Major League Volleyball will have expansion team in St. Paul for the 2027 season

Major League Volleyball will have an expansion team in Minnesota for the 2027 season.

The league officially announced the move Tuesday with a news conference at Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, where the as yet unnamed team will play its matches.

The franchise will be run by Minnesota Sports and Entertainment, and Wild owner Craig Leipold will be the majority owner.

The Minnesota entry will be the 11th team in MLV, which started in 2024. It is one of three professional volleyball leagues, along with LOVB Pro and AU Pro Volleyball.

LOVB Pro announced last week that it will also have a Minnesota team, its eighth franchise, starting play in January 2027 though few other details were released. Atlanta, Omaha and the Twin Cities are slated to be the only three locations hosting both leagues.

MLV says average attendance at matches during its first two seasons is 4,100.

Teams for 2026 are the Atlanta Vibe, Columbus Fury, Dallas Pulse, Grand Rapids (Mich.) Rise, Indy Ignite, Omaha Supernovas, Orlando Valkyries and San Diego Mojo.

“Minnesota has a strong and vibrant volleyball culture that continues to flourish,” Leipold said in a statement. “We can’t wait for fans to have the opportunity to watch the best volleyball players in the world compete at Grand Casino Arena.”

Minority investors in the team include Timberwolves President Tim Connelly, Loons co-owner Matt Mithun, Prinsbank owner Cara Mulder and Anytime Fitness co-founders Dave Mortensen and Chuck Runyon.

“The Twin Cities embody everything we look for in a franchise market: vibrant sports culture, high-level volleyball interest, and the infrastructure to support a successful professional club,” Scott Gorsline, co-chair of the league’s board of directors, said in a news release.

The Minnesota team will be formed by free agency next summer and a college player draft in November 2026. The season runs from January through May.

In the 2026 season, MLV teams will play 28 matches with best-of-five sets; rosters will be 14 players.