Beach volleyball series debuts with Roka partnership

Performance eyewear manufacturer Roka Sports has agreed a partnership with p1440, the new beach volleyball event series launched by US five-time Olympian Kerri Walsh Jennings (pictured).

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Roka will serve as the official competition and lifestyle sunglass partner of the series, which staged its first event at the weekend in the grounds of Avaya Stadium in San Jose.

Roka will equip p1440 athletes and will be onsite at all four events in 2018, including further stops in Las Vegas, San Diego and Huntington Beach. Roka will retail eyewear and lifestyle products and run a number of promotions for athletes and spectators.

Roka co-founder Kurt Spenser said: “Kerri, (Roka chief executive and co-founder) Rob (Canales) and I were student-athletes at Stanford during a time when the status quo was truly being disrupted. There was something special in the air that inspired us all. Since that time, she has changed the game of beach volleyball and this is an incredible new chapter in that story.

“Roka shares a mission with p1440 to bring the knowledge, mindset, and game changing innovation from the world’s best to a new generation – hungry for more meaningful, healthy, and purpose-built experiences.”

In addition to the sporting action, p1440 events feature a health and wellness village for spectators and fans, as well as musical acts.