About

The JVA is an association of Junior Club Directors and Coaches who are dedicated to all facets of junior volleyball and have a desire to offer the best programming possible to their members. JVA is a trade association established to serve those who dedicate themselves to a part or full time commitment to junior volleyball. To that end, JVA provides:

• Information on best practices in club ownership, facility management, and methods to enhance your business acumen and effectiveness.
• A lobbying group to influence USA Volleyball and other organizations that manage, regulate and influence the junior volleyball community.
• A source of information and coaching education specific to junior volleyball/club needs.
• An avenue to access club directors for companies interested in investing in the junior volleyball marketplace.
• An association that will build relationships and community within junior volleyball by linking club directors across regions, philosophy and club size.

JVA is a partner association of the AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association). The advantage of this relationship is that JVA membership includes AVCA membership for all full members and gives full access to AVCA educational services and programs.

• Volleyball products and supplies discounts available through developed partnerships with AVCA Corporate Partners, Preferred Providers and event sponsors.
• The only volleyball technical journal, Coaching Volleyball, and drills bulletin, Volleyball Ace Power Tips, available in the United States.
• Networking opportunities with collegiate coaches and extensive information on college recruiting rules, program rankings, scholarship opportunities for players and job vacancies for coaches.
• A website full of drills, practice ideas, and motivational materials.
• An opportunity for collective lobbying with governing organizations (NCAA, USAV, NFHS) on issues important to the development of the sport.
• Registration discounts for the AVCA Convention.

The JVA Board of Directors is elected from their membership with a one club, one vote format. The JVA Board will determine the overall strategy for the association, manage the financial resources and programming needs specific to juniors and advise the AVCA staff and board of directors on how to best serve the constituency and increase the membership.

The simple answer is so that your club directors will become better business owners by joining the network of those who share their interests, passion for the game, and challenges. Other reasons:

• To increase our numbers so as to be a more powerful voice for junior volleyball
• To be able to run for and vote for the leadership of the association
• To influence the agenda of the JVA
• To share the “best practices” of your region with others and to learn “best practices” from other regions.
• To have an avenue for sharing the concerns of club directors with the Junior Elite Representative on the new USA Volleyball Board of Directors
• To have an avenue to bring Junior Volleyball concerns to the AVCA Board of Directors
• To be part of the AVCA community which encompasses college, high school, grassroots and international level coaches

October 2006
The JVA was formed when a concerned group of club directors met in Chicago to discuss the long term direction of junior volleyball. The directors, junior club athletes, and their families faced a governing body that offered their primary financial supporters a disproportionate voice in decision making, rapidly inflating costs, (especially for top teams to qualify to compete in the Open Division of the USAV Junior National Championships), and a season that offered athletes few off-season days. The group decided to form the JVDA (Junior Volleyball Directors Assoc.) as a lobby group to work for better conditions for juniors in USAV.

Out of that meeting, the Junior Volleyball Directors Association was formed. The mission of the new association was to represent, communicate and lobby for the development, growth and marketing of all levels of youth and junior volleyball.

Objectives:

• To be Accountable to all Constituents
• To Promote Simplification of All Systems
• To Promote Youth and Junior Development
• To Promote Affordability/Representation
• To Protect Participants of the Organization
• To Promote Education for Coaches and Players
• To Promote Inclusiveness & Affordability & Embrace All Levels

It very soon became apparent that there was a need for an independent junior volleyball club association that would be responsive to all clubs, of all affiliations. The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) approached JVDA. The missions of the two organizations are very similar and a partnership was formed. JVDA had no staff, only a volunteer board. AVCA became the managing partner, responsible to administer the operations of the new association. Members were granted a dual membership, adding value to the association.

In the summer of 2009, JVDA leaders met for their first strategic planning session. The new association was growing rapidly. We needed more clarity of our mission and a full time Executive Director. Our new and current mission is to promote the growth of youth and junior volleyball through program and resource development, education and events.

Our Guiding Principals are: best practices, affordability and financial responsibility, player welfare, transparency, and member driven. To reflect our growing membership of all adults involved in junior volleyball clubs, we officially changed our name to “Junior Volleyball Association” and created a new, more youthful logo to reflect the change.

In 2015, to be more efficient and provide better service for our members, we took all our operations in house from AVCA. Both organizations value the dual memberships and we retained that partnership through today.

JVA is a proud partner of AAU, working to grow junior volleyball and enhance your event experience. Together JVA and AAU host a boys event series and JVA offers bids to AAU Nationals at the JVA World Challenge.

