Club Volleyball – FAQs
Club volleyball can be confusing especially to players and parents completely new to the system.
Volleyball BC has put together responses to the most common questions we receive and we hope these
answer your inquiries and concerns. If you do still have a question, please contact
[email protected].
The Volleyball BC Club Handbook is also an important source of information and reference tool for club
volleyball – we suggest that all club administrators, coaches and parents read the full document
carefully. It is available online here: www.volleyballbc.org/youth/club-volleyball/clubinformation.
1. What is club volleyball?
Club volleyball offers an opportunity for players and coaches who enjoy volleyball to participate in a
quality program catering to various levels of play beyond the traditional school season.
For players wishing to pursue the Team BC High Performance program, club volleyball is an essential
part of their development as an athlete.
2. What age can my son or daughter start playing club volleyball?
Within club volleyball there are several different age groups. For the club season beginning January
2014, ages are as follows:
13U (Born in 2001 or later), 14U (born in 2000), 15U (born in 1999), 16U (born in 1998), 17U (born in
1997), 18U (born in 1996).
Some clubs may also run 12U programs and/or younger players are welcome to try out for 13U teams.
Please contact individual clubs for more information.
3. Can my son / daughter still play with their grade if they have been held back a year
at school and /or they have a December birthday?
Players MUST play with their correct age group as stated above. Please contact Adrian Goodmurphy at
[email protected] if you would like to discuss this further.
The only exception is for athletes born in 1995 that are currently attending their first year of grade 12
(and have not been held back a grade between grade 8 and 12) may apply for an exemption which will
allow them to participate in all Volleyball BC indoor club events, including Provincial and National
Championships. Teams are limited to two athletes on their roster that are born in 1995.
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4. How do I find a club for my son / daughter?
Full listings for volleyball clubs in British Columbia can be found online here:
www.volleyballbc.org/youth/club-volleyball/club-contact-information.
Each entry tells you where the club is located and which age groups / genders they offer. Please visit the
club website or contact the club directly for more information.
5. What are some differences between clubs? What information can I ask them?
Some of the typical differences between clubs may be:
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Teams available, e.g. age groups and genders
How many times a week a team trains
The number of tournaments a team will attend
Whether the team will ‘travel’, i.e. attend events out of their region or even in the US.
Club fees
Playing time policies
A lot of information about the club may be on their individual websites, but you can also contact them
directly with any questions.
Please be aware that pre-season can be a very busy time for the volunteers who run our clubs
(especially during November when High School season is running) and replies to your email may be
delayed.
6. Does my son /daughter need to attend try outs to play club volleyball?
Due to the growing popularity of volleyball in the province, often clubs are oversubscribed and hold
tryouts to select players for their teams. Try outs are usually held in late November, December and
January.
Please visit individual club websites to find out more about when and where try outs are being hosted.
Please note, the majority of clubs will require you to pre-register your son/daughter in advance of the
try out date.
7. Can my son / daughter attend try outs for more than one club?
If your son / daughter has never played club volleyball before OR they did not play in the 2013 season
then they can try out for as many clubs as they wish.
Please note, if your son / daughter did play club volleyball during the 2013 season then they must obtain
a signed Athlete Release form from his/her previous club BEFORE attending a tryout for another team.
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The Athlete Release form is available to download from the Volleyball BC website here:
www.volleyballbc.org/youth/club-volleyball/clubinformation.
8. If my son / daughter plays on a team now, or did last year, can coaches ask him /
her to join a different team?
No, coaches are NOT allowed to approach athletes from clubs other than their own at any time
regarding transferring to a different club. This also applies to ALL club representatives (coaches,
administrators, managers, athletes, parents, etc).
This is called recruiting and Volleyball BC has a zero tolerance recruitment policy. Please see section IV
of the Volleyball BC Club Handbook for more details.
9. When does the typical club season run to and from?
The club volleyball season starts in mid-January with Season Opener events and ends in early May with
Nationals (not all club teams will participate in National competitions). The busiest times are February,
March and April. To find out when teams start and finish their training schedule, please contact clubs
directly.
For exact tournament dates categorized in age groups, visit: http://www.volleyballbc.org/youth/clubvolleyball/2013-club-tournaments/.
10. How many times a week will they practice?
The number of weekly practices varies by each individual team and club. Most teams will practice 2 – 4
times per week. Please contact individual teams or clubs for exact details.
11. Can my son / daughter play club volleyball AND school basketball?
It is definitely possible – but time management skills would be very important! We also advise that you
speak to the coaches of both teams about making flexible arrangements to support your son / daughter
to participate in both.
12. What other opportunities for development are there?
There are several other opportunities outside the direct club volleyball environment.
Volleyball BC runs the Team BC program, which is aimed at aspiring high-performance athletes. The
program includes:
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ID Camps – December (Regional locations) – open to all
Spring Break Camp (Usually at HJSC, Burnaby) – open to all
Competitions – these vary depending on the age group of the athlete. Taking place in the
summer break, teams will very often require athletes to have attended try outs.
For more information on the program pathway for each age group:
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www.volleyballbc.org/youth/team-bc
Chris Berglund: [email protected] (Team BC)
Tamara Rosenlund (BC Games): [email protected].
Volleyball Canada Centres of Excellence – VCCEs are located around the province of British Columbia
and offer high-performance volleyball training year-round that athletes can attend alongside high-school
and club volleyball. For more information visit: www.vcce.ca.
Several organizations including universities and private companies will also run clinics, summer camps
and private coaching. These can be found by searching online and many advertise here on the Volleyball
BC website: www.volleyballbc.org/camps-and-clinics (Under Non VBC camps and clinics).
13. At what age should players make the jump from recreational volleyball to
competitive?
Recreational volleyball is where athletes train and play for fun and for skill development. Competitive
volleyball may also encompass both these elements, but the goal is for teams to win matches.
Volleyball BC recommends that all club teams follow the Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD)
guidelines as set out here: www.volleyballbc.org/coaching/cs4l-ltad. Please note, however, that each
club has their own individual philosophies that you may ask to discuss with them.
14. What if my son / daughter does not make a club volleyball team?
There are plenty of opportunities for young people to play volleyball in BC outside of club volleyball.
Volleyball BC runs Atomic programs (9-12 years) and Train and Play programs (13-16 years) at various
locations across the province. For more information visit: www.volleyballbc.org/camps-and-clinics.
Some clubs may also run Train and Play programs or house leagues for those who don’t make a club
team – please check individual club websites for more details on such programs.
Finally, don’t forget about the beach volleyball season! From May, Volleyball BC will run a series of
clinics and tournaments that are completely open entry for all abilities. To find out more:
Clinics:
www.volleyballbc.org/camps-and-clinics
Beach Tournaments:
www.volleyballbc.org/youth/beach-outdoor-volleyball/beach-tournaments
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