Iowa United Volleyball sets up at former Pearson campus

A portion of the former Pearson campus in Iowa City will soon be home to nets, knee guards and volleyballs. Iowa United Volleyball, a youth volleyball club based out of Iowa City, is one of two new tenants to lease space in the former Pearson campus at 2510 N. Dodge St.

Utilizing the warehouse portion of the office campus, the club – in partnership with building owner Geifman Group and League One Volleyball – will be renovating the space for “whole athlete development,” which includes strength and conditioning training as well as space for practice, according to a recent social media post. The proximity to Interstate 80 is part of what made the location so desirable, said Ben Bahr, executive director of Iowa United Volleyball. “I would say about 15 to 20% of the club has more than an hour long commute,” he said. “What we wanted to do (was) find a space that was incredibly close and efficient for families to get to, as far as parking and (the commute).”

Explosive growth in first year

Part of League One Volleyball (LOVB), Iowa United was established a year ago by founding director and Iowa City resident Lauren Hansen with the goal of creating “a distinctive elite junior volleyball club in the Midwest as part of the LOVB club community,” the organization’s website states. LOVB, dubbed “the largest brand in youth volleyball” by ESPN, was founded in 2020 as an elite junior volleyball club. Earlier this year, the organization took a major step forward when it launched a professional women’s league. Built on a model that connects youth development with professional opportunity, LOVB now operates 76 clubs across 86 locations nationwide. According to its website, those clubs support more than 1,950 teams and over 21,000 players. Iowa United is continuing that growth trajectory; in its first year, the club aspired to establish 12-15 teams, said Mr. Bahr, and LOVB promised to find them a facility of their own if their number reached more than 20.

“If I do anything well, I listen well, and so I kind of went off the deep end, and Lauren and I put together 35 teams in year one,” Mr. Bahr said, approximating 400 athletes. Prior to leasing the facility on Dodge Street, the club was alternating between four locations in both Johnson and Linn Counties, jockeying for space and time with other local youth sports leagues. “When we share a facility, we're all fighting for a time frame somewhere between 5 and 9 p.m. on these weekday nights, and it's the prime time to be able to (practice),” Mr. Bahr said. “The (new) facility is something that provides our athletes a home, whether we're resting the court or not, and that's kind of what we model and aspire towards,” he continued. “Where, I think when you look at an outside provider, although they do a really great job of facilitating court rentals, hosting tournaments, providing concessions, maintenance (and) all those things, they do those things at a really, really high level – it's the in-between times that aren't as smooth for us.”

Renovation plans

The 37,500-square-foot warehouse with its ceiling height of 22 feet made it an attractive option for Iowa United, which plans to include an athlete lounge, strength and conditioning space, content studio and a dedicated area for parents of athletes, in addition to volleyball courts. The goal is to have eight to 10 courts eventually, but in its current iteration, that number will be limited to four. “The hope is…we expand further out into the parking lot,” Mr. Bahr said. Long-term, Iowa United envisions the ability to host tournaments and open the space up to other clubs, which would help keep dues low for its players. “I would love to host both youth tournaments (and) club tournaments. I'd love to host high school and college teams, (and) professional events, if possible,” Mr. Bahr said, adding that he hopes the hosted events will serve as "the cash flow portion and really the business model.” While it’s still finalizing details with the lease, the club’s goal is to begin renovations Aug. 1 and open doors by Nov. 1. As is, the location is “pretty turn-key for us,” Mr. Bahr said.