What to know about Club Volleyball?

Are you interested in getting better at volleyball? Then club volleyball is a great way to continue your volleyball education and get some playing time in your high school or junior high off-season.

First you need to find out what USA Volleyball Region you belong to. The regional zones are divided as described below.

Zonal Structure of the Regions

CENTRAL ZONE: Central East Section: BG, GL, GW, HO, LK, NO, PR

Central West Section: GP, HA, IA, RM

PACIFIC ZONE: Pacific North Section: AK, CE, EV, PS

Pacific South Section: AH, IM, MK, NC

ATLANTIC ZONE: North Atlantic Section: CH, GE, IE, KE, NE, OV, WE

South Atlantic Section: CR, FL, OD, PM, SO

BORDER ZONE: Border East Section: BY, DE, GC, LS, NT, OK

Border West Section: AZ, SC, SU

What club volleyball age group you are in?

USA Volleyball has strict guidelines concerning age.  Click on the link below to find out what age group you can play volleyball in this year.
http://usavolleyball.org/juniors/indoor

What Clubs are out there?

Go to your local region website to find a complete list of all the clubs in your area.

• Ask several people that play for the school team what club they attended. Were they happy there?
• Do you want a club that is the closest to your house? Are you willing to travel 30 minutes or more to attend practice – possibly 3 times a week – with a certain club?
• Does the club offer a team in my age division?

Ask yourself these questions…

What is your club and/or coaching philosophy?

• Know what YOUR philosophy is . . . . what do you want from a club during this season?  What is most important to you?  Is it volleyball coaching?  Is it having fun as a team?  Is it to improve for your next school year? Is it to play for you current high school coach in the off-season?  Is your goal to get recognized and get noticed by college coaches?
• Are you determined to attend Nationals? Persistent for a club to help you get a scholarship? Do you want to play with your friends on a team? You need to know what you are looking for.
• Now that you have decided what is important to YOU, go ask the club what THEIR philosophy is. Playing time, travel team, non-travel teams

The Cost of Club Volleyball and Expenses to Consider

• How much do tryouts cost? Do I have to pay for each tryout or does one fee cover all tryout sessions?
• How much is due up front once I commit to the club?
• How is it paid – monthly payments, 1 or 2 installments?
• Are travel expenses included in the payments or are they separate?
• Are Nationals or Post-season included? If not, when is that due? Is that refundable if the team does not make it to Post-Season play?
• What if my son/daughter gets hurt during the season?
• Is Fundraising available to offset the cost?
• What player equipment is covered in the cost? shoes? kneepads? socks? jerseys? warm ups? bags?

Members on the team

• How many players are kept on the team?
• Is playing time guaranteed?
• When will the final roster for each team be determined?
• If the coach and/or team is not consistent with what our family was told before we signed the contract, will we be granted a refund and allowed to go to a different club?