League One Volleyball’s San Francisco Signal will make Bill Graham Civic Auditorium its home venue for the team’s inaugural 2027 women’s volleyball season, the organization announced Sept. 18, 2026. The new professional team plans to create a custom match-day environment inside the San Francisco venue rather than use a traditional arena configuration.
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium is located in San Francisco’s Civic Center, adjacent to City Hall, and is operated by Another Planet Entertainment. The venue’s flexible footprint will allow San Francisco Signal to create a competition setting with dedicated spaces for hospitality, community, partners and entertainment.
“The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium gives us the opportunity to create the kind of home we envisioned for the Signal – iconic, energetic and distinctly Bay Area,” said Stephanie Martin, President and Co-Founder of San Francisco Signal. “It is a legendary San Francisco venue with the scale and flexibility to deliver an incredible professional volleyball experience while keeping every fan close to the action. We’re excited to bring athletes, fans and communities from across the region together in a building known for unforgettable moments, and to open an entirely new chapter for it through women’s sports.”
San Francisco Signal plans custom match-day setting
San Francisco Signal will build its match-day environment within Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. The plan is designed to keep fans close to the court while adding spaces for hospitality, community, partners and entertainment.
“Volleyball is fast, physical and incredibly intimate when you experience it live,” Martin said. “We want to preserve that connection to the court while creating something much bigger around it. Whether you have played volleyball your entire life or are attending your first match, we want walking into the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium to feel like you have arrived at something special.”
Operated by Another Planet Entertainment, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium has been a San Francisco gathering place for more than a century. The venue has welcomed concerts, sporting events, cultural moments and civic gatherings.
Roster, leadership and ownership
San Francisco Signal’s inaugural roster includes athletes from six countries, including Olympians, international stars and NCAA standouts. Four players are returning home to the Bay Area. The team is led by Head Coach Alfee Reft and founding athlete Kelsey Cook, a three-time Olympic medalist and Santa Cruz native.
The ownership group includes Olympic medalists, world champions, entrepreneurs, business leaders and Bay Area sports icons. Signal owners include Bay FC co-founders Brandi Chastain, Leslie Osborne and Danielle Slaton; Olympic medalists Abby Wambach, Natalie Coughlin, Lindsey Berg and Kate Johnson; Bay Area Olympians and NCAA champions Alix Klineman, Julie Foudy, Ali Riley and Alysia Montaño; and Bay Area sports champions Steve Kerr, Ronnie Lott and Jeremy Lin, among others.
“Today marks an important step toward establishing the San Francisco Signal as a defining part of the Bay Area’s sports landscape,” said Jes Wolfe, Chairwoman and Co-Founder of the Signal. “We have assembled an extraordinary group of athletes, owners and leaders who believe in what women’s sports can become. At The Civic, we have a stage worthy of that ambition, one that puts women athletes center stage and creates an unforgettable setting for our inaugural season.”
Community plans and ticket information
San Francisco Signal plans to welcome young people from underserved communities to matches, invest in youth volleyball programming and create pathways for women in coaching and sports leadership. The team said those efforts will extend its impact beyond match days.
“Our impact should extend far beyond what happens on match day,” said Chantell Preston, San Francisco Signal Co-Founder. “We want young people across the Bay Area to see themselves in this team, experience the sport at its highest level and discover new opportunities to play, coach and lead. That is the legacy we want the Signal to build.”
San Francisco Signal will begin its inaugural League One Volleyball season in January 2027. Founding Memberships, including season tickets, are on sale through The Nine, the Signal’s membership program, and group ticket deposits are available. Single-match tickets will be available when the League One Volleyball 2026-27 schedule is released later in fall 2026.
FSB Take
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium gives San Francisco Signal a confirmed home venue before the team begins its first League One Volleyball season. The venue plan also sets out a match-day environment built around the court, with space for community, hospitality, partners and entertainment.
The January 2027 launch, the six-country inaugural roster and the planned youth volleyball initiatives are among the details established ahead of the schedule release. Single-match ticket availability will follow the release of the League One Volleyball 2026-27 schedule later in fall 2026.
Source: Original report