AVP and FIVB at Odds Over Player Contracts

A long-simmering feud between the international governing body for volleyball and the American beach players might keep top U.S. teams off the world tour, including the world championships in Berlin starting Tuesday.

Players Kerri Walsh and Todd Rogers, and agent Ryan Morgan, who represents several strong players on the domestic tour, were in Switzerland on Friday to negotiate with officials from the Federation Internationale de Volleyball.

Their goal was to have adjustments made in a 14-page, four-year contract that FIVB requires players to sign before they are allowed to play in world tour events.

But while none of the American contingent could be reached by telephone, the talks reportedly had stalled. Sources from the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals said a compromise had not been reached.

“We need to work with them to put a rational system into place,” Morgan said before the talks began. “The system that’s there right now just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.”

The FIVB contract contains several provisions that conflict with the AVP contract American players have already signed. No Americans have signed the contract, which the FIVB distributed Feb. 28, and Americans have missed four FIVB events.

Since the contract came out, Morgan has negotiated compromises on issues such as the Olympic qualification process and a minimum-events requirement, but several hurdles remain.

The chief concern is the distribution of a bonus pool of prize money given out at the end of the year. Only players who have participated in a minimum number of tournaments are eligible for the pool, which essentially doubles the prize money from each tournament.

AVP players might not qualify because they could miss some events while playing in domestic events. That means that Walsh and Misty May, the Olympic gold medalists and top women’s team in the world, could end up winning a tournament, but earn less money than the third-place team.

Walsh and May declined to comment on the issue, but 2000 Olympic gold medalist Eric Fonoimoana said the bonus pool was an FIVB ploy to steal top American players away from the AVP.

“They want to make you stay on their tour, that’s why they have the bonus pool,” Fonoimoana said. “Without Americans, especially without Misty and Kerri, it hurts their tour for sure.”

Sinjin Smith, who starred on the AVP and the FIVB during his 25-year career, is president of the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Council. He planned to be in Switzerland for the meeting Saturday and said he can’t see why the issues can’t be worked out.

“It doesn’t look good for the sport or for anyone if it doesn’t get resolved,” Smith said. “The best thing for the sport is that the bonus pool criteria should change.”

Another sticking point is the qualification process for FIVB events. Currently, teams earn points based on finishes in FIVB events. The Americans would like to implement a system that counts finishes in AVP events as well.

For example, an agreement had been reached to allow Americans to play this week in a Switzerland event without signing the contract. But because no American teams had played in FIVB events this year, none had qualification points and all, including May and Walsh, were placed in qualifying brackets instead of the main draw. In a show of solidarity, they all withdrew.

“Our players don’t want to be treated like that,” said Leonard Armato, commissioner of the AVP. “I don’t know how it’s going to unfold, but to have a world championship without American players would be a joke.”

Provisions regarding licensing rights of athletes and sanctioning of worldwide events are other issues Morgan hopes to get settled.

“I don’t feel like we have such major contract issues outstanding that we can’t sit down in a room ... and get them done,” he said.