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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][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]

You seem to suggest that volleyball players belong to two categories: those truly in need and everyone else. In reality, there is a continuum in terms of parent income. Very rich parents can afford even the craziest club fees. They don't really care much as long as their kids come back home and report that they had fun. I feel like some clubs decided to serve these parents (that's how I interpret their fees) and don't really care whether the teams do well during tournaments. As long as they can convince the parents that the kids are physically active, make progress, and are having fun, they can continue to milk the parents.

On the other hand, other parents - even if they are not literally starving - may have to give up something (maybe retirement savings) to afford volleyball for their kids. Going to the club owner to say that they can barely afford volleyball might be too embarrassing. Having so many girls trying out in November is a very selfish reason to charge crazy club fees. [/quote]

Obviously there is a spectrum of incomes between needy and ultra-wealthy, but I don't agree that clubs are "selfish" to charge high club fees. I'm not sure why a small business owner who has a high demand for their services should not charge what the market will bear. I understand that we all want what is best for our kids and it can be really frustrating to have some clubs that might otherwise be a good fit be out of reach financially. [b]But how is that different than not being able to send your child to a pricey private school like GDS or Sidwell because it's too expensive?[/b] Just like public school or Catholic school might be the next best option, there is hopefully a volleyball club out there that would meet most of your needs at a price point that you could make work.

The current reality for volleyball is that it tends to be a sport where playing at a high level is expensive. With MVSA being the obvious outlier, almost all of the top clubs in the region are going to charge something more than $4000 (usually much more) for the season. These clubs tend to travel more and further, tend to have more practice time, and have better qualified coaches. They also tend to have better support and more experience with college recruiting. If your DD isn't interested in or not likely to be good enough to play in college, then you probably shouldn't consider these clubs. I'm not sure which clubs specifically you are referring to that charge crazy fees but don't get good results or don't have other positive outcomes, but I would probably avoid clubs like that. [/quote]

You've heard about public education, haven't you?[/quote]

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