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FAQ

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

The USA Volleyball annual membership begins on Sept 1 and ends Aug 31. Boys tryouts may begin Aug 1st with registration taking place Sept 1 or later. Girls tryouts may begin Nov 1st for 14's and younger and the Saturday following the last HS State Championship match in November. Typically the clubs will start practicing soon after their tryouts are complete to prepare for the tournament season.

Boys Tournaments start in September and end in December in the Arizona Region. The teams may travel to bid tournaments (January), end of season tournaments or Junior Nationals (June or July). The high school age boys will break during the HS season and pick up again when school is out if they are going to a season ending tournament. Boys in 8th grade or younger may compete in the AZ Region Boys "B" Season which takes place from March - May.

Girls Tournaments start in January and end in May in the Arizona Region. Season ending tournaments or Junior Nationals will take place in June or July for those teams that extend their season beyond the Arizona Region tournaments.

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?

Questions to ask yourself and prospective clubs -

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? warm ups? bags?

Members on the team

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

Level of Commitment

• 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 "travel" tournaments will the team be attending? 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 my child have an issue? Many clubs want the child to talk to the coach before the parent gets involved. This develops the maturity of the child in dealing with their coaches or teachers.

Other Perks

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

Attend the AZ Region Club Night or Club 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 should be happy to answer your questions.

The AZ Region will be hosting a Club Volleyball Night at ASU on Saturday, Oct 10th. Clubs will be given the opportunity to talk to potential players prior to the ASU vs Oregon State women's volleyball match. The match is at 7 pm in Wells Fargo Arena.

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

• 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 - Aug 1st for boys and Nov 1st for 12 - 14's and Nov 21st for 15's and older girls. Anyone signing any commitment prior to those dates may be sanctioned for the current season - including but not limited to suspension for the entire year. Verbal commitments are not binding before the start dates either.
• Do not sign a commitment to a club that is longer than one season in duration. USA Volleyball releases all players from their club after the last day of the Junior National Championships each year.

Summary

No matter if a club has been around for 20 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-on's. 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. Some offers of camp scholarships or other financial arrangements can be a violation of the NCAA or AIA Paid Athlete Policies and would jeopardize your child's status for school or collegiate play.