Club Volleyball: A Primer

The following guide is solely the opinion of the High Performance coaching staff--and is open to modification as new information becomes available. Anyone considering club volleyball should seek several opinions, particularly from players and their parents.

Club volleyball

For thousands of high school girls across Canada, volleyball does not end at the conclusion of the high school season. During the past decade, hundreds of private volleyball clubs have formed in every province. Club volleyball—also known as Club—is now a very big deal in many parts of the country, including Alberta.

Tryouts for Calgary-area club volleyball teams begin each year in late November.

Who Should Play Club Volleyball?

Club volleyball is not for everyone. For many girls, club is an exciting, challenging way to improve skills and make new friends. For others, it can be a difficult or frustrating experience. While we recommend that everyone go through the tryout process for two or more clubs, we hope each of you makes a reasoned decision before deciding which club to play for, or even whether you should play at all.

Frankly, club works best for girls who LOVE to play volleyball. The journey from club tryouts to season-ending tournaments is often littered with detours, surprises and a few disappointments. Girls who meet the inevitable challenges head-on and learn from their experiences often end up better volleyball players. On the other hand, girls who play club because they think they HAVE to—even though they may not really WANT to—often end up unhappy. Please consider, when making this decision.

What Are The Benefits of Club Volleyball?

The high school varsity volleyball season lasts just ten to twelve weeks (usually longer when the team makes it to the provincial championships). Club gives girls an opportunity to play organized volleyball from January through May (and even longer for elite travel teams). In most cases, the extra time gives players a chance to dramatically improve their skills. Top clubs can give players the chance to test their abilities against teams from around the country as well as from the USA or even overseas.

Other specific benefits:

FITNESS. Many teenage athletes find it tough to keep exercising once their high school season ends. Some retreat to the couch in front of the television, others let their eating habits slip. Club players usually make a greater effort to stay in shape year round.

FRIENDSHIPS. Most girls who play club develop close bonds with girls from other high schools. Some of these friendships last for years, and can make playing high school matches against club-mates more fun (and makes the overall competition far friendlier). Elite clubs travel together, and learn a lot about responsibility and independence.

ACADEMICS. Dozens of studies have demonstrated a strong connection between athletic commitment and academic success. At High Performance volleyball, our volleyball players consistently maintain some of the highest grades in the province, and many will end up at top colleges and universities. Usually, volleyball forces girls to organize their time, and avoid long stretches of procrastination. Many club teammates are also top scholars, and an obvious “good” influence.

COLLEGE. More than one thousand colleges and universities all over North America have women’s volleyball programs. Today in order to play in the USA at the Division I, Division II and Division III levels as well as for universities in Canada at the CIS level, it is pretty much a requirement to play club at an elite level.

What Are Potential Problems With Club Volleyball?

Some clubs are much better-run than others. The problem is, it isn’t always possible to know in advance which clubs will soar and which will sink.

Poorly- run clubs have a larger share of inexperienced or inappropriate (e.g. bad-tempered) coaches—although bad coaches can surface anywhere in any sport at any level. The best clubs have strong administrators who have experience handling money and travel schedules, and who have great skills communicating with parents. Clubs with weak administrators are often riddled with misunderstandings and dissent.

A few other specific problems:

PLAYING TIME. Unlike high school volleyball, parents spend hundreds—even thousands—of dollars for their daughter’s club experience, and nothing causes more frustration and resentment than discovering that their daughter is not getting the playing time they think she deserves. This is not unique to club or even to volleyball, but it can cause a lot of tension unless players, parents, coaches and club administrators have a reasonable understanding about the club’s philosophy in advance, and allow girls to develop their own skills for communicating—and negotiating—with their coaches. Frankly, some girls who are “superstars” at 14 are on the sidelines at 17, and vice versa.

TRANSPORTATION. Most clubs practice at least two nights a week, and there are usually an average of two weekend tournaments a month from mid-January to mid-May. For parents of girls who do not yet drive, this can be a significant commitment. Many families make the regrettable decision to choose an inferior club because it is closer to home—only to end up wondering why they spent all that money for a team of comparatively low quality. As more girls in Calgary play club, there are greater opportunities for carpooling, and more chances to expand your geographic reach.

