Athlete Safety Is a Shared Responsibility: JVA Will Do Our Part. Clubs Must Do Yours.

Our athletes deserve to play volleyball in an environment where they feel safe, respected, supported and protected. That responsibility does not belong to one organization, one Club Director, one Coach or one governing body. Athlete safety is a shared responsibility, and it requires all of us to be vigilant.

JVA has made athlete safety a top priority and has built a comprehensive Athlete Safety Program designed to give clubs the tools, policies and resources they need to help protect young athletes. But we also recognize something important:

JVA cannot be in every gym. We cannot hear every conversation. We cannot see every interaction. We cannot know every Coach the way a club knows its Coaches.

That is where our clubs come in.

We will do everything we can as an association to educate, screen, establish policies, monitor compliance and respond when concerns are brought to us. But clubs have to do everything they can, too. Sometimes, the most important thing a Club Director can do is simply be present.

What JVA Is Doing to Protect Athletes

The JVA Athlete Safety Program is built around three primary components: background screening, Trusted Coach education, and Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies and Procedures (MAAPP).

Background Screening

JVA requires adults involved with JVA Member Clubs, including Club Directors, Club Administrators, Coaches, chaperones, trainers, team representatives and other adults participating with junior athletes, to complete an NCSI background screen. Adults listed on rosters at JVA-insured events must also meet these requirements.

Our screening process includes criminal database searches, county and federal court searches, sex offender registry searches, national watch lists and other screening criteria. JVA also recognizes disciplinary decisions from organizations such as USA Volleyball, AAU and the U.S. Center for SafeSport and retains the ability to independently take action when conduct is inconsistent with our standards.

If a Coach has a pending or disqualifying issue, that individual is not permitted to participate until the matter is resolved through the appropriate process.

Trusted Coach Training

Background checks alone are not enough.

Every adult listed on a JVA roster or participating in a JVA event is required to complete the JVA-approved Trusted Coach training. The training addresses the power Coaches have, appropriate boundaries and communication, team culture, red flags, reporting and real-world scenarios.

We want Coaches to understand not only what they cannot do, but also what healthy, appropriate and athlete-centered coaching should look like.

Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies

JVA Member Clubs are required to implement the Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies and Procedures. These policies establish expectations around one-on-one interactions, locker rooms and changing areas, electronic communication, athletic training and massage, transportation, hotel rooms and team travel.

These policies exist for a reason: boundaries protect athletes, Coaches and clubs.

Reporting and Accountability

JVA also provides a reporting protocol for concerns involving a minor and an adult associated with a club. Clubs are expected to take concerns seriously, report incidents to the appropriate authorities and notify JVA. We will investigate concerns within our authority, take appropriate action and, when necessary, remove individuals from participation.

We are not interested in protecting a Coach’s reputation at the expense of an athlete’s safety. The athlete comes first. Always.

But JVA Can’t Do This Alone

This is the part we want every Club Director, owner, Club Administrator and leader to really think about. A background screen is important. Training is important. Policies are important.

But safety is also about culture. It is about what happens in your gym every Tuesday night when nobody from JVA is there. It is about what a Coach says to a 15-year-old athlete after a bad practice. It is about whether a Coach is creating healthy boundaries. Does an athlete feel comfortable speaking up? As club leadership, do you know what is happening inside your own program?

This means club leaders need to be present.

Be in the Gym

Go watch practice. Don’t just walk through the gym for five minutes and leave. Sit down, watch and listen. Listen to how Coaches talk to athletes. How do the athletes respond to their Coaches?

Pay attention to the tone, language, relationships and culture. You don’t have to be looking for something wrong. You should simply be paying attention.

Know Your Coaches

When you hire a new Coach, ask questions.

Where did they coach previously?
Who can provide references?
What was their relationship like with athletes and parents?
Why did they leave their previous organization?
Have they completed the required background screening and safety training?

And don’t stop asking questions just because the background screen came back cleared.

A background check can tell you about someone’s history. It cannot tell you everything about who someone is today or how they will behave in your gym. That is why hiring, supervision and ongoing observation matter.

