Registrations, by season
OVR registrations have increased monotonically since the 1992-1993 season, which is the first for which we have data. Female juniors form the strongly dominant contribution to that growth. From 1993 to 2006, juniors' memberships have increased by 552%, while adults' memberships have increased by a less striking but still significant 70%. Registration for the 2007 season dipped slightly due to several clubs and teams registering in a neighboring region because they wanted to have tournaments sanctioned within the geographical boundaries of that region, for which membership was a requirement.
The growth in adults' memberships is due primarily to increasing participation by women as coaches and players. Only 29% more males (adults and juniors) participated in 2006 than in 1994, while female participation exploded, growing by 285%. The effect of this uneven expansion is a growing proportion of female member in the OVR, up from 71% in 1994 to 88% in 2006.
Individual registrations correlate well with team registrations. By far, the greatest growth has been the 374% expansion in female juniors' teams since 1994. The greater relative growth of 786% for boys' teams is tempered by their smaller absolute counts, i.e. 1390 girls' teams vs. 62 boys' teams in 2006. The recent 6-year trend of 24, 33, 40, 42, 61, and 62 boys' teams suggests slow but steady growth. To foster growth of boys' volleyball, the OVR has appointed a new Boys' Program Director, we are in touch with state coaches' associations, and have new initiatives both underway and planned. The number of women's teams has been remarkably consistent, whereas the number of men's teams has decreased since 1994, excepting the 2000 season, and is now at an OVR low of 73 teams. The 9-team increase for 2000 may have been due to the OVR hosting the national championships in Columbus that year. Women's team registrations decreased by 6 that same season, to rebound in 2001. The reason for the disparity between the increasing number of female junior teams versus the steady or decreasing number of female adult teams is not well understood.
Directly comparing 2006 individual and team registrations further illustrates the relative magnitude of the female juniors' program. The disparity between 79% of individual memberships being due to female juniors and 91% of teams being due to female juniors reflects the adult participation supporting those teams: coaches, club directors, officials, and chaperones.
Numerical OVR demographics for the following seasons are currently available online: