Our Passionate Coach

John Sutton is a Charlotte-based entrepreneur and business man who is the creator of "The Strand" community in Charlotte, NC and an avid beach volleyball fan and player. John began his beach volleyball career learning from Ball State Alumni who played on weekends in his home town of Terre Haute, IN. Coach Sutton had a blossoming indoor career until he was sidelined with a torn ACL his freshman year, but with all things, this was a blessing that led him to leaning into hist first company as an entrepreneur. From there, John continued to play and coach casually until moving to Peoria, IL in 2006 where he developed and directed the first indoor elite volleyball program in the small town "Unique Performance Volleyball" that existed for 2 seasons until life took John to Charlotte, NC. John retired from coaching to focus on his businesses, but kept his passion for the game as a fan.

In 2021, John decided to pursure a life-long goal of playing professional beach volleyball, even if for just a few matches. John met Coach Ticao through this endeavor when he dedicated 18-months to ensuring he could hold his own amongst some of the greatest players in the country. In 2022, John competed on the AVP Pro tour alongside gold-medalist Phil Dalhausser  accomplishing this "bucket list" item. John has competed locally, regionally, and nationally as a player, but is passionate about furthering the sport at all levels and creating a path for athletes in beach volleyball to have the earning potential requisite with their unique skill level in the World. John originally brought coach Ticao to Charlotte to train him in preparation for playing with Phil and afterleading John & Phil to an AVP Tour win, but more impressively turning John into a player who, when served every ball, could play with the consistency required of a pro to stay in every game, John knew Coach Ticao had talents far beyond most volleyball coaches.