ORLANDO, FL. (February 5, 2025)- The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and Queen & King of the Court (QKOTC) are proud to announce a strategic alliance, creating a new chapter in youth beach volleyball. This groundbreaking partnership will bring together two influential organizations with a shared focus on expanding access to elite competition, collegiate recruiting, and athlete development using QKOTC’s innovative beach volleyball competition format.

As part of this exciting collaboration, AAU and QKOTC will introduce the country’s first-ever Junior QKOTC Beach Volleyball National Championships. The event will take place during the prestigious AAU Hermosa Beach National Championships, held in Southern California from July 12-19  offering a week of exciting competition. The event will include club vs. club matchups, pairs play, and will conclude with the debut of the QKOTC bid event, adding a new highlight to this premier beach volleyball tournament. This will showcase the nation’s most promising young beach volleyball talent, providing athletes with access to this new discipline.

The confirmed bid events can be found here: Southern Pacific Volleyball.

For more information on the AAU Beach Volleyball Program, contact

Herley Pellew - AAU National Office - herley@aausports.org 

Marlee Rice -  Southern Pacific District Chair -  marlee@southernpacificvb.com

Key Highlights of the AAU and QKOTC Strategic Alliance:

●        AAU Hermosa Beach National Championships (July 2025):

●        The partnership will include a new QKOTC division at the AAU Hermosa Beach National Championships. Athletes will compete for coveted spots to represent their district in the national championship. Qualification will be based on:

●        Winners of Pair Events

●        Top 1st and 2nd Place Finishers of QKOTC format events

●        Top Point Earners throughout the year

●        “At Large” Bids

●        Selected youth beach tournaments around the country, providing ample opportunities for athletes to qualify.

●        Collaborating with Beach Nation for Collegiate Recruiting:

●        To support junior athletes in their college volleyball pursuits, QKOTC will collaborate with Beach Nation (BN), an AAU Beach partner that is an education and high quality program for juniors that focuses on skill development through college camps and clinics.  BN presents an opportunity for players to work with, play in front of, and be trained by elite college coaches. 

●        High Performance Clinics at US-based QKOTC Crown Series Events:

●        Junior athletes will have the chance to participate in exclusive clinics during QKOTC Crown Series events in the United States. These elite international events feature the world’s best beach volleyball players. Clinics will focus on developing skills and preparing athletes for competitive success on the beach. 

●        Promoting QKOTC at All Events:

●        AAU beach volleyball events will include promotions for Queen & King of the Court, raising brand awareness and encouraging participation in the growing sport of beach volleyball.

●        Junior Tour Promotions:

●        In addition to promoting QKOTC events, the AAU beach partnership will support exposure for junior athletes through nationwide programming.

“We are thrilled to partner with the AAU, an organization that has been a leader in youth athletics for over a century,” said Wilco Nijland, CEO of Sportworx Intl., operator of the Queen & King of the Court global tour and format. “This strategic alliance allows us to take beach volleyball to new heights by providing young athletes with unparalleled opportunities in the United States to compete with this exciting format. Together with AAU, we’re helping create the next generation of champions.”

“This is an exciting time for AAU Beach”, said Denny Lennon, Commissioner of AAU Beach Volleyball. “Queen & King of the Court makes perfect sense to add to our Pairs and Club formats.” Lennon also noted that “the QKOTC Nationals will be played on the culminating day of the 32nd AAU Hermosa Beach National Championships, and we know the Hermosa crowd will be pumped!”  

The AAU and QKOTC collaboration will provide junior athletes with more opportunities than ever to compete, get recruited, and showcase their skills on the national stage through this exciting new discipline of the sport. This partnership is designed to offer a comprehensive and exciting pathway for athletes to succeed in the world of beach volleyball through this new format.

For more information about the QKOTC & AAU partnership and upcoming events, please visit QKotC: www.kingofthecourt.com

AAU QKOTC events: https://qkotc.volleyballlife.com/

AAU National: https://aaubeach.org/

AAU SP District: https://www.southernpacificvb.com/

About Queen & King of the Court (QKOTC)Already familiar to competitive volleyball players as a training exercise, the QKOTC format divides the court into a winning and challenging side, with points scored only on the winning side. Instead of two teams, five duos play for time simultaneously in an elimination game. The break between rallies is limited to eight seconds, ensuring a fast and action-packed game. More info at: https://kingofthecourt.com

About Sportworx Intl.
Sportworx Intl. is an innovative sports marketing and events agency, founded in 2017 in The Netherlands. Sportworx creates unforgettable experiences for athletes and fans, working with leading sports organizations to develop new formats that push the boundaries of performance and entertainment. More info at: https://sportworx.nl/en/

About the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU):
The Amateur Athletic Union, founded in 1888, has a rich history in the development of sports in the United States and the Olympic movement. The AAU philosophy of “Sports For All, Forever” is now shared by nearly 800,000 members and 150,000 volunteers across 50+ sports programs and 55 U.S. districts.The AAU first licensed Beach Volleyball in 1957 in Manhattan Beach. The AAU Beach program, founded in 1994, launched a boom in junior programming for beach volleyball athletes.