USA Volleyball has strict guidelines concerning age. Click the Age Definitions link, plug in your birthdate and it will tell you what age division you must play in.

Click on Club Directory for a complete list of all the clubs in the state.

• 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?

Philosophy

• Know what YOUR philosophy is . . . . what do want from a club during this season?
• Are you determined to attend Nationals? Persistent for a club to help you get a scholarship? Are you looking to get better for high school? Are you wanting to play with your friends on a team? You need to know what you are looking for.
• Ask the Club what THEIR philosophy is. Playing time, travel team, non-travel teams

Cost

• 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? warmups? bags?

Members on the team

• How many players are kept on the team?
• Is playing time guaranteed?

Level of Committment

• Many players are active in other sports or activities. Try to have a feel for what your schedule might be like in your other activities so you will know if there are any or many conflicts. Always check with the club to see what is tolerated.
• Very Cooperative - they will work around anything and everything
• Cooperative within reason - there are a few instances that the club may excuse your for being late or absent.
• Full Commitment - some clubs expect some or all of their teams to put club volleyball first. They expect you at every practice and every tournament.

Practices

• How many practices per week? How many practices if there is a tournament that weekend?
• How long is each practice?
• Where are the practices located?

Tournaments

• How many tournaments are played in each month?
• How many are in-state tournaments?
• How many are out-of-state tournaments?

Travel

• How many tournaments are "travel" tournaments? Travel most likely means out of state or multi-day tournaments in another part of the state where overnight stay is required
• How are travel arrangements handled?
• Does the club offer parent travel?

Coaches

• How many coaches per team?
• What are their qualifications?

Communications

• How does the club communicate with the Parents/Members? Do they have a web site? Monthly meetings? Newsletters? Handbook?
• What is the chain of command should I have an issue?

Other Perks

• Car Pooling?
• Club/Team outings throughout the year?
• Clinics/camps throughout the year?
• College Recruiting help?
• Have their own facility?

Attend the Club Information/Parent Meeting

These meetings allow the club to present to you what they are all about. It can also give you the opportunity to meet the club director and possibly your son/daughter's potential coach. Here is where you want to ask lots of questions. Some clubs hold meetings before any of their tryouts, some will hold meetings for the parents during the tryouts. If you still have questions, please email or call the directors. They will be happy to answer your questions.

The AZ Region will offer several Parent Information Nights in the month of November. These will be advertised on the website and in the newsletter. Clubs will be allowed to participate and talk to parents and players about their club.

Committing to a Club

The AZ Region and USA Volleyball considers a commitment to a club for the entire season. That means that you cannot change clubs in mid season. Please do your homework before committing to a club.

Know the Rules

• A Blackout Period for recruiting has been established by the AZ Region. No club may initiate contact with a potential player during the month of November until the published tryout dates of each respective age group. Contact includes but is not limited to: phone calls, emails, text messages, newsletters, letters, postcards, instant messages, direct personal contact (includes coaches, club director or any other club/team representatives). Potential players may contact a club for information but the club may not initiate the contact. This was developed to give the players a break between school volleyball and club volleyball, allow for recovery time from school season to club season and to give players a chance to see what the club opportunities are before they are required to commit to a club.
• No club director, coach, parent representative may contact a player or their parents a minimum of 8 hours prior to a school practice, match or tournament. They are to leave the parents and players alone so that they can concentrate on their school event until after the event is over. Regarding tournaments, that means the entire tournament - not just the play for the day.
• No club may ask anyone to commit to their club before the start dates of the club season - Sept 1st for boys and Nov 17th for 12 - 14's and Dec 1st for 15's and older girls. Anyone signing any committment prior to those dates may be sanctioned for the current season - including but not limited to suspension for the entire year. Verbal committments are not binding before the start dates either.

Summary

No matter if a club has been around for 10 years or just 2 years. . . .no matter if they have 20 teams or just one, we have quality clubs throughout the Region and they all have something to offer. You need to take the time to investigate each club to find the right club for your son/daughter.

Discount the badmouthing of one club by another. If one club has to badmouth another club to convince you to join their club, what does that tell you about that club? Is that the type of people that you want to deal with all season?

Beware of clubs promising starting positions, college scholarships or other flattering come-ons. All players in the 12's & 14's should be developed in all positions and not concerned with scholarships. Find out if the club will develop your son/daughter to their potential no matter what their place on the team.