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Age Definition

All 40 regions of USA Volleyball use a player’s date of birth, not grade, to determine what age-level the player can participate during the USA Volleyball club season. That means a player won’t play on an 8th-grade team. They will play on a 14 and Under or 15 and Under team. Adhering to these age definitions is a requirement, resulting in uniform/consistent age divisions across the 40 regions of USA Volleyball.

Sometimes a player’s birthday will require them to compete on an older team than their same-grade peers. Because of this, North Country Region has decided to allow junior club directors the opportunity to request an AGE WAIVER so that a player who is in this position can be placed on a roster of players who are in the player's grade but are in a younger age bracket.  Each club makes their own policy on if they will accept a waivered player. Each tournament director makes their own policy on accepting grade teams.

·       Waivered Player is a junior player whose birthdate places him/her in an age division older than their current grade.

*Grade Team

A “Club” who has Junior level players, whose dates of birth place them in an age division older than their current grade (Age Classification Guidelines), is eligible to register that team under the following options:

OPTION 1
REGISTER THE ENTIRE TEAM AT THE DIVISION OF THE OLDEST PLAYER

For example: If a team is composed of 6 players who are in the 14 Age Division and 1 player in the 15 Age Division, then the team should register as a 15 Age Division team.

This option is required if the team wishes to play outside of NCR‐sanctioned events, NCR Region Qualifier, USA Volleyball National Qualifiers, USA Volleyball Junior National Championships.

OPTION 2

REGISTER ENTIRE TEAM AS A “GRADE” TEAM

The club director must designate the team as a grade team by doing the following:

  1. An (*) will be placed next to team names that are registered as a grade team.  
  2. Keep the waivered player on the roster and register in events based on age classification (play up).
  3. Submit a new roster with all waivered junior players removed.
  4. The newly formed team may not use their win‐loss results while they were a “grade” team.
  5. The new team's rank will automatically be placed in the next consecutive order within that age division of the club.
  • This allows the team to play at the current grade in NCR sanctioned events, excluding the NCR Region Qualifier. Grade teams that wish to play in other USA Volleyball Regions, participation would be at the discretion of each tournament director.
  • If a “grade” team later decides to play in the NCR Region Qualifier, USA Volleyball National Championships and/or a National Qualifier, they would have to complete steps 1-4.