Volleyball is experiencing a massive surge in popularity across Ontario, but with rapid growth comes significant challenges: How do you ensure players, parents, coaches, and officials can easily find the programs, resources, and information they need?

In Episode 6 of Sports Clamor, host PJ Kwong dives into this very topic with Kerish Maharaj, Manager of Marketing, Communications, and Community Outreach for the Ontario Volleyball Association (OVA). Kerish shares the inspiring story behind Ontario Volleyball Connect, a groundbreaking centralized marketplace powered by Communiti, that is transforming how the volleyball community connects.

The Challenge: Booming Demand Meets Access Hurdles

"We've been a growing sport, like rapidly growing, and we actually have more demand than supply," Kerish explains. While an enviable position, this meant parents and adult players often struggled to navigate a fragmented landscape to find suitable programs, leagues, or even answers to basic questions. Kerish himself, despite his deep experience in volleyball administration, faced these hurdles when he first moved to Canada.

This issue became a focal point for OVA's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee during COVID, asking: "How can we kind of bring everything together to make... a system for parents and for adults and for persons with disabilities... easy to find volleyball that's close to them and that's within their financial range?"

The Vision: A Centralized Hub, Powered by Smart Technology

The vision was clear: create a one-stop shop for everything volleyball in Ontario. The OVA knew they needed a robust, user-friendly technology partner to bring this to life. They turned to Communiti.

"We were very, very impressed by their user design, taking our ideas and putting [them] into functionality essentially," says Kerish. "In a way that the end user – be it a teenager, a parent, or an adult – could look and use an interface that was easy... and that they could go from all the way from finding the program to booking their program to leaving reviews... all in one platform."

Inside Ontario Volleyball Connect: A Win-Win Solution

Launched as a distinct platform, Ontario Volleyball Connect (ontariovolleyballconnect.org), has become the go-to resource. For users, it offers:

• Easy discovery of leagues, clubs, camps, and clinics.

• Simple online booking and payment.

• A trusted source of verified providers.

For providers (clubs, coaches, league organizers), it’s a comprehensive tool to:

• Manage their entire business from their phone.

• Handle scheduling, registrations, and payments seamlessly.

• Gain visibility within a large, engaged volleyball community.

"It's funded from the OVA's end because for us, we see this as part of our commitment to growing the sport province-wide," Kerish notes. The success has been remarkable, with Ontario Volleyball Connect sometimes even outranking the main OVA website in Google searches due to its targeted functionality and user traffic.

Core Values in Action: Inclusive, Safe, Affordable (and Fun!)

Beyond the technology, Kerish emphasizes that OVA's initiatives are grounded in core values:

• Inclusivity: Defining grassroots broadly to welcome anyone new to the sport in any capacity.

• Safety: Prioritizing Safe Sport policies and police checks for coaches.

• Affordability: Actively working to keep volleyball accessible to more families.

• And as PJ adds, Fun!

These values are embedded in how OVA operates and how Ontario Volleyball Connect serves the community.

Our Take: A Model for Sport Growth & Connection

The Ontario Volleyball Connect story, as shared by Kerish Maharaj, is a powerful testament to what’s possible when a forward-thinking sport organization partners with innovative technology. It demonstrates how a centralized, branded marketplace can:

• Drastically improve accessibility for participants.

• Simplify administration for providers.

• Foster a more connected and engaged community.

• Ultimately, drive the growth of the sport.

Communiti is incredibly proud to be the technology engine behind Ontario Volleyball Connect, helping OVA achieve its vision and serve its rapidly expanding community.

Hear the full story from Kerish Maharaj and learn more about OVA's innovative strategies:

• How OVA navigated the COVID shutdown to emerge stronger.

• Details on their inclusive approach to grassroots development for all ages and roles.

• The impact of beach volleyball's explosive growth.

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Inspired by Ontario Volleyball Connect? See how Communiti can revolutionize access for your sports organization!

If you're looking to:

• Create a centralized hub for your sport community,

• Simplify program discovery and registration for your members,

• Drive participation and engagement effectively, and

• Build a platform tailored to your unique needs...

Let's explore the possibilities together. We invite you to book a personalized consultation with the Communiti team. We can discuss how a custom marketplace solution, similar to what we built for Ontario Volleyball, can specifically benefit your organization.

Schedule your call with Communiti here

Want to see the platform discussed in action?

• Explore Ontario Volleyball Connect: https://ontariovolleyballconnect.org

• Visit the Ontario Volleyball Association: https://www.ontariovolleyball.org/