FAQ

Charlotte & Sarasota Volleyball Club

Venetian Bay Volleyball Club has some of the best, most experienced coaches in Florida. Venetian Bay Volleyball Club goal is to offer an affordable, fun, competitive setting for girls living in Sarasota & Charlotte Counties to compete against top teams from around the state and nation. Our girls volleyball teams compete in a minimum of 5 tournaments during the season.

Club Philosophy

The goal of the Venetian Bay Volleyball Club is to offer an affordable competitive setting in which girls can compete against top teams from around the state of Florida plus provide an opportunity for elite teams to travel the country to gain as much exposure as possible. We purposely limit the number of participants in the club so we can maintain a high level of quality practice time and assure abundant playing time. We believe we have an excellent coaching staff experienced in both playing and coaching from Junior High to the college level. Practices are designed to be fun, demanding and promote team unity. We will be competing against all-star teams from all over the state but will be stressing aggressiveness and solid fundamentals over the win/loss column. Elite teams will be playing for victory. We want to prepare our athletes for the High School Varsity Team and beyond for those wishing to take it to the next level. We, as coaches, have a passion for the game and want to instill that in our athletes.

What is a Girls Volleyball Club?
Girls volleyball clubs are a highly organized, nationwide competitive volleyball network designed for athletes to refine their volleyball skills, compete at the regional and national level, expose their abilities to collegiate recruiters and train to achieve any development goals they may have for the sport of volleyball.

What makes Venetian Bay different from other girls volleyball clubs?
Venetian Bay Volleyball Club has been in existence since 1998. 2010 will mark our 12th season. Venetian Bay Volleyball Club has been under the same management, producing a consistent level of high quality teams each year. Many of the coaches are former Venetian Bay members who were trained with the same philosophy and have taken their experience from their collegiate playing days and would now like to share that wealth of experience to their players. We have done everything to keep club costs down. Sometimes we may not have the fanciest uniforms on the court but we believe it's how you play that really counts. We are a club that says, "What you see is what you get!"

Where areas do your players come from?
As we have 2 practices areas 1) Sarasota and 2) Punta Gorda.  Our players come from throughout Sarasota County as well as Charlotte County. Our players come from Manatee, Sarasota, Osprey, Nokomis, Venice, Englewood, Port Charlotte, and Punta Gorda in Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte County Florida. 

Can the multi-sport athlete play in Venetian Bay?
Yes, a large number of VBVBC members participate in more than one sport, especially in the younger age divisions.

What is the roster size and number of teams in Venetian Bay?
Roster sizes vary usually consisting of between 9 and 12 athletes. VBVBC carries between 7 and 9 teams a year in age divisions from 10 and under through 18 and under.  This year we are hoping to have enough interest to form a 10 and under team.  VBVBC carries around 10 teams a year in age divisions from 10 and under through 18 and under.  We are preparing for the following club teams: 12-1, 12-2,13-1,14-1,15-1,16-1,16-2, and 17-1.

Who coaches at Venetian Bay?
The coaching staff at Venetian Bay is the best in the area. All of our coaches have previous coaching experience and have received certification from the Florida Region and/or USA Volleyball. Many of our coaches are from successful area high school programs and are former collegiate players. Coaches are assigned to only one team with the older teams having an assistant coach as well. Brian Wheatley, the Club Director, is the only coach in the area to not have one but two state championships under his belt. He is from California and has brought a west coast mentality and a unique style of training to the state of Florida.

What schools do your players come from?
Laurel Nokomis School, McIntosh Middle School, Sarasota Middle School, Venice Middle School, Pine View School, North Port High School, Riverview High School, Sarasota High School, Venice High School, L.A. Ainger Middle School, Punta Gorda Middle School, Murdock Middle School, Port Charlotte High School, Evangelical Christian School, and Charlotte High School

When does club volleyball take place?
Practices and competitions for all teams begin in January and go through May. Teams that qualify for the USA Junior Olympic Volleyball Championships will continue through late June/early July.

How often do teams practice?
Teams that compete in state tournament practice twice a week for 2 hours (per session).  Elite Teams (which compete out of state) practice 3 times a week for 2 hours (per session).   Practices and competitions for all teams begin in January 2009 and go through May.  Teams that qualify for the USA Junior Olympic Volleyball Championships will continue through late June/early July.

Where are practices held?
Practices are held in Nokomis, Venice, and Punta Gorda at Middle and High Schools

Power League

Venetian Bay has been picked to play in the highly regarded Power League. Venetian Bay is one of 8 clubs to participate against the 7 other top clubs in the state of Florida. Those other clubs are Tampa United, Jacksonville Junior Volleyball Association, Orlando Volleyball Academy, USA South, Pinellas Heat, Boomers, and Gainesville Jrs. To be the best, you have to beat the best and this is a major step in the progression and notoriety of Venetian Bay as we will be competing against great competition. Through our success of recent years, the committee decided that it was time to place Venetian Bay in the upper echelon on Florida clubs. There will be 2 competition dates where most of our teams will play in Orlando for the day against these other clubs.

What is the difference between a non-travel and a travel team?
Our non-travel teams will participate in tournaments throughout Florida. Non-travel teams do not pay additional monies for tournaments held within Florida. These teams will participate in 4-6 tournaments every season. The non-travel teams season will likely conclude with the FL Region Championships, which are held in late April or early May.

Our travel teams participate in tournaments throughout Florida, the Big South Qualifier and 1-2 additional out-of-state tournaments. The travel teams do pay additional fees for the out-of-state events (airfare and travel fee). All teams will split the shared cost for travel. In the event of an overnight trip, hotel costs will be shared and the athlete must stay with the team to keep costs down. Transportation to and from practices/tournaments will be the responsibility of the player. A phone list will be distributed for car pooling purposes. Also, Travel teams will receive a bag and sweats.

Cost: We guarantee that our prices will be lowest in Sarasota County. We strive to offer the best training for the best value.

Payment: Please send all payments to VBVBC at PO Box 1752  Venice, FL  34284

Travel Rules
The following rules are STRICTLY enforced:
1. Players must reflect good sportsmanship on and off the court.
2. It is our responsibility to make sure that players are safe while at tournaments.  Therefore, players should NEVER go anywhere by themselves and players should never be in a hotel room by themselves. If you are walking around the hotel or the tournament site, you should always have someone with you.  If anyone is seen walking around anywhere by themselves, disciplinary action will be taken.
3. Players MUST tell a coach if they are leaving their room. It is crucial for us to know where every girl is at all times.
4. Players should demonstrate good self-control and respect the other guests in the hotel.
5. Strict curfew times are enforced, with no exceptions. Everyone must be in their rooms by the curfew time, which is normally 10:00 p.m. If you choose to leave your room after curfew, you are choosing not to play in the tournament, and you could face other disciplinary action, as well.
6. If a player is found to be in possession of any banned substance (illegal drugs, alcohol, inhalants, smoking materials or any tobacco products, prescription or non-prescription drugs) her membership in our Club will be terminated immediately.  If your daughter requires any type of medication, the coach should be notified.
7. Players, who are aware of another player or players being in possession of a banned substance, or players who are doing something that is in violation of our rules, should tell a coach or a parent immediately.  Not doing so will result in disciplinary action for that player, as well.
8. Player must stay in the room assigned to her.  Do not switch room assignments.
9. Stop and cheer for the other VBAY teams if you see them playing

Failure to abide by any of these rules will result in strict disciplinary action.
VBAY reserves the right to add to these rules as the situation demands.