From conversations to commitments: The LKTBF USA Tour
- Anastasia Kinoshita Chrysidou
- Mar 13
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 15
In sports halls, meeting rooms and gyms across the United States, the same moment kept repeating. The idea behind Let's Keep the Ball Flying (LKTBF) would be explained, the room would go quiet and then one question remained: would people commit or simply show interest?
That was the test of the LKTBF USA Tour.
For ten weeks the LKTBF team crossed the United States meeting the coaches, clubs and companies that shape American volleyball, from Hawaii and Southern California north to Boston, across the Midwest and finally down to Miami.
By the final stop of the tour, the answer was clear.
School adoptions doubled. Head coaches from some of the country's top National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I programmes joined the 1% Movement. Brand partnerships took shape. And eight schools in Kenya will soon receive courts and equipment, turning the tour from conversation into proof of what LKTBF can deliver.
West Coast: Where the LKTBF USA Tour momentum began
The first stops were Southern California, Arizona and Hawaii, regions where volleyball runs deep in club systems and university programmes.
The LKTBF team expected to spend time explaining the model. Instead, coaches recognised it immediately. They had already seen what happens when a programme launches in the right community. Conversations moved quickly from introductions to practical questions: how clubs could adopt teams, what the 1% Movement asked of coaches and what partner schools on the other side of the programme actually look like.
The Adopt a Team programme doubled within days, growing from 24 to 48 adopted teams. Several NCAA Division I head coaches joined the 1% Movement, committing a portion of their salary to support LKTBF projects.
Early discussions also began with established volleyball brands about long-term collaboration. By the end of the West Coast leg, momentum was clear and so was the challenge: if adoption continued at this pace, the organisation would need stronger operational infrastructure to keep up.
Why coaches stepped forward
The coaches LKTBF met had each built something from scratch in their own communities. They know the hours it takes to run a functioning club, manage a team and the investment required before a programme produces results.
"I believe in what LKTBF is doing. The sport has given so much to me, it makes sense to give back,” says Kevin Hambly, head coach of Stanford University women’s volleyball team, after joining the 1% Movement and adopting a school during the West Coast visit.
What the 1% Movement offered was simple: a way to use the sport they already work in to reach places where volleyball hasn't arrived yet. Joining was an extension of the same belief that drives their coaching.
That same conviction carried into the Midwest, where conversations shifted from introductions to action.
Midwest: Where commitments became concrete
The Midwest tour centred on Nebraska, Kansas City and Chicago, with key meetings during the Triple Crown Volleyball Tournament. The conversations here had a different character. The introduction phase was over; coaches and club directors arrived with specific questions about next steps.
Several confirmed they would travel to Tanzania and Kenya later in 2026 with LKTBF to work directly with local coaches and see the programmes in person. During this stage the 1% Movement also expanded among coaches, creating a funding stream sustained by people working inside the sport itself.
One commitment during these meetings changed the scale of the tour’s impact. A partner stepped forward to adopt eight schools in Kenya as a pilot programme, providing courts, equipment and organised teams for communities where access to volleyball is currently limited.
East Coast: Brand partnerships and the end of the tour
The final stage of the tour took the team through Boston, New York, Jacksonville, Orlando and Miami.
In Boston, talks with Franklin Sports aligned around developing a durable LKTBF volleyball, designed specifically for the conditions many schools and community programmes face.
Meanwhile, a new partnership with the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) was confirmed, with further collaboration developing across leaders in the sport.
Across New York and Florida, additional school adoptions were confirmed and new coaches joined the 1% Movement.
The tour closed in Miami with LKTBF ambassador Ciara Michel signing the Big Yellow Ball that had travelled the country throughout the journey. Ten weeks and dozens of meetings later, the movement that arrived as an idea left with something stronger, a clear plan for what comes next.
What the tour built for 2026
Beyond relationships, the tour produced something concrete: a funded pipeline for the year ahead. Commitments from clubs, universities and companies have already shaped an estimated $150K in programme funding, with potential to exceed $200K by the end of 2026 as partnerships continue to develop.
That funding has a clear destination. New coaches will join the 1% Movement, clubs will confirm season commitments and a new Educational Capsule pilot will introduce learning resources that help players engage with leadership, community and fundraising. The infrastructure is being built to match the momentum the tour created.
Ready to get involved?
The sport has already shown it can carry something forward. The people that joined during the USA Tour proved that.
If your organisation wants to be part of what comes next, explore the LKTBF Partnerships page or contact Lesley de Jonge directly at lesley@lktbf.org.
