Indianapolis, Indiana, has become a growing hub for boys volleyball. Participation is rising across college programs, club teams, and competitive levels. However, high school boys volleyball teams in Indiana remain limited. The Academy Volleyball Club has launched a program aimed at increasing high school participation.
Over the past 28 years, more than 100 high schools have been represented in the Indiana Boys Volleyball Coaches Association (IBVCA) season. Yet, only 35% of teams compete in the state tournament annually. Several factors influence participation, with funding being the primary barrier.
“When I played for Carmel High School from 2009-2012, we won two high school state championships. However, in order to represent our school, each athlete had to pay $500 to participate,” says The Academy Volleyball Club Boys Director, Andrew Fuller.
Extracurricular activities often require fees to cover coaches’ pay, uniforms, equipment, and court rental. Funding is the primary challenge when starting a new program. In 2021, the idea of creating a grant program for high schools interested in boys volleyball in Indiana emerged. With the rapid growth of the Academy boys club program, this idea became feasible.
The Academy Boys Grant Program was established to provide financial support for high school boys volleyball programs.
The Academy Boys Grant Program helps coaches launch new boys volleyball programs by reducing costs for families for two consecutive seasons. The program is funded through a dedicated line item in the club’s budget, with a maximum annual payout of $12,000.
Coaches begin by completing an application that outlines the basic details of their program. Executive Director Emily Hawthorne and Boys Director Andrew Fuller review applications to ensure the program demonstrates sufficient stability to justify financial support. The grant is intended to establish the program for long-term viability, not merely sustain it for a single season. Once approved, coaches can allocate the funds to best support their team.
“Thanks to The Academy’s size and relationships we have built over the years, we work with some of our vendors to offer discounted rates for these programs including uniforms or equipment. We also allow these programs to rent out our facility if need be,” explains Fuller.
The total grant amount is $1,750 over two years. With support from the Academy boys club program, seven programs have applied and been approved for the upcoming season.
“It is our hope that boys club programs across the country will pursue the same opportunities in their state to create more opportunities for high school boys to play the game we know and love,” shares Fuller.
A program like this offers many benefits, but the greatest advantage is fostering strong connections and relationships across boys volleyball. Typically, The Academy hosts a satellite camp for each program receiving a grant. This year, due to the number of programs involved, they are instead hosting a team camp.
The team camp brings the new programs together to train, play, and interact. The six-hour session allows teams to work with some of The Academy’s top coaches, learn system training, and compete against other programs.
“We can’t wait to get started with these new programs and continue to help them grow and succeed throughout the years.”
Boys Volleyball Related Articles
The Rise of Boys Volleyball and How Your Club Can Join the Movement
About the Author
Andrew Fuller was named the Boys Program Director for the Academy Volleyball Club of Indianapolis, a JVA member club, in the fall of 2018 where he was part of the initial growth of seven teams to twenty-four. Andrew also founded the Boys High School Program at Guerin Catholic High School just north of Indianapolis where he has led them to four consecutive regional championship matches and their first Regional Championship in the spring of 2021. He was a recipient of the 2021 AVCA 30 Under 30 High School Coaches.
