A Letter to Volleyball: The Future of the Game with Hudl & Balltime
Hudl and Balltime team up to elevate and shape the future of volleyball.
In 2022, Dan Banon and Tom Raz formed Balltime with a clear mission: transform how volleyball teams analyze their performance. As former volleyball players and coaches from the highest levels of competition—in both beach and indoor play—they saw a need for a lightweight, quick-turn solution that teams could use everywhere, from tournaments to practices, across every surface. They collaborated with some of the biggest names in the sport, including Phil Dalhausser, Carli Lloyd, Zoe Fleck, Taylor Crabb and Stein Metzger, to build something truly revolutionary.
The result? AI technology that delivers unprecedented insights: jump heights, serve speeds, ball trajectories and interactive 3D visualizations—all within just one hour of a match or practice ending. Their deep understanding of the sport is woven into every feature, creating a product that speaks directly to the needs of players and coaches.
Our goal is to create the most comprehensive volleyball platform in the world.
As volleyball enters the next wave of growth, it’s time to connect the sport at every level. More video. More data. More insights. Faster than ever and all on a platform that can scale from youth to the pros.
Today's volleyball landscape is fragmented. Athletes and coaches work with different tools for video, stats, recruiting, and development—often missing critical moments and insights along the way or simply not having the time to do it all. By bringing Balltime into the Hudl family, we're taking a major step toward our vision: creating the most comprehensive volleyball platform in the world.
This isn't just about having great tools; it's about making them work seamlessly together. Imagine walking into any gym, tournament, beach or court—at any level—and seeing the whole picture. Smart cameras automatically capture and stream matches. AI breaks down every point instantly. Player performance and load data are captured in real time. Scouting reports generate automatically for both teams and opponents. Highlights instantly update athlete reels, connecting them with recruiters through the world's largest volleyball recruiting network.
We're building a truly connected ecosystem that serves everyone in volleyball.
The needs of a youth club team are different from the pros, but the fundamentals remain the same: teams need instant access to clear video, accurate stats, and meaningful insights as fast as possible. By combining the best of Hudl, Balltime and Volleymetrics, we're creating a platform that scales to meet every team where they are.
This matters deeply to us here at Hudl because we believe every athlete deserves their shot. Whether it's a young athlete watching their first game film, a club athlete putting together their recruiting highlights, or a professional athlete refining their game—we're building tools that support that athlete's journey.
Parents can follow their athlete’s development on Hudl and never miss a moment with livestreaming. Coaches will make data driven decisions that impact their team and athlete’s progress instantly. And recruiters can find the right talent more effectively. We see a future where every athlete gets the shot they deserve.
Volleyball needs bold moves to sustain its incredible growth, and Hudl is leading the way. Their vision goes beyond technology, empowering everyone in our sport to push past traditional limits and redefine what’s possible.
What's Next
The Balltime team will play a critical role in rising to this challenge of connecting everyone in the volleyball ecosystem. Hear from Balltime founders Dan Banon and Tom Raz, who shared their thoughts on the future.
Together, we're not just improving what exists today—we're building the future of volleyball, where every moment is captured, analyzed, and available when you need it. Here's what you can expect:
- Lightning-fast results: Get data and insights within one hour thanks to Balltime's AI technology
- Deeper analysis: Combined Hudl insights and Balltime data create new opportunities for coaches and athletes
- Expert support: Served up by the best team in tech, our team is here whenever you need us.
- Highlights and recruiting–all in one place. For every player who wants to get recruited, there’s a scout on Hudl looking for their next star athlete.
- Every match, every practice, every surface. Beach, court, tournament, practice–it’s all available for capture and analysis.
- Purposeful, transparent Volleymetrics integration. We're aiming to integrate Balltime, Hudl and Volleymetrics right — not fast. While we’re excited about what’s coming, we want to be upfront that this is a long-term project, and you won’t see changes during the 2025 season. We’ll keep you in the loop as we nail down specific timelines.
We’re so excited to show you what’s next for Hudl, Volleymetrics and Balltime. Get all your questions answered, and follow along here as we build the future of volleyball.