When JVA began in 2006 with a volunteer board and one event, we had no staff.  We met in 2009 for a strategic planning session and wrote our mission.  Our main goal was to provide resources to clubs and help grow the sport.  “Never could I have imagined how much we could and would accomplish.  I am so very proud of our initiatives to “give back”.  I am thankful to our member clubs for their support and belief in our mission.  Working together, we can accomplish so much.”  ~ Jenny Hahn, JVA Executive Director

Before we turn the chapter on 2023, let’s reflect on what a positive, impactful year it has been. 

Officials Reward Program

In October 2022, the JVA launched the JVA Officials Reward Program (ORP) designed to recruit, retain and reward Officials that support JVA Volleyball Events. Through this program, Officials are recognized for reaching a certain level of achievement during the junior volleyball season, and rewarded for recruiting new Officials to the sport. In the first year, 856 Officials enrolled in the Official Reward Program, $3,400 in merchandise was awarded, along with $2,000 given to Officials as cash prizes. 

Last year Mark Eckart was extensively involved with the JVA, officiating in a number of tournaments, earning pointsin the JVA Officials Reward Program. After officiating eight qualifying JVA events, Mark was one of only two Officials to reach the Tier 3 Level in the Program, with 800 points, earning him a $300 bonus plus JVA swag.

“The JVA has many great people working for them and it made the tournaments run smoothly and enjoyable to be part of! The JVA association and the rewards program are both a benefit and incentive to work their tournaments. The tournaments are well organized and somewhat merit based, if you do a good job you get higher level games,” adds Eckart.

Sponsor Program

After taking a pause in mid 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the JVA Sponsor Program returned for the 2022-2023 season, giving nearly $200,000 back to JVA member clubs. The JVA Sponsor Program is designed to reward its members for promoting the JVA brand, supporting the JVA mission, and growing JVA at the regional and national level. This Program is one of the many ways the JVA creates collaboration, celebration, cohesion and camaraderie among junior volleyball leadership and athletes across the country.

“The fact that we are able to come out stronger after the pandemic and bring back the JVA Sponsor Program is a testament to the support of ALL JVA clubs over the years,” said JVA Director of Member Development, Lisa Wielebnicki. “We’re thankful to be in a position to give back in order for clubs to create new programs, scholarship athletes, and support their businesses. We hope the JVA Sponsor Clubs all know how much we love having you as an important part of the JVA community.”

Grant Program

This year, the JVA introduced the JVA Grant Program to promote the growth and accessibility of youth and junior volleyball by financially supporting JVA members in their efforts to provide new programs and services in their community. Through an application process in June, the JVA identified 6 clubs that created a program or service that meets JVA’s mission and can be used as a model for other clubs to replicate all over the country. 

“Our motto is ‘improving the junior volleyball experience”. It was our hope coming out of our strategic planning session during the Fall of 2019 to tap into our club community (a very smart, creative, and innovative group) to find ways to grow our sport in new and non-traditional ways. We were delayed by the loss of two seasons. I am so happy that we are in a position to provide funds from the JVA Grant Program to help clubs take a risk, innovate and show us all how we can do more, do better, and answer our motto,” states JVA Executive Director, Jenny Hahn.

In the first year, $44,300 was gifted to six JVA member clubs through the JVA Grant Program. Legacy Volleyball Club (Bronx, NY) received funding to support its Metro Program, which formed in 2021 to focus solely on target communities. While Legacy as a whole mainly serves BIPOC youth, the Legacy club leadership wanted to be deliberate with their locations for those that struggle to travel to Throggs Neck. Being in The Bronx Community Boards one and six, the Metro program operates in some of the poorest neighborhoods in New York City. With that in mind, Legacy must keep participation costs extremely low for the athletes.

“This program has the ability to make a historically elitist sport accessible to some of the poorest neighborhoods, with the most eager athletes. Our youth need spaces to develop the life skills team sports can teach and the ability to be children and youth in a place that too often requires growing up much too quickly,” shared Metro founder and advocate Joel Sanchez.

Starlings USA

Through JVA’s commitment to promoting the growth and accessibility of volleyball in underserved communities, the JVA partners with Starlings USA, providing all Starlings Volleyball Directors and Coaches with a free JVA membership to include business education and resources, as well as guidance to effectively run their volleyball program and serve their junior athletes. 

Starlings’ vision is to provide girls with equal access to quality volleyball programs, regardless of financial hardship or skill level through exposure to training and participation in the sport of volleyball, while using the platform of the sport to empower within each player, academic excellence, healthy lifestyle choices and excellent character.

Currently, there are over 70 Starlings Club Directors in the JVA community from all over the country, and the JVA hopes this number will double in 2024.

First Point Volleyball Foundation

In March of 2023, The JVA Board of Directors approved a grant of $150,000 to be paid $50,000 per year to First Point for various grow-the-game initiatives. Previously, JVA had supported First Point Volleyball with a multi-year $125,000 grant – bringing JVA’s total undesignated support to First Point to $275,000. 

First Point Volleyball Foundation and the JVA announced a renewed commitment to jointly provide more opportunities for boys to play volleyball. The same year, the JVA partnered with AAU to launch the JVA AAU Boys Volleyball series in 2022-2023, including four new boys events. The recent 2023 Chitown Boys Challenge just broke a world record as the largest non-nationals boys tournament with 738 teams.

