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Knowing how much professional volleyball players make is crucial if you’re aiming to play volleyball as your full time job. It allows you to manage your future expectations and determine if you want to pursue it full time. Who knows, maybe you’ll end up being an elite player.
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How Much Do Professional Volleyball Players Make?
The average U.S salary for professional volleyball players is $64,168. However, the average salary ranges from $3,000 to $600,000 in professional volleyball worldwide. In addition to their salary, players can also earn $500 – $2,000 per week if they enter and win smaller events or competitions.
The worldwide average salary covers an extensive range. Because of this, several competitors decide to travel to other countries and play for foreign teams. There, they can play as professionals and get more money for it.
Professional Volleyball Salaries Around the World
Volleyball salaries can vary a lot depending on which country you’re in. If you’re from a country where volleyball is commonly played, then your salary is probably going to be high. This is because most of these countries tend to encourage the formation of elite players.
Some countries with high salaries for players are Brazil, France, and Russia. These could also be considered the countries with the strongest players in volleyball. Here, the players who are just entering the professional world are often paid $30,000 a year (which is a lot for a novice player).

On the other hand, professional players who have already played more than four to five years, are often paid from $40,000 to $500,000 a year. Here you can see the average salaries for elite players around the world:
Country | Average Salary for Professional Players |
Poland | $200,000 per year |
Brazil | $450,000 per year |
France | $400,000 per year |
Russia | $330,000 per year |
Italy | $400,000 per year |
Germany | $250,000 per year |
Spain | $120,000 per year |
Asian Volleyball Teams and Their Salary
Asian teams can pay more than $600,000 a year. However, joining one of these teams is challenging due to their current contract policies.
Only one foreign player is allowed on every Asian team. This is different compared to teams in Europe, which are allowed to have three to eight foreign players. This explains why Asian teams can pay a higher salary. Since they can’t sign more than one player from another country, they go all-in on that one contract.
This is also why it’s challenging to join an Asian volleyball team. Since these teams can only have one foreign player, the competition is very tight. Only top-notch players are going to get accepted.
Relationship Between Skills and Salary

Of course, not everything relies on the country you play in; it also depends on how you play. Your salary is based on your skills and characteristics, and this can impact whether you’re making more or less than the average player.
Additionally, one of the most important aspects is your mentality. Like any other sport, volleyball needs focused players who can work under pressure. If you can not do this, you won’t play as much, resulting in a lower salary.
How Skills Impact the Professional Volleyball Salaries
Skills are one of the most important factors that determine how valuable an athlete is. These are measured in every game you play, and they influence the team’s opinion of you as a player. If everybody (especially the coach) thinks you’re indispensable, then you’re valuable.
For example, if your team is losing, you need to play a good game and encourage your teammates to keep going. Here, you’re demonstrating a great attitude, and that’s something that will increase your value as a player. The higher your value, the higher your salary.
Here you can see the skills that can influence your salary:
- Good attitude and motivation
- Excellent sportsmanship
- Good stamina
- Good communication skills (especially if you’re the captain)
- Good physical attributes that favor the game (such as strong legs, high vertical leap and strong arms)
- Responsible and disciplined
- Hard worker, since you are going to be training a lot everyday
- Positive mentality
- Excellent understanding of the game strategies. If you’re not able to understand what happens inside of the court, you might have problems while playing alongside your teammates
- Good reflexes
- Creativity, since you need to be able to come up with quick ideas in order to score unexpected points

Related Questions
Who Are the Best Paid Volleyball Players?
Becoming a better volleyball player comes with a very notorious benefit: a much higher salary. These are the best-paid volleyball players in the world:
- Wilfredo Leon: $ 1,400 000 per season
- Yekaterina Aleksandrovna: $1,400 000 per season
- Earvin Ngapeth: $1,350,000 per season
- Bartosz Kurek: $1,100,000 per season
- Simon Robertlandy: $967,000 per season
- Dmitry Muserskiy: $950,000 per season
- Gyorgy Grozer: $870,000 per season
- Matt Anderson: $850,000 per season
- Maxim Mikhailov: $714,000 per season
- Ivan Zaytsev: $620,000 per season
- Tatiana Kosheleva: $400,000 per season
- Kim Yeong Koung: $290,000 per season
How Much Money Does a Volleyball Player Make a Week?
On average, a professional volleyball player can make up to $861 a week. Of course, this can depend on the country and state of the player.
How Do Volleyball Players Make Money?
Volleyball players make money by competing in tournaments, professional games, and tours. On top of that, they can also win money by working with sponsors.
Conclusion
Making a living out of volleyball could be the dream of any new player. It takes an incredible amount of dedication to reach a top-tier salary.