- March 28, 2024
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Tampa investor, businessman and philanthropist Bob Gries wants to help bring some national attention to the area's youth volleyball teams.
His first step: a $1 million donation for the Tampa United Volleyball Club, which will fund more than half of the total cost of the program for each athlete, according to a release. The donation will also provide full scholarships for athletes who don't have the resources to pay any fees.
Gries, who once owned the Arena Football League's Tampa Bay Storm, has supported youth volleyball in Tampa for several years. He's worked with Tampa and Hillsborough County officials on building an indoor youth sports facility that would focus on volleyball, basketball and wrestling.
Gries also merged a team he founded with the Tampa United Volleyball Club.
“Our goal with Tampa United will be to create an atmosphere for elite athletes to have opportunities that have not existed in the past,” Gries says in a release. “The club will continue to assist all athletes in obtaining college scholarships and, to that end, will be hiring a college recruiting coordinator.”
Gries runs Tampa-based Gries Investments. The firm invests in a wide range of businesses and ventures, from energy companies to the mortgage sector. Clients include local professional athletes.
“Our partnership with Bob Gries provides Tampa United with an opportunity to grow the sport of volleyball in the Tampa Bay area and allow for broader participation,” Tampa United Volleyball Club Executive Director Sam Cibrone says in the statement. “Historically, volleyball clubs in the Tampa Bay area have been very fragmented. This new partnership will allow Tampa United to compete more effectively on a national scale.”