Chicago Sand Volleyball

What Chicago Sand Volleyball does

Chicago Sand Volleyball (CSV) is a privately held, founder-owned youth sand volleyball training organization founded in 2017 by Alex Hurlburt and Tim Maruyama in the Chicago metropolitan area. The organization operates seasonal summer training programs at two outdoor venues, Four Lakes and Flick Park, structured across three tiers: Regional Developmental Training for fundamentals, Elite Training for top-tier high school and college players, and a Grassroots Program for beginners. In 2025, CSV expanded its offer to include grass volleyball, extending beyond the sand-only model.

The business model is built on seasonal training program registration fees, with athletes enrolling directly through the website. CSV operates as a community-led organization, acquiring athletes through Instagram, word-of-mouth referrals, and partnerships with regional volleyball clubs such as 630 Volleyball and MOD Volleyball. The leadership team—Executive Director Nick Maruyama (also directing 630 Volleyball, the largest indoor boys program in the country, and a USA Volleyball coach) and Director Kailee Itzenhuiser (former Millikin University All-American)—provides elite coaching credentials that underpin the program's competitive results.

The organization supplements its core training services with a proprietary tournament platform (CSV Tournaments via csv.volleyballlife.com), junior tournament events, and a branded Team Store for merchandise. With 8 employees and no disclosed funding, CSV operates as a lean, seasonally active community sports club that has earned national-recognition status for boys' sand volleyball and an elite reputation for girls' programming, producing athletes who medal at national competitions and earn collegiate commitments.

Name

Chicago Sand Volleyball

Legal name

Chicago Sand Volleyball

Website

https://chicagosandvolleyball.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Chicago Sand Volleyball is a privately held youth sand volleyball training organization founded in 2017, offering seasonal summer programs at Four Lakes and Flick Park in the Chicago area. It serves beginner through elite youth athletes with a tiered pathway from grassroots to national-level competition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Sports Training

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAKACAF

Youth & Scholastic Sports Organizations (K–12, AAU, Club Leagues)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Sports (Leagues, Teams, Events, Venues)/Collegiate & Amateur Sports Organizations (NCAA, Federations, Clubs)

SECONDARYEDALAIAB

Club Sports Programs

Education/Student Services & Campus Operations/Athletics, Recreation & Fitness

Keywords

• Youth sand volleyball training
• Beach volleyball coaching
• Sports club programs
• Grassroots volleyball training
• Collegiate volleyball recruitment

Headquarters

HQ city

Glen Ellyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Training Program Registration Fees: The organization generates revenue through seasonal training program fees for its Regional Developmental, Elite Training, and Grassroots programs. Athletes pay to participate in structured sand volleyball training sessions held at Four Lakes and Flick Park venues.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Chicago Sand Volleyball (CSV) is a youth sand volleyball training club that delivers tiered seasonal summer programs—Regional Developmental, Elite Training, and Grassroots—at outdoor sand venues (Four Lakes and Flick Park) in the Chicago metropolitan area. The club also operates CSV Tournaments and Junior Tournaments, and sells branded merchandise, creating a complete developmental pathway from first-time players to elite national-caliber competitors.

Product overview

Chicago Sand Volleyball (CSV) operates as a unified club program offering sand volleyball training and competition. The core portfolio consists of three training programs—Regional Developmental Training, Elite Training, and Grassroots Program—all conducted at outdoor venues (Four Lakes and Flick Park). Supporting the training ecosystem, CSV provides tournament participation through its proprietary CSV Tournament platform, Junior Tournaments, and External Tournament listings. A Team Store offers branded merchandise. The programs are designed to progress athletes from first-time players through elite national-level competitors, with recent expansion into grass volleyball for variety of play styles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Regional Developmental Training Regional summer training program held at Four Lakes and Flick Park, focused on mastering sand volleyball fundamentals for athletes stepping onto the sand for the first time.
• Elite Training High-intensity summer training program for top-tier high school and college players preparing for collegiate and national-level sand volleyball competition.
• Grassroots Program Introductory summer program for athletes new to volleyball, providing foundational skills and a structured, safe introduction to the sport; a grass volleyball variant was introduced in 2025.
• CSV Tournaments Tournament platform hosted at csv.volleyballlife.com enabling competitive sand volleyball play across the Midwest region.
• Junior Tournaments Tournament events specifically designed for junior athletes to gain competitive sand volleyball experience.
• Team Store Branded merchandise and apparel shop offering CSV gear for the sand season.

Quantifiable outcome

• Athletes have medaled at the national level and consistently earn bids to championship events
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 630 VolleyballcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor630 Volleyball is the largest indoor boys volleyball program in the country. Nick Maruyama serves as Director of both 630 Volleyball and Chicago Sand Volleyball, creating an integrated pathway for athletes to transition between indoor and sand volleyball disciplines. The partnership facilitates resource sharing and athlete development across both programs.
• MOD VolleyballminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMOD Volleyball is a top regional volleyball club partner collaborating with Chicago Sand Volleyball to elevate training standards, competition opportunities, and community engagement for athletes. The partnership supports the shared goal of building a stronger beach volleyball culture in the Midwest.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• MOD Volleyball: Top regional volleyball club and explicit club partner of Chicago Sand Volleyball, collaborating on training standards and competition opportunities for Midwest youth athletes. Directly comparable as a community-led volleyball training program serving a similar athlete demographic.
• Elevation Volleyball Club: Chicago-area volleyball club offering developmental through elite tiers for youth athletes. Comparable in tiered training structure, regional Midwest positioning, and dependence on seasonal indoor/sand programming.
• Sky High Volleyball Club: Established Chicago-area youth volleyball club competing for the same elite and developmental high school athlete pool as CSV. Comparable as a regional club training organization serving the Midwest volleyball community.
• 630 Volleyball: Largest indoor boys volleyball program in the United States and an explicit channel partner of Chicago Sand Volleyball, sharing executive director Nick Maruyama. It is the primary feeder pipeline into CSV's Elite sand program and the most directly comparable peer given leadership overlap and athlete cross-flow.
• Adversity Volleyball Academy: Chicago-area volleyball training academy serving youth athletes through club teams and skills development. Comparable in business model (academy-style training, regional youth focus) and in competing head-to-head for the same Midwest athlete pool.
• 1st Alliance Volleyball Club: Chicago-area competitive volleyball club offering club-level training and tournament play for youth athletes. Comparable as a vertically similar club model competing for the same regional youth volleyball talent pool.

Others

• Mizuno USA: Major volleyball equipment and apparel sponsor with deep ties to club volleyball through shoe/gear partnerships and tournament sponsorships. Comparable as a thematic adjacent participant whose brand and equipment ecosystem supports CSV athletes.

Broad incumbents

• USA Volleyball: National governing body for volleyball in the U.S. and an employer of CSV's Executive Director (Nick Maruyama coaches USA Volleyball programs). Comparable as the broad incumbent whose national team pathways, junior rankings, and sanctioning directly shape CSV's Elite programming.

Emerging players

• AVP America: National amateur beach volleyball organization running tournaments and rankings that overlap with CSV's tournament business and Elite athlete development pipeline. Comparable as an emerging organizer in the same amateur beach volleyball niche.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/chicagosandvolleyball
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chicago-sand-volleyball

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chicago Sand Volleyball