This spring and summer many volleyball clubs across the country were forced to shut down and end their seasons abruptly. Directors were faced with so much uncertainty about what the next club season could look like, and although there are still uncertainties, one upside of the Coronavirus pandemic has been collaboration. Directors quickly realized that isolation was unhelpful, and that they could benefit from discussing, sharing information, and brainstorming, even with their closest competitors.
The West Coast Volleyball Association was created by six founding clubs from Northern California and Northern Nevada: NorCal Volleyball Club, Northern Nevada Juniors, SynergyForce, Xceleration, OMNI Volleyball and City Beach. The league includes some of the most competitive clubs in this region.
“COVID has forced us, like all organizations, to be very diligent in our planning and make sure that we have backup plans in place” shares Northern Nevada Juniors Executive Director Alix Cirac-Sterrett. “A great byproduct of COVID has been collaboration amongst competing clubs, better communication, strategic planning, and thorough leg work in making sure that we can offer the best league possible in this new normal.”
The WCVBA league will run over three weekends, between January and May, for six total play days. All competition will be held in the Roseville/Sacramento area. There is an open division for teams aged 15-18, a championship division for teams aged 13-16, and a championship division for teams 12 and under. All divisions are skill specific rather than age specific (i.e 15’s teams can compete against 18’s teams).
Fortunately the league has had such a great response to its invitations that it is already full for 2021 with 172 teams.
“WCVBA was formed to fulfill a shared vision for a competitive league that is run by clubs for clubs” adds Cirac-Sterrett. “We seek to operate with transparency, organization, and in service of our club members. Our goal is to provide the best experience possible for clubs, players, and families.”
The WCVBA is bringing many positive changes for the athletes and families. The fixed, central location will be an improvement over the past several years when for many clubs it was common to drive over four hours on a Sunday for a single day tournament. The central location is now a 1.5-2 hour drive, which reduces travel costs and time for families.
Another benefit is the flexibility of scheduling and ability to customize. Clubs can participate in just the WCVBA league if they’d like, and they can also participate in other leagues and national events in addition to the WCVBA to get more competition and travel. The WCVBA offers an option for an accessible league that’s still competitive, where clubs can also find great service and organization too. It’s a win win for all involved.
“We are thrilled to offer the people in the club volleyball community a league that puts them first. We’re excited to be a collaborative effort instead of a monopolistic one. We’re excited to work with all the people in our community to grow our sport, as well as offer a competitive and organized experience” shares Cirac-Sterrett optimistically.
The West California Volleyball Association website is wcvba.com.
The WCVBA events are all JVA insured so teams of any affiliation are welcome and will be insured (AAU, USAV, JVA, etc). The Junior Volleyball Association is an organization of nearly 1,300 junior volleyball clubs across the country that is 100% committed to improving the junior volleyball experience for the directors, coaches, athletes and fans.
