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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Here is a message a coach posted on a Facebook group: "So 5 years ago there was no club within 25 minutes of our city so instead of driving my daughter 3 times a week I started a volleyball team under my ministry, Athletes In Ministry. We started with one team at my cost for uniforms, I was a uniform sales rep, and each parent pitched in for our 5 tournaments. I paid out of pocket for the club membership and insurance. STILL CHEAPER THAN THE LOCAL CLUBS! We have now progressed to serve over 300 girls in the last 5 years. We are very thankful for local churches and schools who let us use their gyms. I now charge $650 a girl for the club season… $200 towards unis/gear and one player from each teams extra $450 covers tourney entry! I still cover the team fees and insurance! I could go up in prices a little to cover this, but I want to give opportunities to kids. We are now a 501(c)3, but really get no help from sponsors really."[/quote]

That's awesome and it would be great if there were more low cost options available to allow for girls (or boys) who might not otherwise be exposed to volleyball to have a chance to play. There is a club called Starlings ([url]https://www.starlings.org/[/url]) that is for exactly that purpose, although I don't think they have a presence in the DMV.  If you have had any exposure to DCIAA high school volleyball (the DC public school conference), it is really obvious how economics play an important role in the level of volleyball. The schools that draw from neighborhoods (or student populations) with higher income levels (Jackson-Reed in particular) tend to be much more successful than those from other parts of the city, and that seems to be mostly based on the number of girls on these teams that play club volleyball. I know that some clubs will offer scholarships or provide discounts to those with a demonstrated financial need although they don't always advertise that this might be an option so you might have ask.

That said, I think there is a difference between providing volleyball opportunities to those truly in need versus just wishing that club volleyball were less expensive.  Running a club of a decent size is a full time job for one or more people and I don't know if it's reasonable for those people to sacrifice their own income to lower prices, especially when the demand is so high and many clubs have far more girls trying out every November than they can accommodate.[/quote]

Theoretically, there is a Starlings affiliate club in Falls Church, but there is little information on their website (not sure if it is active).[/quote]

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