Guide to Club Volleyball

So, you have decided to play club Volleyball or are thinking about it. It can be both confusing and intimidating for new people searching for opportunities. This questions/information below will provide a basic introduction to club Volleyball in the Northern Virginia (Loudoun County) area, along with frequently asked questions and answers.

The first thing you should do is click the link below and read the Guide to Club Volleyball in Northern Virginia by the NoVa Volleyball Alliance. They do a great job of breaking down the difference between club, travel and recreational (house league) volleyball and introducing many of the local area clubs.

Go to clinics for each of the teams you are interested in playing for. During the months leading up to tryouts, each club holds prep clinics.

By the time tryout day happens, most coaches already know who they want on the team and may only have one or two open slots they are waiting to fill.

If you know where you want to play and receive an offer, you should accept it as soon as possible and notify the other clubs. All offers expire at 10:00 PM Tuesday. Any offers made after that do not need to be held if the player does not accept before the deadline.

DYS Volleyball is affiliated with USAV/CHRVA and follows these rules. Most local clubs do as well, but some (JVA or AAU clubs) operate on different timelines. Families may see differences in how and when those clubs run tryouts and make offers.

Our best advice is to try out for several clubs that you are interested in playing for. You may not get offers from all of them, so this will give you options to choose from.

Trying out for multiple clubs also gives you the chance to meet other players and coaches and to see how different organizations handle the process. You can learn a lot about a club just by watching how they run their tryouts.

After that, they must wait on responses from players and will likely continue to reach out with additional offers throughout the tryout period.

There will still be teams trying to fill rosters after the Open Tryout Period. If you don’t have an offer by Monday, it’s okay to reach out to coaches and ask where you stand. Teams that don’t fill their rosters by Tuesday will often hold callback tryouts. You should actively look for these opportunities if you are still searching for a place to play.

Pat Powers, Olympic Gold Medalist and world-class Volleyball coach, outlined 5 truths for junior athletics:

Each family should ask what matters most when choosing a club. Keep in mind: your athlete must try out every year. There are no guarantees of making the same team again, or even wanting to.

None of these goals are wrong, but it is rare to find a club that can give you all of them at once. Each club has its own culture and values. Matching those values to your own is key to finding the right fit.

The level of time commitment varies by club and team.

Every club has its own personality and priorities. Understanding the atmosphere is key:

Also consider the player/parent group. Even the best coach may not be a fit if the surrounding team culture is stressful or filled with drama.

When evaluating clubs, ask these questions to see if their values match your family’s: