“Those Who Fail to Learn from History Are Doomed to Repeat It”

As the season approaches its finish line, club directors are encouraged to step back, run a series of checks and balances, and evaluate whether their organization is operating at full capacity. This is the time to identify what is working, what is not, and what changes may need to be made before the next season begins.

Here are five signs your club may be ready for significant change:

1. Your Club Has Grown Significantly Over the Past Year

Rapid growth is a positive sign—but it also creates new operational demands. Increased participation often leads to greater strain on staff, gym space, and administrative systems.

As your club expands, you may need to consider:

  • Additional gym space or facility partnerships
  • Expanded coaching and support staff
  • Increased logistical planning for training and events
  • Adjustments in uniform and equipment forecasting

Growth without structure can quickly lead to inefficiency. Planning ahead ensures your infrastructure keeps pace with your success.

2. You Are Consistently Losing Athletes to Other Clubs

Athlete retention is one of the clearest indicators of club health. If families are consistently choosing other programs, it’s a signal that something needs to be evaluated.

In competitive volleyball markets, athlete movement is expected—but consistent losses require attention to:

  • Program quality and consistency
  • Coaching experience and stability
  • Communication and family engagement
  • Overall member satisfaction

Surveys during and after the season can provide valuable insight into why families are leaving—and what changes would make them stay.

3. There Is Uncertainty Around Your Club’s Mission and Direction

A strong club has a clear identity that is understood by athletes, staff, and families alike.

If there is confusion about your mission, goals, or long-term direction, it may be time to revisit your strategic plan. Clubs cannot be everything to everyone.

To realign:

  • Gather feedback from staff, athletes, and families
  • Revisit your club’s core values and priorities
  • Clarify your long-term vision (3–5 years)
  • Ensure communication is consistent across all levels

Clarity creates alignment—and alignment drives performance.

4. Your Club Is Losing Money

Financial instability is one of the most serious warning signs a club can face. While many club directors operate programs alongside full-time careers, running a club still requires strong financial oversight.

If your club is operating at a loss, it is important to:

  • Identify where financial inefficiencies exist
  • Evaluate pricing, staffing, and facility costs
  • Reassess program profitability
  • Explore sustainable revenue opportunities

A club must be treated like a business if it is expected to thrive long term.

5. You Are Losing Valuable Coaches and Staff

Coaches are the foundation of any successful volleyball club. They are the daily connection to athletes and the primary drivers of player development and experience.

Frequent turnover in coaching staff may indicate underlying issues such as:

  • Compensation or workload imbalance
  • Parent or administrative conflict
  • Lack of support or resources
  • Misalignment in coaching philosophy

While some turnover is unavoidable, retaining strong coaches should remain a top priority. Creating a supportive environment and investing in staff development is essential to long-term stability.

Steps to Evaluate the Current Status of Your Club

To move beyond symptoms and into solutions, club directors should take a structured approach:

  • Define your club’s niche. Are you truly serving it?
  • Clarify your current mission and long-term vision.
  • Assess the landscape of club volleyball in your region.
  • Identify gaps in the market—or opportunities for collaboration.
  • Connect with other club leaders outside your immediate area to exchange ideas.
  • Establish or revisit a 1-, 3-, and 5-year strategic plan.

Steps to Execute a Plan

Planning is important—but execution determines success.

Avoid creating long lists of disconnected tasks. Instead, align action with strategy using a top-down approach:

  • Set Goals: Do they clearly support your long-term direction?
  • Define Objectives: What measurable outcomes support each goal?
  • List Actions: What specific steps are required to achieve each objective?

This structure ensures your daily operations are directly tied to your broader vision.

A plan is important, but the execution of the plan is more important. The nature of planning is not about having a lot of action Items. Often times clubs have long lists of actions. Before having a bunch of actions or a long to-do-list, build the action items based on an approach that is focused on the big picture and 5 year plan. The process is based on a top down view that is executed bottom up.

  • Set Goals. Do the Goals Support where you want to go as a Club?
  • State the Objectives: To accomplish a goal, there needs to be objectives for each one. How does each Objective support one or more Goals?
  • List the Actions: For each objective, key actions will be needed to executed.  How does each Action support the one or more Objective?”

It is recommended that clubs update your business plan on an annual basis.

It is also strongly recommended that clubs revisit and update their business plan annually. Bringing in an outside advisor or neutral third party can provide valuable perspective and help ensure your plan is both realistic and aligned with your club’s long-term goals.

The most successful clubs are not those that avoid change—but those that evaluate honestly, plan intentionally, and execute with clarity.

About the Author

This article was co-written by Briana Schunzel, JVA Director of Education and Partner Development, and the late Phil Bush, a Sales, Marketing and Strategic Planning Consultant with MavRen Marketing in Atlanta, Georgia.

Briana has been with the JVA since August 2011, helping the JVA membership grow from 250 clubs to 1,300 junior volleyball clubs today. Bri enjoys interacting with passionate junior volleyball club directors and coaches on a daily basis, as well as building relationships with partners who share the same vision and goals of the JVA, and are all about giving back to the juniors.

Phil was one of the Founders of A5, a JVA Member Volleyball Club catering to young players from age of 8 to 18. The Club grew rapidly in the Atlanta area to become one of the Premier Youth Sports organizations in Club Volleyball anywhere in United States.