From Court to community: How a volleyball team fosters Asian American connections in Chicago
The Chicago United team poses for a photo at the New York Mini tournament. Photo courtesy of Matthew Zhang.
On a hot day in July, Chicago volleyball players stand on a makeshift concrete court in a park near New York City’s Chinatown and ready themselves for the match point. Tension fills the air as they lock eyes with their opponents, holding their breath and waiting for their teammate to serve.
Spectators line the ledges, sitting behind the court and crowding around the sidelines. They watch closely as the Chicago server looks down at the ball and bounces it a few times.
In a swift motion, he throws the ball up, hits it and sends it spinning through the air. As the ball soars over the net, over to their opponent’s side.
They don’t return the ball.
The team erupts. Tony Chan and the rest of the Chicago United team, watching from the sidelines, run onto the court to celebrate their win.
Video courtesy of Matthew Zhang
By beating the D.C. Chinese Youth Club, an established legacy team, Chicago United advanced to the final round of the New York Mini Tournament, one of the season's most important tournaments. They would ultimately place second.
“Even though we didn’t win the tournament, it was very satisfying and purposeful,” said Chan, the founder of Chicago United. “All the heart and toil and all the ups and downs have culminated into that.”
While this may appear to be a typical volleyball tournament, the game that Chicago United plays is anything but conventional. The style of play, known as nine-man, features nine people on the court, and participants must be of Asian descent.
According to the North American Chinese Invitational Tournament rules:
Five players must be of full Chinese descent
One player must be of at least 50% Chinese descent
The three remaining must be of Asian descent
Chicago United was established in 2017. Since then, the team has developed a thriving Asian American volleyball community in the Windy City and made its mark in the world of nine-man volleyball as the only Midwest team.
Much of that is due to Chan, who has been steering the ship since founding the club.
Chan’s story: volleyball in chinatown and his discovery of nine-man volleyball
Chan grew up in the Chicago Chinatown area. He remembers not knowing where he belonged and not feeling represented in popular media. Then, in middle school, he began playing volleyball through his church. He became hooked on the sport and the community.
Later, Chan would continue playing volleyball in college. During that time, he was exposed to the physicality and competitiveness of higher-level volleyball.
Not many Asian American athletes can experience that. According to the NCAA 2024-2025 Demographics Database, only 2% of the more than 500,000 athletes in all three NCAA divisions are Asian. That percentage has stayed the same since 2012.
Chan noticed the same lack of representation at the club level. He wanted other kids from Chinatown to experience higher-level volleyball one day, the way he did.
He decided to create a volleyball clinic for kids in Chinatown.
In 2016, Chan heard about a documentary, “9-Man,” which covered the sport’s story from the origins of nine-man volleyball as a competitive outlet for Chinese workers during the Chinese Exclusion Act to its culture decades later, a competitive atmosphere just for Asian volleyball players.
The film inspired Chan to create his own nine-man team.
The Founding of Chicago United
Alex Yeung met Chan through the clinic when he was in middle school. During medical school, he continued playing with him and others through an open gym in Chinatown. Then, Chan introduced them to nine-man volleyball.
“Without Tony, this probably would have never happened,” Yeung said. “We were happy playing volleyball together once or twice a week. Tony did a good job advertising what nine-man was and how much fun it could be.”
Chan began organizing practices, teaching the rules of nine-man volleyball as they went. In 2017, they had enough members to start a team.
The nine-man community guided Chan, enabling him to grow the sport in Chicago. One of the people who helped him was Patrick “2e” Chin, the director of the Chinese Youth Club, also known as C.Y.C. They had been trading emails and phone calls, but during the 2018 New York Mini, they met for the first time.
Since then, C.Y.C. and Chicago United have had a friendly rivalry, supporting each other off the court while competing on it, like during the New York Mini semifinals.
Chan said that his relationship with 2e shows the impact that the sport could have.
Chan has provided players with the opportunity to do the same.
the sense of Community brings players back to Chicago United each year
Yeung began as a main hitter in 2017, but over time, he started letting the younger players play more. The younger players also come to Yeung for life advice.
Yeung said a big reason he comes back to Chicago United each year is the community.
“I just love all the guys on the team,” Yeung said.
One aspect of the community he enjoys is watching the younger players in college grow and reach their potential, both on and off the court. Matthew Zhang, a Northwestern alumnus who grew up in Northbrook, Illinois, started playing for the B-team in 2021 and began working his way towards the A-team. During the New York Mini this year, he was one of the most consistent players.
Zhang described Yeung as the “glue” of the team, hyping up the players throughout the game. While rewatching the match point of the New York Mini quarterfinals, he noticed that Yeung turned, pointed, and celebrated towards the camera.
Video courtesy of Matthew Zhang
He has started following the path forged by Yeung and Chan, becoming a more experienced leader in the team. Zhang remembers when he first joined, he was treated to drinks and asked other players for career advice. Now, he pays for the drinks and talks to the younger players about his consulting career.
“It’s cool to see it come a little full circle,” Zhang said, “and that’s what Tony says. It’s about family and communal spirit.”
the sense of Community brings players back to Chicago United each year
The Chicago United team poses for a photo with their sister team, the Dragons, and various supporters of Chicago United at the New York Mini. Photo courtesy of Matthew Zhang.
Next June, Chicago United will begin its eighth season. They not only want to continue advancing in tournaments like the New York Mini but also expand the nine-man community in Chicago. One of the ways they want to achieve this is by creating a junior team for high school students to get involved, so they can connect with other Asian American men who challenge stereotypes and are comfortable in their own skin
Although Chan still sees himself as the “connective tissue” of the team, leading the community, he hopes that one day he won’t need to.