Velocity Volleyball Club (VBC) is a non-profit organization entering its tenth year as a regional club program.
Velocity VBC allows high school aged boys and girls ages 11 (6th grade) through 15 (freshmen in high-school) to practice volleyball and play in competitive tournaments sanctioned by USA Volleyball. Our focus is developing players with strong fundamental and individual skills in preparation for a competitive high-school experience.
Your child can attend the appropriate tryout for their age and compete for a roster spot against other players that show up to the tryout.
Girls practices are held twice a week unless it is the week of a tournament or the Windy City Power League. Tournaments and the Power League begin in December and continue through early April.
Boys ProgramThe season begins with practice in mid September and ending in mid February. Practices are held twice a week unless it is the week of a tournament.
To be determined prior to girls tryouts.
Boys ProgramFor 2023-234 season, the fees are $1,950 for a new player on 18U or 16U. 15-year-old on 16U team will get a $250 discount. 14U fees are $900. Fees include our full uniform package and all memberships. Our fees are much lower than other clubs simply because we have a lower facility rental and do not have a high salary club director.
Locations can vary but are usually in nearby neighborhoods such as Niles, Palatine, Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates, Libertyville, and downtown Chicago, but can be far away as Aurora, Crystal Lake, Palos Heights, Waukegan, Naperville, and Orland Park. Please reference the Schedules page to see a list of some of the tournament venues.
Tournaments start early in the morning so expect to be on the road as early as 5:30 AM or 6:00 AM to reach the far away venues.
Parents are expected to get their player to every tournament. Some parents may elect to organize carpools. The parents are expected to pay for all travel expenses such as gas, toll charges, and parking (if applicable at the respective venue). Velocity VBC is not liable for players during travel to and from tournaments.
Tournaments and league play usually start early in the morning and can end anytime from 2:00 PM to later in the evening depending on the amount of teams in the tournament, if the team plays well enough to make the playoffs, etc... Because you don't know how long a tournament day can be, you should send your son or daughter with plenty of water and food. A large water jug is recommended. Pack extra food and drink. Players can always bring the uneaten food home. Players also need to bring their complete uniform: extra shirts, spandex, socks, shoes, ankle braces, and kneepads. There can be downtime during a day so bringing homework and reading material is a good idea. Please note that most tournaments do not allow parents and players to bring outside food into the venue. In these cases, lunch must be eaten outside in the car.
Leagues normally consist of 3 matches per league date. Matches will normally start at 8:00 AM and completed by 2:00 PM. Some leagues are split up into an AM wave, starting at 8:00 AM, or a PM wave, starting at 3:00 PM, due to large number of teams participating in the league.
GirlsPlay in the Windy City Power League which has three seeding dates used to rank each team and place them in a division of teams of similar competition levels.
BoysWe'll play in Palos Series, which will re-seed all of the teams after each round/day, striving to ensure teams play against similar competition. Our boys teams will then compete in the Chicago Qualifier at McCormick Place, followed by 3-4 additional single day local tournaments. All tournaments combined, our athletes will play in 40-45 matches in one season.
Overview of Nationals
USA Volleyball offers the ultimate competition in the form of an annual Nationals tournament usually held in late June or early July. This is where the top junior teams from each of USA Volleyball's 40 Regional Volleyball Associations or Regions compete for the honor to be called the best team in their respective age group. Each age group is comprised of three divisions, from highest to lowest: Open, National, and American. Placement into a division is determined by a team's performance at its Regional Qualifier or one of the National Qualifiers. We put this short document together to give our Club Players and their Parents the information they need to understand Nationals and what it takes for a Club Team to get there. Note: USA Volleyball's 2010 Girls Junior Nationals will be held in Reno, NV from June 24 through July 3.
Regional Qualifiers
For a Club to partake in any tournament sanctioned by USA Volleyball, the Club has to be a member of its local Region. Velocity VBC belongs to the Great Lakes (GL) Region of USA Volleyball. Each Region invites teams to its Regional Qualifier tournament. The invitation usually comes around the end of February and is given to teams based on their overall tournament play. A team may only play in its local Region's Qualifier, hence the Regional Qualifier classification, and may only participate if invited. Once the invite is accepted, the team must play in the tournament and if the team takes one of the Top 2-3 spots in its age division, then it must attend the Nationals tournament (otherwise sanctions and penalties are imposed on the Club).
National Qualifiers
USA Volleyball hosts about 10 various National Qualifier tournaments located in different cities across the US. National Qualifiers are open to any team. Formal invites by a Region or USA Volleyball are not needed. Any USA Volleyball registered club team can enter a National Qualifier. Only the Top 2 teams from each age division win bids to the Nationals tournament. Traditionally, many college recruiters attend National Qualifiers for scouting purposes. It's our understanding that recruiters look at players as young as 15U or 16U and keep a watchful eye on them over the next few seasons. That said, many Clubs attend at least 1 National Qualifier each season to get their older 17U and 18U players exposure to college recruiters.
Conclusion
In order for a Velocity VBC team to go to Nationals, at least 1 of 2 paths must be taken: Do well in tournaments from December through February in order to get an invite to the Regional Qualifier and then place in the Top 2-3 teams of that age division to win a bid to Nationals. Attend a National Qualifier and then place in the Top 2 teams of that age division to win a bid to Nationals. Many Clubs attempt to do both because an invite to a Regional Qualifier is not guaranteed nor is placing in the Top 2-3 teams of a Regional Qualifier and attendance at a National Qualifier is open to any club team of any USA Volleyball region. Please contact your respective coach or the Director of the Club for more information.