9-man is a street version of the sport volleyball. The sport originated from Chinese immigrants in the US who played during their free time. The sport was to socially connect laborers in Chinatown across the United States. The 9-man volleyball sport has its own rule set that is tweaked from the traditional rules. For example, each side of the net consists of nine players instead of the traditional six players. The sport of 9-man drastically grew within the Chinatown community. What was your street volleyball turned competitive. Teams formed and competed in tournaments against others with the same interest. What was played in the streets of Chinatown grew to parking lots. With the exposure the sport is getting, games are slowly transitioning into convention centers.
The Philadelphia Suns have always been a basketball program and did not take part in volleyball until 2006. A longtime member, Stosh, played in Washington, D.C. for their Chinatown team CYC. It was then when the Suns were introduced to volleyball. The Suns managed to attract the interest of several young Asian American men and eventually formed their very own 9-man volleyball team. The Suns' 9-man volleyball team participates in multiple tournaments throughout the year including, The North American Chinese Invitational Volleyball Tournament (NACVIT). In 2010, the Suns began hosting their very own Philly mini. These volleyball tournaments are hosted every year to keep Chinese Americans socially connected through the game and build teamwork skills among members. President of The Philadelphia Suns, Harry Leong, states that the sport is to bring opportunity to young Asian men to keep them focused, out of trouble, as well as build a community. Timmy Mak, a member of the Suns spoke confidently about how 9-man volleyball helped him grow as a person, to become a team leader and a role model to the new generation. He also appreciates the game because of the lenient ruleset of 9-man rather than the rules of traditional volleyball. The Suns are continuing to provide opportunities for young men to be members and to join their volleyball program.
To learn more on how to join the Philadelphia Suns 9-man team, you can register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1XwBE09LvZdQHv-IA5SvLz_w-iSHSP53QgALfNqocrio/viewform?edit_requested=true