Named for the Italian word for “to fly,” olo Sports began as a 16-player bocce league in 2010. Founder Giovanni Marcantoni, who grew up playing bocce in Baltimore with his Italian-American family, started the league just for some fun and to make new friends. Volo has since grown to more than 350,000 members across 10 cities.
Marcantoni's idea and the organization's purpose have been very simple from the beginning. It follows two fundamental principles: Sports can't be played alone. Socializing on the field, court, diamond or pitch leads to a more fulfilling life, new friends and a sense of community. To this end, the organization created the Volo Kids Foundation in 2015 in response to Freddie Gray's arrest and death from injuries sustained while in police custody. Volo Kids leagues are free, while the entry fee for the adult league provides coaching, equipment, shirts and meals for youth participants.
“You can come in, have a bite to eat, have a drink and play some games.”
From its humble beginnings, Volo Sports now offers over a dozen sports in Baltimore. There's everything from soccer, softball and flag football to field hockey, kickball, volleyball and pickleball. There are numerous men's, women's and co-ed leagues, with a variety of skill levels for beginners, intermediate and competitive. As you've probably seen if you've wandered through any Baltimore park or local bar, the VOLO team t-shirts in all capital letters have become ubiquitous during the spring, summer and fall.
Last fall, Volo Sports announced the opening of Volo Beach in the 235-acre mixed-use Baltimore Peninsula development, a waterfront area of South Baltimore formerly known as Port Covington. With 40 acres of parks and green space and 2.5 miles of reclaimed waterfront land, Volo aims to attract and serve more players, both adults and children. Their goal is to increase youth enrollment in the city to 10,000 this year, focusing on kids from nearby Brooklyn, Cherry Hill, Curtis Bay, Lakeland, Mount Winans and Westport.
