City scraps proposal to take over Long Beach volleyball

Following Tuesday’s heated meeting over a proposal for the city to run its own volleyball league, city officials scrapped the unpopular plan after the volleyball community turned out in force and urged the city to allow the games to continue under two privately-run leagues.

On Tuesday, more than 100 volleyball players turned out for a meeting at the Rec Center, where they were informed about a proposal floated by two local lifeguards and players, Vincent Leis and Chris Sullivan, who maintain that their plan would generate greater revenue for the city while improving game play, efficiency and safety.

The pair brought their proposal to Bobby Piazza, the city’s new parks commissioner, last month. The games — everything from registration to setting up the nets — would have been administered through the Rec, essentially putting an end to the East End Volleyball and Evolutions Volleyball leagues, which have operated in the city for decades and attract around 3,500 players.

Leis and Sullivan said that they had been exploring the idea of a running an alternative league through the city or by creating a non-profit organization for a few years to address issues among players such as rising fees, the quality of equipment and game efficiency, as well as quality of life and safety issues surrounding the games, such as nets blocking emergency exits from the beach.

Their plan would have reduced the number of nets stretching from Long Beach Boulevard to Edwards Boulevard from 60 to 40, away from residential areas. Piazza said on Tuesday that he was bringing the proposal to the City Council for review.

On Wednesday evening, however, the city nixed the plan, after volleyball players expressed concern over the new proposal and argued about whether or not the city could sustain such a program in the future. Many also criticized a plan that would have allowed the city to oust two private businesses. Players also said that because teams are already being put together for the start of the upcoming season, which begins the week before Memorial Day, the new plan was being rushed (See story, “Long Beach volleyball players debate control of league play,” March 15-21).