Division 4 my apologies you were correct

Thank you to both of the PPs for the thorough responses. My daughter is in the older age group in Division 2 so as you stated all of this may end up out of her league but I appreciate your help!!!

Anonymous wrote:I promise I am not trying to start any big drama but I have a genuine question from a new to volleyball parent. My daughter is playing rec for MVSA and plans to tryout for the three clubs below.

Is the order of competitiveness as I have it listed? For Metro do we specify which team we are trying out for? Do the other two clubs have an A team and a B team? If she does not make a team at any of these clubs what is my next option if we want to stay near Montgomery County?

Metro Travel
MVSA
Metro Regional
MoCo Volleyball

Thanks!

No drama, it’s not a bad question. It’s also not a “all teams at one club are better than all teams at another answer.” We’ve had two daughters who between them played for every club listed except Metro Travel.

At the 1s level (top team), the order is generally Metro Travel, then MVSA then MOCO then Metro Regional. Metro North, which practices way to the north in MD and MVSA and MOCO 1s are usually pretty close to each other. All 4 clubs had teams in the top 10 in the region (based on national ranks—ignore local ranks they are meaningless at this level) at a lot of age groups. All 4 clubs had teams across most age groups that qualified to a least compete for the regional USAV bids. None of the other Metro Regional teams are consistently at the same competitive level.

Most MVSA and MOCO 1s teams will beat the others 2s teams. And while they may occasionally lose to a metro regional, it’s not a regular occurrence and more of a “sometimes young players just have an off game” issue.

At the 2s and 3s level, things get much more complex. Metro travel doesn’t have those team levels at all. MVSA and MOCO are generally pretty close, with maybe a slight edge to MVSA in terms of win-loss record, but MOCO 2s and 3s tend to play in more multi-day and travel tournaments while MVSA tends to play more regional 1 day tournaments, which makes comparison harder.

The other Metro regionals are more comparable to this 2s and 3s level.

We are biased based on experience, but the level of player development at MVSA and MOCO especially for the younger ages was way better than what we experienced with Metro regional. They have much better rec and clinic systems for newer players, and they both have missions that focus on player development that they generally deliver on.

If you can’t make one of those, the suggestion of Platform or MEVC is also a good one, and we’d probably look at those next.

Anonymous wrote:I promise I am not trying to start any big drama but I have a genuine question from a new to volleyball parent. My daughter is playing rec for MVSA and plans to tryout for the three clubs below.

Is the order of competitiveness as I have it listed? For Metro do we specify which team we are trying out for? Do the other two clubs have an A team and a B team? If she does not make a team at any of these clubs what is my next option if we want to stay near Montgomery County?

Metro Travel
MVSA
Metro Regional
MoCo Volleyball

Thanks!

What age group is your daughter? If she is in the younger age group, tall and athletic / talented, you have a chance in some of those clubs. If you are in the older age group, it is likely that your daughter plays in Division 4. Scrape the plan to try out for Metro Travel and MVSA - your chances of making a team are slim to nothing unless she is in the top 5 players in that division. She might make Metro Regional or a bottom MOCO team, but nobody can guarantee. Take her to some of the Division 6 games just to see games between players with more experience (it will be eye-opening). Be more realistic and look at second tier clubs (like Platform and MEVC) to have some club options in case things don't work out.

I promise I am not trying to start any big drama but I have a genuine question from a new to volleyball parent. My daughter is playing rec for MVSA and plans to tryout for the three clubs below.

Is the order of competitiveness as I have it listed? For Metro do we specify which team we are trying out for? Do the other two clubs have an A team and a B team? If she does not make a team at any of these clubs what is my next option if we want to stay near Montgomery County?

Metro Travel
MVSA
Metro Regional
MoCo Volleyball

Thanks!

MOCO posted their tryout schedule (10/25, 26, 27 for 11-14, and 11/1, 2, 3 for 15-18) and opened the registration. One day (Friday) at my DD age group is already full. Club fees for this year are not posted yet.
https://www.mocovc.org/tryouts

Anonymous wrote:
There are many non-profit clubs that make at lot more profit than for-profit ones. Most people forget that a non-profit can pay their staff whatever they want, they aren't obligated in any way to keep costs low, and they aren't really monitored for adherence to their stated mission.
You forgot to support your claim with some examples. Hospitals are not volleyball clubs.

Off the top of my head, some non-profits are: Vienna Elite, DMV Elite, MD Juniors, CVA, MVSA, Frederick, MVP, Liberty Elite, East Coast Elite, NVVA, Virginia Elite.

You can find revenue, expenses, assets and retained earnings for any non-profit club with a simple web search at https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/. In CHRVA alone there are at least 30+ clubs that are non-profit.

There is no correlation between non-profit status and prices charged for club volleyball in that list. Some are low and some are high. Some of the clubs have revenue less expenses exceeding 20% (which would be "profit" in a for-profit org), which is a lot higher than some for-profit clubs. Some have assets exceeding $1M. 3 or 4 of the above have revenues in the range of ~$1M-$2.5M. Some clubs pay their director more than $100K annually. Others retain little earnings but have expenses that are 2X other clubs. Like the PP said - there is no obligation for a non-profit to keep costs low.

