Badger News
Pewaukee, Wis., Jan. 30, 2025 – The Badger Region Volleyball Association is proud to bring three of its premier events to the Baird Center in downtown Milwaukee in February and March, on Feb. 22-23, March 1-2, March 15-16 and March 22-23.
One of the 40 Regions of USA Volleyball, Badger Region is a nonprofit organization with the mission to promote initiatives for safe, structured and fun life-long volleyball experiences, and has more than 18,000 members across Wisconsin.
In addition to the hundreds of additional playing opportunities that are run through the Region each year, the Badger Region itself will host four weekends of competition.
“We are preparing and looking forward to holding the largest volleyball event the state of Wisconsin has seen and we couldn’t be more excited,” said Badger Region Executive Director and Commissioner Jennifer Armson-Dyer. “The growth of boys and girls volleyball, both in Wisconsin and across the country, is phenomenal, and we can’t wait to showcase outstanding athletes, coaches and officials in our upcoming events.”
Attendance across all four events is expected to reach 45,000 and the economic impact from hotels, restaurants and shopping is anticipated to bring in more than $4.1 million to the local area.
The Dale Rhode Memorial Boys Tournament will take place Feb. 22-23 and will feature 150 boys teams ages 11-18 from around the Midwest competing at the 11th annual event. Attendance is expected to surpass more than 5,000 for the weekend, with spending to reach almost $500,000.
The event is in memory of longtime Badger Region coach, adult player, official and board member Dale Rohde who dedicated his life to helping grow the sport, especially on the boys side. The tournament began with just 23 teams in 2014 after Dale passed away after a battle with cancer.
The Badger Region Girls Qualifier will be held March 1-2 and will showcase the top girls 11-18s teams in the state. The 120 teams in eight divisions will be vying for a berth in their respective age groups of the USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championships this summer. More than 4,500 participants and spectators will flock to Milwaukee for this high-level event, bringing in more than $400,000.
Both the Dale Rohde Memorial and Girls Qualifier will take place alongside the Milwaukee International Auto Show operated by the Automobile Dealers Association of Metro Milwaukee. The volleyball tournament will take place in Exhibit Halls A-C while the auto show will be in Exhibit Halls D-E, which were expanded as part of the Baird Center’s recently completed renovation.
The Badger Region’s marquee event, the Badger Region Championships, will be the largest event in its history, with more than 850 boys and girls teams from around Wisconsin competing in age divisions from 10-18 years old. With the expansion of the Baird Center, teams will compete on 55 courts on March 15-16 or March 22-23. Because of the record number of teams registered for the event and the desire to include all teams, the first weekend will also use two courts at the nearby Kern Center on the campus of the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE). More information will be sent to teams in the coming weeks. This will bring in close to 16,000 participants and spectators each weekend, with upwards of $3.3 million in economic impact.
Tickets to each weekend’s event will open the Monday before the scheduled dates of competition.
The Badger Region Championships is the largest youth volleyball tournament held in the state of Wisconsin each year. Last year, 2,400 matches were played as part of the Region Championships, with more expected this year thanks to an uptick in the total number of teams registered for the 2025 event.
This year, the Badger Region will be raising money for the Bryan Riesch Paralysis Foundation.
Questions? Email Badger Region Sr. Director of Programming and Communication Brian Sharkey at brian@badgervolleyball.org or call 414-313-9055.
Badger Region Volleyball Association
Badger Region Volleyball is a registered 501c3 nonprofit with a mission to promote initiatives for safe, structured and fun life-long volleyball experiences. Badger Region is dedicated to providing high-quality services to our more than 17,000 members across the state of Wisconsin through programming, educational clinics and events and playing opportunities.
Badger Region is one of the 40 regions of USA Volleyball (USAV), which is recognized by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) as the National Governing Body (NGB) of volleyball in the United States. USA Volleyball provides the highest level of child protection training and standards in the industry, as mandated by Congress.
Badger Region provides frameworks for rules and regulations and policies and guidelines to safeguard players, coaches, teams, administrators and spectators. We also sponsor free and low-cost grassroots programming and engagement and safe and healthy environments for young players, coaches and officials to develop. We encourage and promote sportsmanship and positivity in all interactions.
Learn more about Badger Region Volleyball by visiting www.BadgerVolleyball.org.