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Q: How do I become a Tournament Director?
A: The NCVA is always looking to train new people into becoming tournament directors for our tournaments. It is a great way to make some money and also watch some great volleyball. We have tournaments just about every weekend during the sanctioned season. If you are interested in viewing the responsibilities of a tournament director you can review the Girls Handbook or you can email us and will provide you with some information. – If you are interested in becoming a tournament director, please email us at [email protected] for more information.
Q: Do Tournament Directors have the authority to change formats during the tournament either to reformat (due to a team not showing up) or to move the tournament along faster?
A: Yes! The Tournament Director has the ability to change formats. The Tournament Director is provided a phone number to contact an NCVA Staff member to approve each change that has been made before it is done. The reason for checking before changes can be made is because the change could possibly affect a Bid to Junior Olympics for teams or can affect seeds for Qualifiers or Regional Championships. Tournament Directors are all trained to make correct changes, but are always required to check with the on call NCVA staff member to verify. Remember…for example for Girls Teams, Power League #1 is not a standalone tournament. It is the 3rd day of a 7 day event which can affect bids for Junior Nationals. – If you are interested in becoming a tournament director, please email us at [email protected] for more information.
Q: How do I find information for my daughter or son on tryouts for the upcoming season?
A: The information for sanctioned club tryouts is posted on our website weekly. Prior to the season starting, the tryout postings are listed under Girls’/Boys’ Tryouts on the NCVA homepage. The NCVA gives each club an opportunity to post their tryouts on our website. If you are interested in a particular club and do not see the club listed on our Tryouts Listings page, please contact the NCVA Office to inquire if that club is a sanctioned club with the NCVA. As parents you have the right to know what is going on with the club you are trying out for. Please refer to the Club Tryouts page in the handbook for more information. It is important as parents to know what time, money and energy you are committing both your daughter/son and yourself to. Be sure to check out the Parents Bill of Rights which can be found on the Parent General Information page of the NCVA website. – If you are interested in becoming a tournament director, please email us at [email protected] for more information.
Q: Why are fees for one club team more expensive than other club teams?
A: Individual Clubs are the ones who set their fees for the season. The NCVA only requires a limited payment to us during the season and the fee is determined by what league (of the 3 tiers) your club/team wants to participate in (Power League, Premier League or Non-League). Each league varies in payment price. League Fees & NCVA Fee Analysis – The fees through the individual club are divided up according to gym rentals, equipment, uniforms, club director & coach’s salaries, tournament fees, travel, etc.
Q: How do I register my daughter/son to become a NCVA member?
A: Players are required to register online before participating in any tryout, clinic, practice, tournament, etc. All members are required to register online via the NCVA website. During registration, you will have the opportunity to select the membership type that you would like to register for. (i.e. tryout membership – $20, full membership – $70, etc.) We encourage parents to become members as well. This will ensure that you receive all pertinent information about the club season and that you stay up to date on all information also sent to the club. If you need assistance with either process, please contact the NCVA by email, [email protected] or by phone (415) 550-7582.
Q: Do the club directors, coaches and staff of the club team receive background checks?
A: Yes, anyone that is affiliated with the club must have their background check cleared every two years. This is the policy of our organization that any member, who participates with junior members in any capacity, including supervisory personnel, club directors, team representatives, coaches, chaperones, and trainers, shall submit to a background screen immediately upon application for registration and every two years thereafter so long as that individual is a registered member. USAV/NCVA has one of the best/outstanding background screening processes in the industry. The list of what we check for is one of the most comprehensive. Other organizations may do spot background checks but the question to ask is what the screening company check for? Does the company check on the important items that will affect my child? In most cases, the answer to this question will be no. However, this is not the case with the USAV/NCVA background screening. Our main concern is to protect your child to the best of our ability. If you as a parent are ever in question if any one mentioned above has not been background checked please email the NCVA Office ([email protected]) with the full name and the club affiliation, so we can check to make sure. Please also include your contact information.
Q: How does the NCVA go about renting facilities for tournaments?
A: The NCVA over the years has developed relationships with many Athletic Directors, Junior High & High School contacts, as well as Colleges and Recreation Centers throughout our region. It does take a large commitment from the site contact to allow the NCVA to hold events at their sites. We appreciate and applaud them. While we work with our contacts we always know that the school has the last say on when and how a site can be used and school activities always come first to them. Translation = the NCVA can be bumped at anytime for any reason no matter how long we have had the reservation.We are always looking for new sites (relationships) – (Facilities Rental Form) that fit the needs of our participants, especially in the areas that we are lacking sites. Club Directors and site contacts often use these events as fund raisers for their club or school teams.Our facility standards are set by the USAV Indoor Volleyball Domestic Competition Regulations. While the NCVA has the safety of the participants and their fan base as a high priority we must rely on the tournament director/site contacts to meet the standards set forth in their contract and inform the office of any infractions appointed in the contract.
Q: How does College scouting at Nationals Work?
A: The Northern California Volleyball Association (NCVA), is contracted with “University Athlete” to supply information to college scouts in attendance at various events. Only information for athletes ages 15-18 are provided, per NCAA recruiting policies. The information provided comes from Advanced Event Systems, the tournament registration system (www.advancedeventsystems.com) as this information is entered by the Club Director or his/her designee, NCVA cannot be responsible for its accuracy.
