It should first be noted that the highest levels of professional volleyball are not exclusive to Western Europe. In fact, Korea, Japan, and Brazil have some of the best (and highest paying) teams in the world. China is also hiring foreign players now, and the top teams have a lot of money. Within Europe, Italy is still generally considered the top league (top to bottom) for both men and women, but not by much. And there is certainly more money to be made in other, arguably less desirable countries. Russia, Poland, Azerbijan, and Turkey are good (and often very high-paying) leagues for both men and women, while Greece is strong (money and level) for men much more so than for the women. Other European Cup teams from the most competitive counties can be on par with these tops teams as well, but the reality is that teams and leagues can change in level (financial and volleyball-wise) pretty quickly these days. The second tier of European teams includes France, Spain, Germany, and Italy A2 but the top teams from these countries might compete at the highest level on any given year. There are also leagues or short term playing opportunities, often with different time frames for their seasons, in places like Indonesia, Puerto Rico, certain Arab Countries (UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, etc), Argentina, Chile, and even the Maldives. Level, compensation, and time of year really vary year to year with these countries, so please be in touch with us if you have any specific questions. On the women’s side, Puerto Rico has become the 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 is very good as well; most of the players that sign make three to four times more salary than they would in Europe, and without having to travel so far.
