A Dad's PE Background Sparked a Youth Volleyball Program Built on Friendship

It started with a simple request from a daughter to her dad: put together a team so she could play volleyball with the people she loved. That ask, modest as it was, set off something neither of them anticipated.

Coach Michael Martin, a PE teacher by trade with a soccer background and no volleyball experience, reached out to girls from Glen Hope Elementary in Colleyville. The pitch was straightforward — try something new. For many of them, the connection to Martin made the decision easy. "I've known him since I was little," one player said. "I had to go try it."

The response caught even Martin off guard. What he envisioned as a handful of kids learning the basics quickly expanded. Three full teams later, the program had taken on a life of its own — built not on elite recruiting or polished facilities, but on friendships and a willingness to figure it out together.