• Minimum of 1 Head Coach (cleared USA Volleyball approved background screen, IMPACT trained, completion of SafeSport training)
• Minimum of 6 Junior Players
• Athletes 18 years of age or turning 18 during the club season-09/01/2024-08/31/2025 (required to complete "Core" Center for SafeSport training))
• Junior Age Coach - 17 and under (complete IMPACT, complete "Core" Center for SafeSport Training, adult - head coach present at practices and tournaments)
  • May ONLY serve and be rostered as a manager who assists the adult age (18 and up) coach
  • Head Coach (adult) must be at practices and matches
  • Background screen required if turning 18 during the club season (09/01/2024-08/31/2025)
• Uniform Numbers of all Junior Players

What does it mean when a tournament is sanctioned by NCR-USAV?   It means...

...the host club is committed to providing a safe and respectful environment for participants both on and off the court

... teams are playing in a tournament where ALL adults working regularly in ANY capacity with minors (coaches, club directors, chaperones, tournament directors, officials, etc.) have passed a rigorous USA Volleyball approved background screen and participate in ongoing SafeSport and IMPACT training

... the host club and its tournament are insured by USAV and supported and assisted locally by the North Country Region in-house staff

... athletes are playing at their appropriate age level and are following the eligibility rules set forth for the sport of volleyball by USAV

... paid officials, as well as scorers and youth work teams, are trained properly on the rules of volleyball as provided by USAV

... all events are promoted through valuable NCR-USAV marketing resources to over 400 member clubs and over 18,000 individual members

1. What exactly does the general liability insurance cover that you pay for? 

Tryouts and practices for North Country Region clubs can be covered, as long as all participants have a NCR-USAV membership and all adults participants have completed their USAV safety credentials (USAV-approved background screening & SafeSport certification).   A certificate of insurance can be requested from NCR to provide to facilities as needed. 

USAV sanctioned events (playdates, tournaments, etc.) are covered.  All participants must be USA Volleyball members and all adult participants must have completed USAV safety credentials as listed above. 

USAV insurance offers excellent extensive coverage through their General Liability Insurance for a myriad of items including bodily injury, property damage and abuse.  Additionally, USAV is the only organization that covers allegations of molestation.  The complete listing of all items covered and the General Liability Limits can be found HERE.  This insurance provides protection and peace of mind for clubs/club directors should coverage be needed.

Separate from General Liability Insurance, participants with USAV memberships also have coverage for medical expenses when participating in USA Volleyball events. 

2. What if we attend a non-NCR-sanctioned event and something happens? What's covered?

USAV insurance covers only USA Volleyball, region, and region-sanctioned events.  Just like any other organization, USAV does not offer coverage for another organization’s events.  If you plan to attend an event that is not affiliated with USA Volleyball, I would recommend reaching out to the tournament director regarding their insurance coverage for both the event and its participants. 

Why have an athlete purchase an 11 and under membership?

11 and under memberships are available to players who are born on/after July 1, 2013. It is a “Limited Membership” type based on NCR-USA Volleyball membership types. These are lower cost memberships that encourage participation with NCR-USA Volleyball. This membership can be upgraded to a full membership with the cost of the limited membership applied towards the purchase of the full membership.

USA Volleyball establishes rostering rules for this membership in order to meet requirements for Region and National Qualifiers in addition to Junior National Championships. In short, Limited memberships are not allowable on team rosters being submitted for ANY kind of qualifier.

How does this impact a club?

• A team that is in a 12s or older age division with a participant who has an 11 and under membership will:
  • show the 11 and under membership participant will not display as approved on the SE Season Management Roster - however, the roster and athlete are still eligible to participate
  • The 11 and under membership participant will not show up on the printed roster from SportsEngine Season Management rosters
  • The club director or tournament director will not be able to add the 11 and under membership-ed athlete on the team AES rosters for NCR sanctioned events. Contact your membership specialist to have your player waivered and placed on the team roster

To assist the Region and to assist NCR Tournament Directors we ask that the club who has an 11 and under membership participant on a 12s or older age division team to do the following:

• Add “Limited” to the name of the team
  • Example: NCR 13-2 becomes NCR 13-2 Limited
• Update the team name in SE Season Management
• Update the team name in AES teams
• AES rosters: complete the AES roster as completely as possible for NCR sanctioned tournaments (you will have reached out to one of us here)
• If an NCR tournament director has a concern about your roster, offer clarification and/or direct them to the Region office.