AVP Draws New Sponsor After $37MM Bid

Professional volleyball has drawn some big fans in the past two weeks: a brand sponsor, and new owners.

Banana Boat Suncare has signed on as an official sponsor of the Association of Volleyball Players, Inc.'s (AVP) professional beach volleyball tournaments. As part of the deal, Banana Boat will host a King of the Court consumer contest that gives fans a chance to compete on AVP’s courts.

The sponsorship deal comes on the heels of last week’s announcement that Shamrock Holdings will buy AVP for $36.9 million. The acquisition, which is expected to close this summer, will make the association private; the 24-year-old company has been publicly held. AVP’s senior management will stay on after the deal closes.

AVP and Banana Boat’s King of the Court contest starts with amateur competitions at nine AVP Tour events. Teams of two compete for a slot at the King of the Court Finals in
Las Vegas on Sept. 7-9. Nine teams—one from each AVP Tour stop—each win a trip to Las Vegas to compete in the finals.

AVP has 18 stops planned through the summer for its 2007 Crocs Tour. (Title sponsor is footwear maker Crocs.) The Los Angeles-based firm’s athletes competed in the 2004 Olympics, winning the U.S.’s first-ever medals in women’s professional beach volleyball.

Banana Boat is marketed by Sun Pharmaceuticals Corp. a division of Playtex Products.

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