Club VB Offers

[Anonymous]

First-time venture into the seedy world of girls' club vb.

Two Questions (yes, I know it depends on the club and actual coaches involved, but just curious what 'normal' might look like):

1. If/when DC gets an offer, is it simply "we have a spot for you; reply within 72 hrs" or more specific to which team (if there's more than one for the age group), what position, etc.?

2. If invited to a callback session, does the club tell you what specifically you're trying out for?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First-time venture into the seedy world of girls' club vb.

Two Questions (yes, I know it depends on the club and actual coaches involved, but just curious what 'normal' might look like):

1. If/when DC gets an offer, is it simply "we have a spot for you; reply within 72 hrs" or more specific to which team (if there's more than one for the age group), what position, etc.?

2. If invited to a callback session, does the club tell you what specifically you're trying out for?

Its more murky than seedy, at least for most clubs.

1. The formal offer usually just gives you the specific team. You usually have to ask the coach what position. If it doesn't give you the specific team, be very suspicious.

2. Invites to callbacks may or may not include info about the team/position consideration. Some clubs just post all the players tryout numbers on a website, others will send you and email/call you and invite you, others will say they want to see you at a specific position (rarest).

At the older ages the position conversations are usually not necessary because players often split into positions during tryouts and the players go where they feel the best. If they get asked to try a different position during tryouts you can certainly ask which position you are getting the offer for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First-time venture into the seedy world of girls' club vb.

Two Questions (yes, I know it depends on the club and actual coaches involved, but just curious what 'normal' might look like):

1. If/when DC gets an offer, is it simply "we have a spot for you; reply within 72 hrs" or more specific to which team (if there's more than one for the age group), what position, etc.?

2. If invited to a callback session, does the club tell you what specifically you're trying out for?

The way I understand it: you get a spot on a team, not a specific position on the court. I believe I understand the reasoning, but I cannot guarantee I am correct. Let's say the club makes 12 offers knowing which players they want in each position (including your DC). Some players will accept their offers, some may accept offers from other clubs. Now the club has holes in their initial lineup and they will try to fill them with players on their waitlist. Some players who were initially offered spots on the bottom teams may move up to the more competitive teams (depending on what positions are available). There will be some challenges to fill the bottom teams with players on the wait list (some of whom may accept offers from other clubs). At this point, clubs compete to get the best remaining players who are not committed to other clubs. Some may fit perfectly in the empty positions, some may not. Once the season starts, the coach may have to reassign some players to positions they were not initially considered for, depending on how the roster looks like and how the team would be most competitive. I feel like this is less of a problem for the most competitive teams as for least competitive teams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First-time venture into the seedy world of girls' club vb.

Two Questions (yes, I know it depends on the club and actual coaches involved, but just curious what 'normal' might look like):

1. If/when DC gets an offer, is it simply "we have a spot for you; reply within 72 hrs" or more specific to which team (if there's more than one for the age group), what position, etc.?

2. If invited to a callback session, does the club tell you what specifically you're trying out for?

The way I understand it: you get a spot on a team, not a specific position on the court. I believe I understand the reasoning, but I cannot guarantee I am correct. Let's say the club makes 12 offers knowing which players they want in each position (including your DC). Some players will accept their offers, some may accept offers from other clubs. Now the club has holes in their initial lineup and they will try to fill them with players on their waitlist. Some players who were initially offered spots on the bottom teams may move up to the more competitive teams (depending on what positions are available). There will be some challenges to fill the bottom teams with players on the wait list (some of whom may accept offers from other clubs). At this point, clubs compete to get the best remaining players who are not committed to other clubs. Some may fit perfectly in the empty positions, some may not. Once the season starts, the coach may have to reassign some players to positions they were not initially considered for, depending on how the roster looks like and how the team would be most competitive. I feel like this is less of a problem for the most competitive teams as for least competitive teams.

+1 Good description of the process. In general, for older teams clubs will have a ranked list of players by position and will pull players off the waitlist to fill positions that open up. For younger teams, they may have a more general waitlist because they know they'll have to figure out positions once everyone is in the gym (especially for U12/U13).

There's also a lot of players that think they play one position but they get into a club team and both the coach and player realize that they would be better at a different position. Example, the 5' 7" player who plays middle on their HS team is probably not going to be that on their club team. Its common for players to play one position in club and a different position on their school teams.

[Anonymous]

Follow up question - is it appropriate to ask about playing time? Is it even worth it or will they tell the truth? Last year DD was new to club, tried out for only two teams and got one spot. She accepted it. This year she is trying out for several clubs and wants to go where she can make sure she has playing time at her position. She realized there are no guarantees but is it appropriate to ask? She’s been going to clinics and they are all for specific positions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Follow up question - is it appropriate to ask about playing time? Is it even worth it or will they tell the truth? Last year DD was new to club, tried out for only two teams and got one spot. She accepted it. This year she is trying out for several clubs and wants to go where she can make sure she has playing time at her position. She realized there are no guarantees but is it appropriate to ask? She’s been going to clinics and they are all for specific positions.

Perfectly fine to ask.

Whether they tell the truth depends on the club. If we thought they weren't being honest we asked for the data from last years team if they had it. If not, we asked some of the parents/players from last year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Follow up question - is it appropriate to ask about playing time? Is it even worth it or will they tell the truth? Last year DD was new to club, tried out for only two teams and got one spot. She accepted it. This year she is trying out for several clubs and wants to go where she can make sure she has playing time at her position. She realized there are no guarantees but is it appropriate to ask? She’s been going to clinics and they are all for specific positions.

You can ask, but you will likely get an answer along the line: "the court time is earned." If they have someone better on your DD's position, your DD will have less court time. Things may also change throughout the season, depending on how the players competing for a position evolve. If your DD becomes better during the season, she may get more court time. If court time is important to your DD, don't aim for the best club out there because your DD will likely have to compete harder for court time. Even if you aim for a mid or low tier club, you don't really know who else they have on that specific position.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Follow up question - is it appropriate to ask about playing time? Is it even worth it or will they tell the truth? Last year DD was new to club, tried out for only two teams and got one spot. She accepted it. This year she is trying out for several clubs and wants to go where she can make sure she has playing time at her position. She realized there are no guarantees but is it appropriate to ask? She’s been going to clinics and they are all for specific positions.

You can ask, but you will likely get an answer along the line: "the court time is earned." If they have someone better on your DD's position, your DD will have less court time. Things may also change throughout the season, depending on how the players competing for a position evolve. If your DD becomes better during the season, she may get more court time. If court time is important to your DD, don't aim for the best club out there because your DD will likely have to compete harder for court time. Even if you aim for a mid or low tier club, you don't really know who else they have on that specific position.

You will get that answer from all of the top teams in the region across all of those clubs. But there is a huge difference in the way its implemented. PP said to ask for the data from last year and its a good idea. Every club has a different definition of "earned". Some clubs at that competitive level take 14-15 players and play 8, some take 10-12 and play 7 and some take 10-12 and play 10-12.