Dream Big. Work Hard Make it Happen!

Club volleyball is an opportunity to play volleyball outside of high school or middle school-sponsored activities. Families pay to join a volleyball club that arranges for team practices, coaches, uniforms, insurance, and other items, and also for tournaments that the team will play in, competing against other clubs. 

• Cost - The most obvious difference between school teams and club teams is cost.  The cost of being on a school team is included in a student's attendance at that school.  Club teams are not funded the same way so each family will pay a fee for similar athletic services.   Each club will determine their particular expenses.
• Seasons - For the girls, the school season here in Pennsylvania is in the Fall.  Club tryouts now happen before the school season but club practices won't start until after the school season ends.  That means the Club season takes place in the Winter/Spring.  The boys seasons are the reverse.  Their school season is in the Spring so the club season takes place in the Fall/Winter. 
• Tryouts - School tryouts involve players that have no secondary choice (play for the school or don't play).  Club tryouts, however, typically involve players with lots of options of where to play.  The top teams will be able to have players from several schools and therefore be significantly better than any local school (like an all-star team).  The school tryout therefore is very straightforward. The club tryout season can be very chaotic with families driving to multiple tryout sessions and deciding from among them about where to play for the next season.

• Levels - School teams are based on grade level: and 8th grade team or the JV team is still based on what grade the players are in.  Club teams, being independent of school, uses the age of the players.  This can be the most confusing aspect for new families.  The age a player is turning during a specific period of time determines their level.  USA Volleyball currently uses July 1-June 30 as their calendar so if a player is turning or has turned 15 between these dates this year, then they can be on a U15 team or higher (the "U" stands for under) but not lower.
• Travel - The school usually covers travel to matches for the school team.  Some schools have stopped providing the bus or van for teams and have left families dealing with travel but at least school matches are not terribly far.  Club tournaments can involve a lot more travel depending on the type of team.  Some clubs use terms like "national", "regional", "area" or "local" to try to communicate these travel expectations but you will want to confirm potential travel requirements during the tryout process.
• Time Commitment - School practices will often be right after school so no rides are needed to get there.  Club practices will often be later in the evening to allow players from multiple school to arrive on time.  So more rides.  School practices are usually every school day that there isn't a game.  Club practices are typically 2 or 3 times per week.  The length and activity of practices can be similar between school and club teams or significantly different depending on the particular coaching style.  School games will only have one match on a school night or a rare Saturday tournament of 4 or 5 matches.  Club competition days are never only 1 match.  Every tournament in club volleyball is 4 or 5 matches per day, for anywhere from 1 day to the 4 days of the National Tournament.

Volleyball Clubs are organizations that train athletes in the sport of volleyball so they can compete outside of the normal school season. Volleyball clubs are independent of each other and privately owned. The word “club” typically describes an organization that has teams for many different age groups and levels. 

• Teams: Being on a club volleyball team is the highest level of participation with the club.  There are tryouts to make a team, a set roster, practice schedule, and competition schedule over the course of a 4-6 month season.
• Training Groups: For athletes still learning the sport of volleyball, and often those that do not have a school team to participate with, there are training groups.  They are shorter than a team season and less expensive, because there are no uniforms or tournament days.  The schedule is more like the regular practice times for a team but often with players of mixed beginner ability.  Fall Ball is typically for any player not ready for a team in the Fall, or for Middle School aged players with no school team in the Fall.  Spring Ball is for the players who are not yet on a club team in the Spring and for those who do not have a spring school team.
• 
  

Club Volleyball: Also known as Juniors or Travel volleyball, Club volleyball is a nationwide highly competitive sport dedicated to giving student athletes across the country the ability to participate and excel in volleyball against other players their same age, both regionally and nationally.  Club competition takes place outside the primary school seasons.  Also, many school players play club to increase their chances of making their school teams. You will see that many of the teams who make states do so because they have so many members of their team who play club volleyball. Club volleyball offers the most advanced and competitive youth volleyball experienc. Club teams are available for both girls and boys starting with Elementary School (U11, U12) going through Middle School (U13, U14) and High School (U15, U16, U17, U18). There are three governing bodies in the Volleyball. The USA Volleyball (USAV), the American Athletics Union (AAU) Volleyball, and the Junior Volleyball Association (JVA). 

Most are familiar with school volleyball, starting with middle school (or JV), then Junior Varsity , then finally the coveted Varsity Squad.  You all remember when you were in middle school and you would see the older girls play and wanted so badly to be as good as those players; jump that high, hit that hard, dig those balls –making the varsity team is every volleyball player’s goal. The tryout process can be awfully hard, and for middle school you will be competing against 3 grades of players and for JV and Varsity you will be competing again 4 grades of players.  

Before school ball many of you try camps or youth volleyball. , camps and youth is their first exposure to volleyball. Camp/Rec is designed to give introduction to as many players as possible with a focus on everyone playing to learn and come to love the game instead of playing to win.

 Clubs will often hold instructional sessions lasting from 1 to 4 days which are focused on specific skills and techniques (a Setter's Clinic, for example).  These sometimes have a special guest coach and therefore they are held at unusual times when the coach is available.  Camps will usually be during summer or winter holidays.  Clinics may be on a 3-day weekend, during Spring Break, or whenever an opportunity to have someone special come in to present.