It should first be noted that the highest levels of professional volleyball are not exclusive to Western Europe. In fact, China, Korea, Japan, and Brazil have some of the best and highest paying teams in the world. Within Europe, Italy is still generally considered the best league (from top to bottom) although there are leagues like Turkey with higher salaries and some of the top teams in the world.
Historically, Russia, Poland, Azerbaijan, and Turkey are good and often very high-paying leagues. However, Russia has moved away from hiring Americans and Azerbaijan is in shambles due to financial issues. Poland also lost a lot of money in 2016 and salaries have been slashed. Other European Cup teams from the most competitive counties can be on par with these tops teams as well, but the reality is that level of volleyball and financial power of professional club teams around the world is constantly changing.
Common places for Americans include France, Spain, Germany, and Italy A2 but the top teams from these countries might compete at the highest level on any given year.
It’s important to note that top league teams in Germany, France, Finland and Switzerland are well organized leagues offering a good life off the court, decent crowds (at least the top teams), and both Germany and France can be very competitive to get into as players are well treated with payments normally coming on time.
Teams in Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Norway also hire a lot of Americans these days, but cost of living can be high and salaries aren’t quite as high as places like Finland and Switzerland for example. These are great starter leagues for rookies, but players need to be ready for an experience both on and off the court and not sign up thinking that they’ll be on a great team.
Greece and Spain are both leagues with long histories, but also a time of decline since the recession in Europe. Both are coming back, and there are several good teams in both countries. Cyprus is also proving to be a good experience and nice place to play around the same level.
Holland, Belgium, and Luxembourg hired a lot of Americans in the 90’s and early 2000’s, but due to Visa restrictions and EU Law regarding immigration, it’s much less common these days to find a team able to hire in this area.
Most countries have lower division leagues, but the level of these are hard to define. Turkey’s A2 has some teams paying 6-figures and others with a fairly low level. Germany and France both have teams in both D2 and D3 that can pay decent salaries, but level fluctuates wildly. It would be cumbersome to attempt to define all levels of all leagues here, especially as so many teams/leagues experiences change almost annually.
There are also leagues or short term playing opportunities, often with different time frames for their seasons, in places like Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Puerto Rico, certain Arab Countries (UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, etc), Argentina, Chile, Peru, and even the Maldives. Level, compensation, and time of year really vary year to year with these countries.
Philippines has a three month league based in Manila with about eight teams and continues to grow. All matches are played in one or two arenas in Manila. League and pre-season starts in January or February and ends in April. Each team is allowed to sign two foreigners to strengthen their roster. The money here can be much higher per month than in Europe for a first-year pro and even a veteran player with multiple years experience in Europe. The training schedule is not as strenuous as a typical European team with a comparable salary. Most teams in the Philippians train once per day and receive more free days. Matches are played in big arenas in front of thousands of fans, as women’s volley is a popular sport in the Philippines. The league now runs from January to May.
Puerto Rico has become an ideal “transition league” for NCAA stars as the teams sign just as the NCAA season ends and the league runs from January to May. The money dropped quite a bit after the island went “bankrupt” in 2017, but many of the players that sign in Puerto Rico stil make more in salary than they would in Europe, and without having to travel as far.
England and the Student-Athlete – After the success of the 2012 London Olympics, Universities in England have invested heavily in their facilities, and performance sport programs have become more common place.
Universities want to attract high quality student-athletes (Europeans too!) to build and develop these programs. Part of their recruitment packages include partial to full scholarships for postgrads (Masters and PhDs) and undergrad students. English Universities’ scholarships are in relation to tuition fees, so costs such as room, board, visa, flight, insurance, etc are normally paid by the student. There are no “free rides” within the English university system like in USA.
Undergrad degrees are three years and cost $12-18,000 tuition per year; Masters are one year and cost between $12,000 and $20,000. Phd’s are between three and seven years, and approximately cost $20,000 per year. Costs will vary by universities and by degree.
The commitment required and the level of local players is lower and most of the programs are under six years old so don’t expect a D1 student-athlete experience. However the quality of play and coaching is improving each year and you will have time to travel (with four major airports, thereare heaps of cheap flights to basically everywhere in Europe).
Degree options and scholarships vary depending on the school.Many players choose this route to satisfy their quench for an overseas living/volley experience while using their brains to get a cheaper Master’s degree. Beach volley scholarships are also possible. BIP has visited a number of universities in person, meeting the coaches and seeing the cities and campuses to sort out which have the best experience for study/volley/life abroad, + scholarship possibilities.
Its worth notice that some teams offer more of an “Experience Job” than a “Volleyball Job”, and this distinction is important to note for mid- and lower-level players. A top national team player will end up on a team that trains well and often, has good infrastructure and coaching, and will be more dedicated to working hard, improving, and truly be a “professional athlete’, embracing the life that this requires. A player earning $1000/month in D2 France or Sweden (for example) may only train 4 times/week and should be ready for a much less professional life; focusing instead on really enjoying the experience of living in Europe, and using the opportunity to play as a means to this end.