Q: Can I bring my own chair to a tournament at a convention center?
A: The NCVA does not allow outside chairs due to the spacing requirements inside the venues. The NCVA provides chairs around each court. Allowing outside chairs causes for more congestion and extra hazards on the floor, and is prohibited due to safety issues as well as potential damages done to the floors as well.
Q: Can I bring food inside to my players?
A: No outside food is ever permitted in the venues, be it a High School, a college sport facility or a convention center. The contracts that are signed with the venues include a clause that gives the venue exclusive rights to all food and drink provided in the venue, this clause is non-negotiable with all venues. We do ask that the food vendors supply healthier food options for the athletes and their families, but ultimately it is their prerogative on what is served. Coolers are not allowed in any of the venues. This, like outside chairs, is due to safety concerns such as creating too many obstacles on the floor as well as unattended coolers suggest public safety concerns.
Q: How do I get a refund for my membership?
A: The NCVA has a strict no refund policy in regards to memberships. If you are not sure that your child will play for a certain team then we encourage you to purchase a tryout membership at $20 that is only valid for tryouts, but protects you from paying the full $70 fee if you decide not to play that season. The $20 however does not apply to the full membership, so you must purchase a $70 membership as soon as you commit to a team.
Q: Who do I contact when I want to know about facilities locations, posting of results and/or points?
A: This information can be found on the NCVA website. To view this information go to the menu for the Division you want to look up (Girls/Boys) then choose the league and then Teams in Events, Results, etc.
Q: Where do I find the locations of the tournament results and points for my team?
A: Please refer to the NCVA website. Under each division header – Girls/Boys – you will find links to all of our leagues (Power League, Premier League and Non League). Choose the league you want to find information for. Then, select results or points. This will take you to the page where you can choose your age division and look at your player’s results and points. You can also click on Teams to see where your team will be playing in the upcoming tournaments. Typically results and points will be posted on the website before noon on Wednesdays following the tournament weekend.
Q: Why does the NCVA have a difficult time finding some sites for certain weekends?
A: The NCVA works around the clock trying to find sites where our teams can play. We have a difficult time finding sites because sites will cancel on us for numerous amounts of reasons, or we cannot use a site because from the previous weekend the site was vandalized by our members. These are ongoing issues that the NCVA tries to avoid, but we need the help of our members to ensure we have enough sites for our tournaments. Generally, we get help from people like you. If you know of any sites, please contact the NCVA Office to see if the site can help accommodate our teams.
Q: Where do your NCVA Officials come from? And what training do they, or have they received?
A: The NCVA is always recruiting officials for our club season, with many coming from other sports and a few from our volleyball ranks. We attend job fairs for officials as well as recruiting at local college fairs looking for people with schedules that meet the needs of the NCVA volleyball seasons.The NCVA assigns officials to different High School Leagues and Colleges during their respective seasons trying to keep our officials active during the club off season.The NCVA requires all officials to attend a rules clinic every season to go over any rule changes while sharpening those that have not been working during the High School/College seasons. The NCVA has implemented a full day Symposium for prospective officials just before the California Kickoff and then uses the California Kickoff as a training ground for the new officials pairing them up with mentors to bring them up to speed in volleyball.It surprises us that year after year young people leave the NCVA player ranks with knowledge of the game, some exhibiting very competent officiating skills from years of club play and yet not putting it to work for themselves. Many of the High School and college seasons have schedules that meet the needs of students with flexible days and times for scheduled games. They could go to work anywhere that there is volleyball happening, but we would love to have them in the ranks of the NCVA Officials.
Testimonials:
Kylie Nuckols is a graduate of UC Davis and is now studying in Beverly Hills with ambitions of working in the Plastic Surgery field, this is her story; I was a volleyball player in both High school and club and after graduation I needed a job. Volleyball was a natural fit in my busy school schedule and easy for me since I already had knowledge of the game. I continued to ref through all my college years, starting first with middle school and high school levels and then through the various levels of club. I eventually moved up to collegiate volleyball games and assisted the NCVA Officials Division in training new officials. Volleyball officiating was always flexible and a fun job that earned me extra money through my years as a student.
Caitlin Parker
I am currently a student and volleyball player at California Baptist University majoring in Sociology. I plan to be a counselor in the future after I complete grad school. I started playing volleyball in the NCVA at the age of 11. Volleyball quickly became my passion. I played in high school, club, and continued on to play in college. My freshman year of college I need some extra money, even though I already had a job. My Dad, Bob Parker, was planning to ref that year and convinced me to join him. It proved to be a great decision. The NCVA was very flexible with my schedule and as a broke college student the extra money really helped. More than that, I gained better knowledge of the game which has helped me as a player and coach. It was also a fun activity I shared with my Dad that have created some amazing memories. I moved down to Southern California to finish my college volleyball career. After 3 years of being a student, player, and coach I have decided to continue officiating. As of Dec. 2007 my volleyball career is over, but I am so grateful I can continue my involvement with the sport I love through officiating. A side note Caitlin finished her college career at CBU with a tough loss in the NAIA National Championships to No. 1 ranked Fresno Pacific College.
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