ORLANDO, Fla. — The AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships started Tuesday at the Orange County Convention Center, bringing weeks of competition and a major economic boost to Central Florida.
The event is expected to generate an estimated $760.8 million for the local economy. For spectator Darielys Merced, volleyball has always held a special place in her heart.
Merced played the sport for years, but an injury forced her to step away from the game. Now, she gets to watch her niece compete on one of the biggest stages in youth volleyball, a dream she once had herself.
“It’s really something special because I like to fix her. I can tell her, like, ‘You did this and this wrong,’” Merced said.
The Amateur Athletic Union Junior National Volleyball Championships will bring nearly 105,000 athletes from 48 states to Orlando this summer. Tournament organizers estimate more than 300,000 people will attend the event.
More than 6,000 teams will compete over 24 days. The tournament will feature 33,000 games, and its economic impact far exceeds that of college football bowl games and the PGA Tour’s Arnold Palmer Invitational.
“Every year this event gets bigger and better in different ways. And I love to see generations of different athletes come in and through,” said Michael Colangelo, chief content officer for the Amateur Athletic Union.
Colangelo says Central Florida continues to be a premier destination for youth sports because of its facilities, attractions and ability to host major events.
For the next several weeks, the sounds of volleyball will fill the convention center as athletes compete for national titles. The AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships run through July 10.