None of the above is a judgement on whether a club is good, or if they are overcharging, or if they really are mission focused. Its so easy to do your own research here, and comparing a few clubs will give you a very clear understanding of where the money your money goes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cva(columbia volleyball club) also published their tryout schedule https://www.columbiavolleyballclub.org/.
With so many drama happened last year, not sure how many players will stay.

What happened last year?

Bump. Also want to know what happened with CVA last year.

Friend in that area heard that cva fired the whole 14u coaching team in the middle of season. Not sure about the exact reason but someone mentioned due to parents complaining. The club management did not submit information needed and all their age groups 12-17u missed chrva bid regionals etc. Other drama?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Loudoun Elite just posted a less expensive alternative for the U12-1U14 age group called U12-14 Elevate. It's only 1 tournament a month for $2500. Practices are only 1 hour twice a week. It's probably a bridge between rec. league and full club travel.

This is close to the price point where a bunch of Maryland clubs (MOCO, Platform, MEVC) were offering 2x2h practices per week and almost 2 tournaments per month during the 2024 season. There is a lot of greed going on in Virginia. As a parent, I would be furious if I could see half prices right across Potomac. If Virginia parents don't start asking how the clubs justify these prices, it's almost like they enjoy being ripped off.

MD parents are fortunately to have this club pricing. It's a financial struggle with two kids playing club volleyball on this side of the Potomac.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cva(columbia volleyball club) also published their tryout schedule https://www.columbiavolleyballclub.org/.
With so many drama happened last year, not sure how many players will stay.

What happened last year?

Bump. Also want to know what happened with CVA last year.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Loudoun Elite just posted a less expensive alternative for the U12-1U14 age group called U12-14 Elevate. It's only 1 tournament a month for $2500. Practices are only 1 hour twice a week. It's probably a bridge between rec. league and full club travel.

This is close to the price point where a bunch of Maryland clubs (MOCO, Platform, MEVC) were offering 2x2h practices per week and almost 2 tournaments per month during the 2024 season. There is a lot of greed going on in Virginia. As a parent, I would be furious if I could see half prices right across Potomac. If Virginia parents don't start asking how the clubs justify these prices, it's almost like they enjoy being ripped off.

Agreed. Just checked their websites and all three clubs costs also include multiple multi-day tournaments as well, for less cost than what is being proposed. Plus some of them (MOCO and maybe MEVC) also include strength and conditioning in that cost. Living on the VA side is like another world right now. Definitely considering driving to the MD side for tryouts and clinics and club at this point.

Anonymous wrote:Loudoun Elite just posted a less expensive alternative for the U12-1U14 age group called U12-14 Elevate. It's only 1 tournament a month for $2500. Practices are only 1 hour twice a week. It's probably a bridge between rec. league and full club travel.

This is close to the price point where a bunch of Maryland clubs (MOCO, Platform, MEVC) were offering 2x2h practices per week and almost 2 tournaments per month during the 2024 season. There is a lot of greed going on in Virginia. As a parent, I would be furious if I could see half prices right across Potomac. If Virginia parents don't start asking how the clubs justify these prices, it's almost like they enjoy being ripped off.

Loudoun Elite just posted a less expensive alternative for the U12-1U14 age group called U12-14 Elevate. It's only 1 tournament a month for $2500. Practices are only 1 hour twice a week. It's probably a bridge between rec. league and full club travel.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Here is a business opportunity. It would be great to have an umbrella club that offers USAV membership and insurance options, then parents would contribute to a "franchise" and pay reasonable dues to the club. Some parents know enough volleyball to coach level 10-11 level, maybe even 12-13. When a team reaches a point where the parents cannot coach anymore, they could hire a coach. I feel like for-profit clubs cannot be trusted with their fees.

There are many non-profit clubs that make at lot more profit than for-profit ones. Most people forget that a non-profit can pay their staff whatever they want, they aren't obligated in any way to keep costs low, and they aren't really monitored for adherence to their stated mission. Non-profit is a tax status not a verification of a trustworthy organization.

For comparison, most hospitals in the US are not for profit, especially the most expensive ones. So are charities, including those that keep a large % of donations. In both cases there are lots of examples of non-profit organizations taking money, committing fraud, etc. Using tax status to determine if a club can be trusted with your money is probably not a good evaluation criteria.

Your business idea is a good one, give it a try. You could also approach some clubs that are at the lower cost level and see if they want to partner with you. This also solves your coaching problem because you would have good coaches that can teach your parents how to coach well. There are never enough coaches or parent volunteers to accommodate demand so any idea that expands access will likely be strongly supported by clubs that have a clear mission to get more players on the court at a reasonable price point.

You forgot to support your claim with some examples. Hospitals are not volleyball clubs.

Anonymous wrote:In howard county, sva volleyball was started by a family for their daughter and now 3+ teams. Seems all their family members also coaching.

I didn't even know this club existed. Let's advertise their tryouts: https://starsvba.org/2024-2025-tryouts/
They also posted their fees for the incoming season: $2600 (13, 14), $2900 (15-18), and $2400 (Boys 14, 15). The fees don't seem to include the uniforms ($250).