Pop In on Team Functions

If your teams have dinners, team-building activities, social events, practices, travel or other team functions, show up. Your Coaches should expect that club leadership might walk through the door, and your athletes should know that club leadership is accessible. Your parents should know that you are paying attention.

This isn’t about creating an atmosphere where Coaches feel like they’re being watched every second. It’s about creating an atmosphere where everyone understands that athlete safety matters enough to be visible.

Stop by the Court

One of the simplest things a Club Director can do is walk through the gym during practice.

Stop at a court.
Watch for a few minutes.
Ask the Coach how things are going.
Talk to the athletes.
Do it regularly.

When club leadership is present, Coaches know it. Athletes know it. Parents know it. And that presence can make a tremendous difference.

Ask Questions

If something doesn’t feel right, ask about it.

Maybe a Coach is spending an unusual amount of one-on-one time with an athlete.
Maybe communication with an athlete seems inappropriate.
Maybe a Coach is giving special treatment to one player.
Maybe a parent raises a concern that doesn’t initially seem significant.
Maybe an athlete’s behavior changes.
Maybe you hear something in the gym that makes you uncomfortable.

Ask questions. Gather information. Talk to the appropriate people. Document concerns. And if something seems off, say something.

Vigilance Is Not an Accusation

This is important. Being present does not mean assuming every Coach is doing something wrong. It means understanding that good people can miss things. Organizations can miss things. Parents can miss things. Coaches can miss things.

The goal is not to create paranoia but to create awareness.

We want clubs to have cultures where Coaches understand that appropriate boundaries are expected, athletes know they can speak up, parents know their concerns will be heard, and club leadership is actively engaged in the environment it has created.

Sometimes the difference between a concern becoming a serious problem and being addressed early is simply that someone was paying attention.

If Something Doesn’t Feel Right, Say Something

Some of the most dangerous responses in youth sports are:

“I didn’t want to get involved.”
“I’m sure it was nothing.”
“That’s just how that Coach is.”
“We’ve known them for years.”

Those are exactly the moments when we need to slow down and pay attention. You do not need to have all the answers before raising a concern or conduct your own investigation. You need to recognize a concern and make sure it gets to the people who are equipped to address it.

JVA’s safety policy provides reporting procedures for incidents involving minors and adults associated with a club, including notifying JVA, contacting local child protection authorities and law enforcement, and reporting to SafeSport when applicable.

When in doubt, don’t stay silent.

What We Expect From JVA Clubs

We ask every JVA Member Club to make athlete safety an active part of its club culture, not simply a box to check during registration.

That means:

Screen your adults.
Make sure required safety training is completed.
Implement the MAAPP policies.
Know who is coaching your athletes.
Be present in the gym.
Listen to how Coaches communicate with athletes.
Visit practices and team functions.
Talk to your athletes.
Talk to your parents.
Ask questions when something seems unusual.
Take concerns seriously.
Document and report concerns appropriately.
Don’t ignore red flags because someone is a good Coach, a winning Coach or someone you’ve known for years.
Create an environment where athletes know they can speak up.

And perhaps most importantly: Don’t assume someone else is watching.

You are the club. You know your people, your gym, your Coaches and, most importantly, your athletes.

You have the opportunity to see things that no national organization can see.

We Are In This Together

JVA will continue to invest in athlete safety.

We will continue to provide background screening.
We will continue to require education and training.
We will continue to provide policies and resources.
We will continue to monitor compliance.
We will continue to recognize disciplinary actions from other governing organizations.
We will continue to take action when conduct violates our standards.
We will continue to educate our members about best practices.
We will continue to listen when concerns are brought to us.

But we need our clubs standing beside us. Because ultimately, athlete safety isn’t a program. It’s a culture.

It is built every day, in every practice, every tournament, every team meeting, every conversation, every car ride, every hotel stay and every interaction between an adult and a young athlete.

JVA will do everything we can to help protect the athletes entrusted to our sport.

We need our clubs to do everything they can, too.