Tryout & Commitment Policy, Dates

Tryout & Commitment Policy & Dates

Updated on June 5, 2024

POLICIES:

Badger Region tryout/commitment policy as approved on Monday, Nov. 21, 2023:

• The Badger Region will allow clubs to open tryouts to all ages and gender of athletes on the second Saturday after the conclusion of the final day of the USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championships (GJNC) or Boys Junior National Championships (BJNC) (whichever is later). All tryouts must be completed by 11:59 p.m. CT the Sunday before the start of the WIAA season. If an athlete receives an offer from a club, it must be honored until 7 p.m. CT Aug. 1. Any offer made after that time is at the discretion of the club.
• No tryouts are allowed once the WIAA high school season begins. If a club holds a tryout during the regular fall tryout period, they may do so the first Saturday in October for athletes 14-and-younger, or the Saturday after the conclusion of the WIAA state volleyball tournament (15-and-older). Clubs must honor their offers until the Monday after the tryout period at 7 p.m. Any offers made after 7 p.m. are at the discretion of the club.
• Clubs can offer a retention offer to those athletes who played for their club that season for the following club season to athletes starting on July 1 through seven days after the final day of the GJNC or BJNC (whichever is later). This is is not a requirement, and offers are at the sole discretion of the club. Families, please understand that a retention commitment is the same as a tryout period commitment in terms of not being able to switch clubs until the end of the season. For a link to a Retention Form, click here.

Best Practices

• Badger Region has designed a document and is sharing it with club directors for Best Practices for the tryout season. Click here.

Badger Region clubs can offer “early” tryouts for out-of-state players.

• Because of conflicting tryout policies and dates among bordering Regions, effective immediately, clubs will now have the option of holding a tryout and making an offer for athletes living outside of Wisconsin based on the tryout policy of the athlete’s home region. Athlete commitment dates (see above) will remain consistent with Badger Region rules. At this time, nothing changes for athletes living in Wisconsin.
• This is an optional waiver for those clubs who have or wish to have male or female athletes from a neighboring state tryout for their club, and the club is responsible for confirming an athlete’s address, knowing and abiding by alternate regional tryout policies as well as any unforeseen circumstances related to choosing this option. The Region will authorize only one tryout session for out-of-state athletes per age/gender tryout wave. That means a club can host an out-of-state tryout for girls 14-and-under, one tryout for out-of-state girls 15-and-older and one tryout for out-of-state boys.

PLAYER SELECTION:

Clubs may use a variety of methods to select their players. Some clubs may choose to hold tryouts; some clubs may accept everyone who chooses to be a part of their program; some clubs limit their membership to a certain school district or metro area; and, some clubs extend invitations to interested juniors. The method that you use is of your choice. However, all clubs must adhere to the basic premises of our region’s tryout policy.

Extending an invitation is considered the same as making an offer at a tryout with the same guidelines and deadlines. Accepting a registration is the same as making an offer with the same deadlines. For example, a club that does not hold tryouts but “asks” players to play for their club may not “ask” a player until the applicable tryout period begins. Once a player is “asked,” they have until the applicable commitment date to make up their mind. For Junior Boys and Girls, the earliest date that a player may accept a spot in a club is the first Saturday in October (14 and under) or the first Saturday following the completion of the WIAA High School State Championship (15 and older).

OTHER TRYOUT DETAILS:

Accepting an offer: Formal acceptance of an offer is determined by when the player accepts club assignment to their chosen club in Sports Engine, the member management system (MMS). For the 2024-25 season, a separate commitment tracking system will be used to track commitments of athletes who get offers during the summer tryout period. The club assignment request is initiated by the club to the athlete using a public or direct club assignment link. Upon official commitment to a club that is registered with Badger Region/USA Volleyball, the athlete must remain with that club/team for the remainder of the Junior Volleyball season. If a player is interested in joining another team after the completion of their team’s season, please see End of Season Release, below.

Club contact: A USA Volleyball Membership Management System (MMS, Sports Engine) invitation to “connect” to an athlete allows the athlete to be added to the “Club Directory” for communication purposes and is not considered a contact. It is merely a part of the data organization process clubs must manage on a year-to-year basis. The electronic MMS request from a club to an athlete to be accept “club assignment” to the club as an official member marks the moment at which a club has officially made an offer to an athlete. This, too, should not count as a contact, as it is a systematic administrative function. A club program who has given an offer of membership to a player may make one club-initiated follow-up contact with that player between the time of the electronic MMS offer and the subsequent commitment date. A club-initiated contact shall be defined as a phone call, email, text message, face-to-face meeting, or any direct message on any of the social media by a representative of the club program making the offer

Notes: As always, players are encouraged to let clubs know of their intentions as soon as the decision has been made – a player does NOT need to wait until the deadline to accept or decline an offer. Individual clubs may choose to extend offer deadlines, at their discretion, or athletes may ask for this extension. Any extensions granted (or not) are the sole responsibility of Badger Region member clubs.

End of season release:

When a player reaches the end of their team’s season, and is paid in full, the player is welcome to join another team/club for the rest of the membership year. It is the responsibility of the new team/club to ensure that the player’s team is done competing and that the player has no outstanding payments. Please see the End of Season Release Policy for full details, including how to request a transfer.

Please contact your regional Board of Directors representative or the Region office with questions.