Through JVA’s philanthropy, First Point Volleyball was instrumental in the addition of several Division I-II men’s volleyball programs, including University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, the first D1 HBCU to add the sport. 

Since 2016, 11 states’ high school federations have voted to sanction high school boys’ volleyball! The efforts of First Point have directly led to more youth and high school opportunities as once a state sanctions, the growth curve becomes dramatic. In Indiana for example there were 40-45 high schools with boys’ teams for many many years (decade+) competing in club status. Once IHSAA voted to make the sport an official emerging sport and set a two-year glide path towards sanctioning, then Indiana went from 43 high schools to over 100 high schools with boys’ teams in just one year!

“We started First Point to support NCAA DI programs launching men’s volleyball and to provide more opportunities for young people to mature and develop through the sport. I want to thank all the volleyball donors who have made this grant possible.  I cannot emphasize enough the importance of philanthropy to the future of college sports, especially Olympic sports.”  ~ Co-Founder & volunteer chairman of First Point Volleyball Foundation, Head Coach of UCLA Men’s Volleyball and Head Coach of the US Men’s National team, John Speraw.

First Point has continued to prove that with intentional advocacy and philanthropy directed to high school and collegiate opportunities, the pace of growth of youth volleyball accelerates.

The Side-Out Foundation

The JVA is a proud supporter of the Side-Out Foundation and the Dig Pink® Program. Every year the JVA commits to raising funds for the Side-Out Foundation in order to support research specifically for patients with metastatic breast cancer, the most advanced form of the disease, and the least funded area of research. The JVA’s efforts at the 2023 JVA World Challenge in April raised a record breaking $20,000 donated directly to the Side-Out Foundation’s Dig Pink Campaign to help save lives.

“We are incredibly proud and appreciative of our partnership with JVA”, said Ellen Dempsey, Executive Director of the Side-Out Foundation.  “We are excited to be a part of this collaboration where the focus is not just on the result of play, but on the amazing results that the JVA World Challenge participants can accomplish when we all work together toward a common goal. JVA is a special organization serving the volleyball community not just by providing volleyball training and competition, but by providing an experience that is meaningful in the lives of coaches, players, and the community. JVA, like the SOF, serves people first.”

Mentor Program

In September 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the JVA Mentor Program was created as club directors worldwide sought ways to save their businesses. With the help of many members, the JVA was busy sharing education and resources related to COVID-19 and pandemic-era business operations. To meet our community’s rapidly evolving needs, we launched the Mentor Program. In its third year, the JVA Mentor Program facilitated 13 mentorships, connecting JVA club directors seeking guidance in any area of running a club with other experienced directors who can listen, guide, and give advice.

After forming his club in August 2023, Lexington High Risers Club Director DeMarcus Lewis recognized that with his background and being a new club among some more established clubs in his area, he needed some guidance in order to grow his club and be competitive in his area. Through the JVA Mentor Program, he was matched with JVA Mentor Bernie Headley, Director of 360 Sports Academy, and Chair of the JVA Social Justice Task Force.

A few months into the Mentorship, the two have been using weekly phone calls to discuss the hurdles of starting a new club in an area with larger, more established clubs. In this first year, Lexington High Risers has three girls teams at 14U, 15-16U and 16U. Bernie has been able to offer solutions for Lexington High Risers to differentiate itself from the other clubs and focus on their mission as a small club rather than trying to do everything or be like the larger clubs.

“Because we both have similar purposes when sharing with our communities the excitement the sport of volleyball brings, it helped me avoid mistakes early on. Bernie also helped me to stay focused despite the obstacles that occur as a minority in an unfamiliar territory,” added DeMarcus. “I’m definitely grateful for this program and would recommend it to anyone.”

Member Services

As a member-driven organization including nearly 1,500 junior volleyball clubs of all sizes, the JVA is always seeking feedback from its members and looking for new ways to make the short term and long term operations easier for its club directors and administrators. This includes our high level of customer service and a “make it right for our members” approach.

“The JVA is an all-encompassing organization that serves its member clubs on multiple levels. I’m still peeling the onion, as I learn more about the JVA. I’ve been incredibly impressed with the rapid responses to questions, the rapid speed at which we can obtain COI’s (thanks, Lisa!), the many grants and ways clubs may receive financial help, the steady stream of helpful articles and videos, the recognition of top scholar-athletes….there is so much. I’m coming to rely upon your organization more and more–you make life easier for me!”
~Madeleine Dowd, SynergyForce (CA)

Not only do members receive a dual membership with the AVCA, they also receive a free Premium membership with the Art of Coaching Volleyball, so there is an unlimited amount of education and resources to support Club Leaders and their coaching staff.

“I love the coaching resources available with a membership. We’re a very small, local club, and we have a lot of new, inexperienced coaches each year. Being able to give them a JVA membership with Art of Coaching resources saves me so much time in training and helps them feel invested by finding their own resources too.”
~ Jodi Melius, Brookings Youth Volleyball Club (SD)

We have our sights set on new initiatives to bring to the junior volleyball community and the JVA membership as a whole. Our organization was formed by leaders in our space, open and willing to give back and drive the agenda and future of JVA. We still keep the voice of our members front and center, and we are fortunate to have leaders ready and willing to help us achieve our goals to give back and improve the junior volleyball experience for all clubs. What are your needs? How can JVA help your club and your members? We want to know. Email members@jvavolleyball.org today.