The founding clubs of JVA included:
1st Alliance, IL Dunes, MI Michigan Elite, MI SPVB, IL
A5, GA Illini Elite, IL Milw. Sting, WI TCA, CA
Carolina Jrs., NC Juggernaut, CO Munciana, IN
Team Z, OH Celtic Force, IL KIVA, KY NE VB Assoc., NE
TAV, TX Club Fusion, IL Lions, IL Premier, OH
Texas Tornados, TX Colorado Jrs., CO Minnesota Juniors, MN
Renaissance, PA Vision, CA Dayton Jrs., OH M1, MN
Sky High, IL Willowbrook, TX

UNITE By joining together, junior club directors can develop an organized group of small business leaders to lobby for improvement and better representation at the regional and national level. This type of effort will allow all clubs, both large and small, to be working partners with their regional and national leadership. The JVA feels strongly that since the junior community is the overwhelming source of funding for both the regional and national organizations, it should have a fair voice in the governance of those organizations. As partners, the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) recognizes and supports the effort to bring all of the key organizations in the sport together. By forming a unified front the junior community can help lead the way in the development, promotion and marketing of our sport.

DEVELOP The JVA is committed to expanding the grassroots movement for volleyball to bring more players to the sport at the younger levels. While Volleyball might be popular at the High School level it has been far outpaced by sports such as soccer and softball at the Junior High and Grade School level. To reverse this trend we will be working with the AVCA and USA Volleyball to develop a training and competition model that will encourage widespread participation at the youth level (ages 8-12). This is a key area to address if the sport of Volleyball hopes to see significant growth in the years to come.

IMPROVE The JVA is committed to addressing 2 areas that we strongly feel have a negative impact on our sport:

(1) The sky rocketing costs of participation in junior volleyball. While club dues have steadily risen over the past two decades we feel those costs are manageable, but the cost of travel has exploded. It is now common place for travel costs to make up the vast majority of a player’s membership fees during a club season. The JVA feels that a solution can be reached that can begin to curtail the escalating expense of junior volleyball and make the sport more inclusive. If this can be done, then the sport will appeal to a much larger section of the youth market that currently cannot afford to participate.

(2) The current length of the junior season. In the past two decades the junior season has been extended approximately three weeks and now goes into the second week of July. The agreement is almost universal that the season is too long and the length of the season is contributing to several issues that have a negative impact on the sport. Those issues are less participation at the youth level, more injuries at all levels and an overuse factor for those players that must go directly from their club teams to the USA High Performance programs or their collegiate program. Many of the elite level collegiate coaches have been saying for years that many incoming freshman are entering college with overuse and chronic injuries that will plague them for most or all of their collegiate careers.

A member who violates the JVA Club Code of Conduct may have their membership revoked by a 2/3’s vote of the board of directors.  The member will be notified via email within 24 hours; followed up by written notification via USPS mail tracking.  The notice must include the decision, rationale for the decision and a description of the appeal process.

The member has the right to appeal as long as such appeal is made in writing via email and received within fourteen (14) days of the receipt of the original notification of membership revocation. 

The written appeal will be made to the  JVA Board Secretary who will Chair the Appeal Committee. Upon receipt of the appeal, the Board President will appoint two other active JVA members to serve on the committee. The committee will convene in person or via teleconference within seven (7) days to review the Board’s decision.  The committee will afford the suspended member the opportunity to give written or verbal testimony.  The Chair of the Appeal Committee will notify the member of the decision via email within 24 hours of the appeal meeting. The decision of the Appeals Committee is final.

Revised 09.2022

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

Junior Volleyball Association, Inc., is a nonprofit association whose mission is to promote the growth of youth and junior volleyball through program and resource development, education and events. It is our desire that all member clubs agree to the following JVA Guiding Principles and adhere to the Code of Conduct and Ethics as stated below.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Member Driven
Player Welfare
Affordability and Financial Responsibility
Transparency
Best Practices

CONDUCT AND ETHICS

We will conduct our business affairs in the best interest of the association and our sport. We will comply with the laws governing our business without exception. Where there is any doubt, we will follow our fundamental sense of right and wrong.

We compete fairly and honestly. We do not engage in unethical, anti-competitive or illegal business practices. We will deal fairly and transparently with our customers, suppliers, competitors and agents. We will strive to serve as role model for other clubs, JVA and our sport.

We strive to provide equal opportunity in all aspects of employment and will not tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind. Derogatory comments based on racial or ethnic characteristics, unwelcome sexual advances and similar behaviors are prohibited. The diversity of our directors, employees, independent contractors, volunteers and others are tremendous assets to our association and our sport.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

We will insure that all directors, employees, independent contractors, volunteers and others have a current record of
a clear background screen on file with JVA or AAU, have completed the JVA approved Abuse Prevention Systems
Training (APS), and are in accordance with the Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies
(MAAP).

CONCLUSION

The good name and reputation of our association and all our member clubs depend, to a very large extent, upon each club taking personal responsibility for maintaining and adhering to the guidelines set forth in this Code. Your business conduct and your personal conduct must be guided by the guidelines set for in this Code with a focus of always doing the right thing.

Board Approved 09.2017