TIME CONFLICTS. Conflicts with concerts, plays, field trips, etc. are absolutely inevitable, and can create a certain amount of stress. Conflicts with club volleyball can, however, provide an excellent opportunity for girls to learn to make difficult choices, negotiate compromises and juggle busy schedules with grace and humor.

What Kind of Clubs Are Out There?

In general, clubs fall into three categories. The “elite” clubs actively recruit the area’s best athletes, and usually attend the top tournaments throughout the region. For younger girls in all categories, most tournaments are in the Calgary area, with a few overnight trips to places like Edmonton, Lethbridge and Red Deer. Elite teams for older girls (10th, 11th & 12th grade) also travel to places like Grand Prarie, Vancouver, Eastern Canada, the USA and beyond, as well as will participate in the Canadian National Championships for club volleyball. Elite teams try to attract the best coaches, often have access to more college recruiters and generally charge more for their programs than other categories of clubs (approximately $2,500-$3,500/season in the USA). A disproportionate number of provincial and national team players are members of elite clubs.

The “midrange” clubs also like to have top players, but may not be as aggressive in their recruitment. Some of these clubs are up-and-coming, and strive to join the elite group sometime soon. Others are content to work with players who love volleyball but may not have the skills or desire to be a provincial team player some day. Midrange clubs can be slightly less expensive ($1,200-$2,500 in the USA).

The “wait-and-see” clubs are what that nickname implies: they are newer clubs with limited track records. Each year there are other clubs which come and go,

There are several other clubs in the province of Alberta, but many are formed specifically to serve one or two high schools, and have spotty histories. If you consider a club, we suggest you talk with the Alberta Volleyball Association (AVA) and get their professional opinion as they are the governing body for volleyball in our province.

What Are Club Tryouts

The most popular clubs, and particularly the elite clubs, have more applicants than they have spaces to fill. Top clubs conduct true tryouts: they evaluate prospective players and pick those they think are the best. Some top clubs may also opt-out from the try-out situation and sign players during the high school season or even the summer prior to high school season by offering evaluation camps. Other clubs try to enroll as many players as they can, forming some teams which play a more competitive schedule and others whose travel is mainly local.

Many clubs charge $15-$30 per player for tryouts, generally to offset the costs of paperwork and facilities rental. All clubs require the submission of some sort of application form, usually available on-line. A few elite clubs require advance registration; others allow you to sign up as late as the day of tryouts. Because tryouts are held after the end of the high school provincial championships (The Monday after the last weekend in November) for generally two weeks, two or more clubs often hold their tryouts on the same day (and, occasionally, at the same time.) This potential conflict requires some early investigation and decision-making on your part. [It also means that some clubs offer tryouts during the same weeks].

Tryouts can vary, but most clubs are looking at the basics: Can you hit? Can you serve? Can you pass? Elite clubs may pay extra attention to your height, but will also notice how well you jump and how quickly you scramble. Good coaches will notice your attitude: Do you smile? Can you brush off errors and get back in the drill? Are you loud on the court? Finally, they notice your “track record”: Are you a high school volleyball player? Have you played club before?

Finally ...

Parents sometimes find the entire experience to be a bit exhausting, but overall very beneficial. They notice that their daughter had to learn to deal with other authority figures, and on their club team received invaluable experience playing with and against some of the other elite athletes in the province. As their daughter grows older and continues to play club volleyball at an elite level many parents will form strong bonds with parents of team members. They travel together and sometimes find new friendships. Many parents use the travel opportunity as well to look at post secondary institutions their daughter might attend. Some also try to hike, camp and sightsee wherever the opportunity presented itself. Many parents go through the experience of being able to juggle a variety of commitments and make it all work.

Many student athletes remember their club experiences fondly. They made many friends, and continue to follow their progress. They become much better volleyball players, and learned how to act and train like an athletes—skills they used in other parts of their life. The players made many friends, and continued to follow their progress. They become much better volleyball players, and learn how to act and train like an athlete— skills they used in other parts of their life.

Some players try club for a year to see if it’s right for them. MANY players switch clubs from year-to-year, looking for a good fit with coaches and teammates. If you go with an open mind, and have realistic expectations, club volleyball can be a very rewarding opportunity.

High Performance Volleyball Club would like to thank Leslie and Jack Hamann as well as the Garfield Volleyball for giving us permission to use and change their intellectual material for our club purposes. To view the original material of Garfield Volleyball, please visit their site.