Date of Release: August 17, 2000

WHO'S PLAYING VOLLEYBALL?

NORTH PALM BEACH, FLORIDA — August 17, 2000 — Volleyball is a sport for those under age 35 — as nearly 75% of all players come from this demographic segment! This fact and many others come from an executive study of sports participation on volleyball (hard surface/grass) by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA), based on the Superstudy® by American Sports Data, Inc.

In 1999, there were 19,052,000 Americans (aged six and older) who played volleyball on a hard surface/grass at least once during the year — making it the 21^st most popular sport in America. "Frequent" participants (those who participated 25+ days during the year) numbered 3,932,000.

Other top-line participation summaries:

• more women than men are playing
• household income is not a significant factor
• the Midwest has the largest regional share of players
• Pennsylvania has the most players

The executive summary report on volleyball is available at our website: www.sgma.com . For SGMA members, this report is free. For non-members, the PDF version is $225 and the hard copy is $300. There is also a printed report (not available in PDF) with specific tabular data at a cost to members of $300, non-members $650.

The Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA), owner of The Super Show®, is the trade association of North American manufacturers, producers, and distributors of sports apparel, athletic footwear, fitness, and sporting goods equipment. SGMA represents and supports its members through programs and strategies for sports participation, market intelligence and public policy.

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