Volleyball Players Use Hardball Tactics in Dispute Over Selling of Seats

The bleachers for the Miller Lite U.S. Championships volleyball tournament in Hermosa Beach have been erected and droves of tourists have arrived in the seaside town for the 10th annual tournament that starts Friday.

But this year, a contingent of local volleyball players is boycotting the tournament because the promoter is charging for seats.

When the Manhattan Open, sponsored by the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals, took place two weeks ago in Manhattan Beach, a grass-roots group founded by Donley Falkenstein started a petition drive to keep the seating free and picketed the event. He said the group collected 1,250 signatures and plans to protest this weekend’s event.

“If they are allowed to charge access to this tournament, where will it stop? There is an event at the beach every weekend,” Falkenstein said.

Falkenstein, who grew up in Manhattan Beach, remembers when the tournaments were free and open to the public. Prices for seats at the matches are $6 to $30. The 36-year-old Falkenstein said beach volleyball wasn’t as commercial back then and he wants a return to that atmosphere.

But AVP officials claim that if they do not charge admission they cannot foot the bill for the nationally televised tournaments.

“All we are trying to do is raise enough to pay for events,” said spokesman Jon Stevenson. “The same people who come to see these tournaments don’t think twice about paying to go to the movies. It’s unthinkable not to charge to see some of the best volleyball players in the world.”

At the Manhattan Open, AVP charged admission to 25% of the seats. Shortly before the tournament, the promoter threatened to pull the players out of the tournament unless they could charge for more seating.

City Manager Geoff Dolan said the city’s coastal plan won’t allow an increase in the sale of seats so the city agreed to pick up about $50,000 in police overtime and some of the costs for parking.

This year the Coastal Commission has given the AVP permission to charge for all the seating in Hermosa Beach.

Al Padilla, a spokesman with the commission, said the AVP received permission to charge for more seating because access to the 1.3-square-mile beach was not limited. The same concessions could not be made in Manhattan Beach because the city has its own local plan.

Hermosa Beach Councilman Sam Edgerton said City Council members voted unanimously to allow the promoter to charge for seating because the tournament has become overcrowded and unruly.

The city, which has received about $27,000 from the promoter and will receive 25% of the gross receipts from the tournament, wanted to restore a sense of order to the venue.

“The tournament was getting so popular that it was turning into a mob rush,” Edgerton said. “People would go to the bathroom and they would lose their seats and get separated from their families. It happened to me two years ago.”