts.
“The NCAA Women’s Beach Volleyball Championship adds to our offering of more than 20 NCAA Championships we provide fans each year,” Dan Margulis, ESPN senior director of college and high school sports programming, said. “Beach volleyball is an emerging sport with untapped potential and ESPN looks forward to helping increase its national profile.”
Beach volleyball is one of the fastest growing NCAA sports and is currently sponsored by 69 institutions.