"We hope we can continue to build the sport in all directions," is the highlight of Volleyball World's exclusive interview with new USA Volleyball President and CEO John Speraw. He has had a great impact on the success of American volleyball over the past 11 years as head coach of the country's men's national team. Recently appointed as the new President and CEO of USA Volleyball, he hopes he can do much more in his new position.
A former player and long-time head coach at UCLA, one of the most successful men's volleyball programs in the American college league, the 52-year-old Speraw replaces Jamie Davis, who headed the organization for seven years – from 2017 to 2024.
"Everything developed pretty quickly after the Paris Olympics," he said in an exclusive interview for Volleyball World's YouTube channel. "It was a pretty unique professional situation and an opportunity for personal growth, but not many coaches do what I'm about to do. But I think this broader picture of what I think about our sport has been occupying my mind more and more. I thought it was something I could do, and when it became a reality, I had to make a difficult decision - to leave coaching. As coaches, we constantly tell our players to embrace change, and I decided it was time to listen to my own advice," Speraw explained with a sense of humor.
During his tenure with the U.S. men's national team, Speraw led the Americans to bronze at the Rio 2016 and Paris 2024 Olympics. He was an assistant for the team that won gold in Beijing 2008, as well as medals from the FIVB World Championship and the Volleyball Nations League.
His path is similar to that of the legendary Doug Beal, who, after coaching the country's men's national team from 1997 to 2005, took over as president of USA Volleyball, remaining at the helm until Davis's arrival.
"Doug hired me for the national team job, and we've been close all these years," Speraw recalled. "He was amazing at keeping in touch, he watches every game and sends me messages. He didn't know about me being chosen for president, but he was very excited when he found out. I want to talk to him, Doug's experience is invaluable. I need to make sure I'm really good at the aspects of American volleyball that I'm not very familiar with. That's why I need to talk to Doug, mostly about how he made that transition - from coach to executive."
The former head coach of the men's national team accepts the challenge at a critical moment for American volleyball and sports in general, given that Los Angeles will host the next Olympics in 2028.
"For all of us in sports, the Los Angeles Olympics will be a big moment," he said. "I'm excited, and at the same time, we need to focus on how to use this moment for our sport. We hope to continue to develop the sport of volleyball in all directions. This is an exciting time when, hopefully, we will gather the right people and talk about what we need to do next. We need to be ready for the advantages we will have as hosts. We want to use the Olympics to spring even further, because our program is not just about LA 2028, but also beyond."
Well before the Los Angeles Olympics, however, Speraw will have to make a difficult decision, as he is responsible for choosing his successor as head coach of the U.S. men's volleyball team, as the position was vacated with his change of role.
"It will be a collaborative decision," he added. "There are already people interested in this position, and among them are many great talents. The difficult part remains to make sure we make the best decision we can. There will be many Americans who will see our sport for the first time at the Los Angeles Games, and I want to make sure we put someone in the head coach position who will have a really positive impact on our athletes. This is my first big decision in my new capacity, and I don't intend to rush. We will take enough time and make the best possible decision," concludes the new head of USA Volleyball.
