Click on the resource links below for presentations and registration forms on how to form a NC High School Beach Volleyball Club. Approximately 50 schools across the state have participated in recent years.

• Registration Info – Updated for 2023-24  season. State playoffs are at Southern Sand in Apex, NC as follows:
  • Sat – May 4, 2024 – Best Boys Pairs
  • Fri evening – May 10, 2024 – Best Girls Pairs
  • Sat – May 11, 2024 – Best Club (Girls – Dual Format – 3 pairs each)
• What’s needed to register a club?
  • Club Membership Form – REGISTER ONLINE HERE (For New and Returning Clubs) – Registration deadline is February 26, 2024! After the deadline, a late fee of $25 will be charged to clubs (plus individual player fees go up from $15 to $20). Late joins by a club are also subject to how far along scheduling is for a conference and not guaranteed, especially the further past the deadline things are.
  • After registering, an online link for your season’s roster will be provided.
  • USAV Memberships Required: Players and all adults who are actively working with the players need a current season USA Volleyball membership (adult coaches also need background check and safesport training provided through USAV when obtaining a membership). If you have a regular USAV membership from other activities already (indoor or outdoor), then it will be valid. Otherwise, getting at least the ‘outdoor only’ membership through our region of USAV is needed. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR A USAV MEMBERSHIP.
• Sand Volleyball Rules
• Sample Competition Formats – Dual Meets, Open Style Tournaments, etc.
• Grant Application – The NCHSSVA directs surplus funds each year towards awarding grants, which are directed toward projects that serve the court infrastructure needs to support high school beach volleyball in North Carolina. Deadline for grant requests is May 1st of each year. Awards are announced in late May.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) think of this? While sand volleyball is not sanctioned by NCHSAA (and won’t even be considered until around 25% of member schools are participating in sand volleyball activities), it is not blocking schools from starting sand volleyball programs. The NCHSAA views sand volleyball as a separate sport from indoor volleyball and therefore is not applying any rules regarding when and how many players an indoor volleyball coach can supervise during sand volleyball activities. The same participation eligibility rules that apply to students when competing in sanctioned sports should also apply to participation in sand volleyball clubs. The NCHSAA is NOT permitting any “beach” practices on an indoor hard court.

How is this sand volleyball currently designated at high schools? Sand volleyball is a club and should adhere to any school-specific rules regarding the formation of a club or club sport. This can vary from school to school but typically involves a school staff/faculty member serving as a “sponsor” for the club and perhaps some documentation being filed such as a purpose statement and/or by-laws statement. In many cases, Athletic Directors do not even play a role because sand volleyball is considered a club activity. In some cases where no official school support can be obtained for a club, students from the same school can self-organize and be involved in this initiative. This should be a last resort though after all other avenues with the school have been pursued.

When is the playing season? Clubs are free to set whatever season they want for practices/training but competitions will be from early March to mid May.

Who can play? How many participants do you need? This is open to boys and girls (with or without volleyball experience). In an effort to more closely adhere to how competitions are setup at the college (NCAA) level and would eventually be setup whenever the sport might be sanctioned at the high school level the goal is to have at least 3 girls teams (6 players) available for any official competition. However, some conferences such as Wake County and Eastern NC setup competitions in a fashion to support as few as 1 team (2 players) from a school. Check with your conference for more details. For boys, competitions are setup involving individual teams (ie: 2 players each).  After the registration period ends (in mid to late Feb), the NCHSSVA board will announce how many bids to state playoffs each conference will have. It is up to the member schools of each conference to decide how exactly they want those bids to state playoffs to be awarded. If you are at a school where fielding the minimum number of players to compete officially is not going to be possible, then you do have the opportunity to ask the NCHSSVA board for approval to merge with a nearby club. Any rules imposed by the schools involved in any potential club merger regarding participant eligibility for clubs must also be considered in each case.

Is there a state playoffs? Yes, playoffs will be contested using a tournament format in late April/early May. The location may vary from year to year. Playoffs feature a “Best Pairs” competition where the best individual teams (girls and boys) face off. There is also a “Best Club” championship featuring 3 girls teams from each participating club facing off in a dual-meet format against teams from other clubs. A “Best Boys Conference” competition for the boys where 3 boys teams from each conference (teams do not have to be from the same school) face off against counterparts from other conferences is considered each year based on the interest levels. In all cases, there is a selection process for teams and clubs in order to participate.

Where to practice/compete? There are several multi-court parks and private facilities sprinkled around the state that can be used for practices and the NCHSSVA would be happy to work with you on securing sites, especially for competitions. Reaching out to your conference supervisor is a good first step.(Names and contact info provided in the Registration Info doc)

How much does it cost? The primary costs involve rentals for competitions, uniforms, and some outdoor volleyballs. Each club can decide what participation fee they want to charge but $15/player goes to the NCHSSVA who will use that money to cover state playoffs and help fund a grant program for beach volleyball courts across the state and conference budgets that cover rentals, minor equipment needs, awards, etc. There is also the potential cost of getting a current USAV membership if the participant doesn’t have one already. The cheapest membership (junior outdoor-only) typically costs around $22.

What about uniforms? Gym/volleyball shorts and t-shirts/tank tops with a school logo are acceptable. Tops must cover the trunk area. Numbers on shirts are NOT necessary.