The Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) made headlines after sanctioning boys volleyball as an official sport on Oct. 6.
As a sanctioned sport, Oregon boys’ volleyball must now follow all official OSAA rules and regulations required of other sports. During the 2025 season, 68 varsity teams across Oregon competed after the sport was given “emerging activity status” in 2023, according to NBC.
As an emerging sport, boys volleyball games, transportation and other aspects were organized by the Portland Interscholastic League (PIL) as opposed to the OSAA.
Emerging sports and club sports are responsible for their own funding, while sanctioned sports are paid for by the district.
Despite the OSAA’s decision, Portland Public Schools (PPS) and Beaverton School District (BSD) say that they will not be implementing teams this spring. It is still unclear whether or not boys’ volleyball will be run through Lincoln as a club sport.
In an email to The Cardinal Times, Marci Walton, the communications director for the Portland Interscholastic League (PIL), wrote that “the PIL is supportive of boys’ volleyball … however, [does not] currently have the financial capacity to add boys’ volleyball at this time … amid the current budget constraints.”
Wiles explains that funding played a major part in the PIL’s decision not to run boys’ volleyball teams.
“Most school districts have their budgets done… in June and July,” said Wiles. “So when [the OSAA] adds [a sport] in … September, we’ve already budgeted for everything for the year… We can’t just pull that [money] out, and I think that’s absolutely factored into the PIL decision.”
Boys volleyball players from across the district want the PIL to reconsider. Players gathered at a PPS board meeting on Nov. 4 to voice their frustration, some carrying signs and some testifying to board members.
Senior Chris Jackson, who played for the Lincoln boys’ emerging volleyball team last spring, has been a strong advocate for the sport to be sanctioned in the PIL.
“I’m not just accepting the fact that it’s a one-man [army],” said Jackson. “That it’s gonna be just like that. ‘Cause that’s not a fight, that’s just a back and forth, and that’s not what I’m here to do. What I would love to do is just have more people get involved and start spreading the word.”
According to Wiles, it is undecided whether boys volleyball will be run this spring as a club sport in the PIL. If it is run as a club sport through Lincoln, one major difference will be that club teams will have to create their own match schedules, as they will not be able to compete in OSAA-sanctioned matches such as the state championship.
Wiles supports the push for boys volleyball and says he is hopeful for the future of the sport.
“I applaud the boys volleyball movement here at Lincoln. Those guys have been doing a great job keeping it in the forefront, making people aware of what the situation is,” said Wiles. “I am hopeful that there will be something to come out of that that clears the pathway for us to add boys volleyball on some level.”