REGISTRATION FOR THE SPRING 2024 SEASON IS OPEN

* low fee of $150
* each player gets a free volleyball and 2 t-shirts

REGISTER NOW! 

 

Please fill out the volunteer application.
We need head and assistant coaches, referees (paid), and admin support. 

We're proud to celebrate our 16th season of Arlington Elite's Spring Youth League! We've come a long way from the single-team program to now hosting 192 players in sixteen teams. THANK YOU to all the volunteers that make this wonderful and fun program happen every year.

The Spring 2024 season starts in early-March and runs through the end of May.

Schedule - Spring 2024 Season

• January 8th: Registration opens
• Wed March 6th and Thurs March 7th: Coach training 7-9pm @ Washington Liberty HS
• Monday, March 11th and Thursday, March 14th Tuesday, March 12th:  Team practices begin
• March 25-29th: ACPS Spring Break - NO PRACTICE
•  April 3rd and April 4th: Games begin  (7-8:30pm)
• May 20-24th: Playoffs and Froyo 3-in-a-row competition

   Target Participants

        Girls Grades 4th-6th 
        Girls Grades 7th- 8th 

Our Philosophy

• AE Youth League exists to provide girls with the opportunity to play and enjoy volleyball in a competitive yet safe and fun environment. To this end, we encourage all those interested, regardless of experience and ability, to join our program and play on our teams.
•  If you don't know how to play, we will teach you.  There are no tryouts - all those who register are placed on a team.
•  We promote maximizing ball "touches" as the best way for players to master volleyball skills, and participating in competitive league matches as the best way to learn and enjoy the game.

Program Scope

• The season runs from March through the end of May
• Teams practice twice a week: once for a practice with their team coach and the next practice for games against another league team.
• At the end of the season, playoffs are held to determine season champions.

Player Commitment

• The commitment level is intended to be student-friendly and multi-sport friendly.
•  Two 1-hr practices per week on Mondays/Wednesdays or Tuesdays/Thursdays. Time slots are either 7-8pm or 8-9pm.
• After the first few weeks of practices, games begin on the second slot of the week; games are from 7-9 (most finish by 8:30). 

Volunteers [click here for application]

We are looking for HS student and adult volunteers to help with all aspects of the program. We have volunteer positions at different levels of commitment that can fit into busy schedules.
Our primary need is for team coaches and assistant coaches. We plan to provide training, mentoring and supporting materials regardless of previous volleyball and coaching experience. Please contact the Youth League Director.

COST
$150 paid online at time of registration. Volunteer head coaches receive an optional $50 discount. Fees cover program administration costs, gym rental, balls and carts, t-shirts, referees, insurance, etc.

Refunds for withdrawals may be requested up to March 10th (minus a $25 processing fee).

Includes:

• Two practice t-shirts and one volleyball per player
• Two one-hour practices per week. Mondays/Wednesdays or Tuesdays/Thursdays. Time slots are either 7-8pm or 8-9pm. The second practice becomes games at mid season; game nights are the 2-hours.
• t-shirt, court space, coaching, and all equipment.

LOCATION
Practices at Washington-Liberty High School ( 1301 N Stafford St, Arlington, VA 22201 ).

YOUTH LEAGUE TECHNICAL AND ADMIN DIRECTOR
This is Stan Stemp's 15th season with Arlington Elite and fifth year as Director of the Girls Spring and Boys Fall Youth Leagues. Stan has coached all levels from 8 year-olds to college Division III. Read more...

WEATHER CANCELLATION POLICY

On inclement weather days, the school moves the sports teams into the gym. However, their teams are usually out by 8pm, which still allows our 8-9pm volleyball session to have practice. In order to balance the practice opportunities equally, we’ve instituted a new policy.

FOR YOUNGER TEAMS: The 7-8 and 8-9 sessions will combine from 8-9pm. There is plenty of room in the long nets for all younger teams to practice.

OLDER TEAMS: Rotating schedule into the second session. For example, on the first occurrence of a cancellation, the early team practices while the later team is cancelled; on the next occurrence, the later team is cancelled and the early team takes the later practice spot (8-9pm). 

GAME NIGHTS: If the cancellation is during a game night (Wed or Thursday) then we will begin games at 8pm and play until 9:15pm.

If you have questions, please contact us at  stan@arlingtonelitevbc.com

We look forward to seeing you on the court!

Who can register?
We welcome girls 4th through 8th grade. Both Arlington and non-Arlington residents may register. Registration opens January 5th.

Is prior volleyball experience required?
No. We encourage all those interested, regardless of experience and ability, to join our program and play on our teams. If you don't know how to play, we will teach you; if you know how to play, we will make you better. There are no tryouts - all those who register are placed on a team.

Are current "club" players allowed to register?
U12 and U13 "club" players are allowed to register. Older players need prior approval from the Youth League Director.

What's the playing time policy?
As an instructional recreation program, we promote equal time on the court.  Teams will use "Continuous Substitution", which uses the players on the bench and the players on the court as one continuous line-up.  With each new service rotation, a player in a specific position leaves the court and the next available player on the bench enters the game into that position. 

Can participants pick teammates, coaches and practice preferences?
Yes.  During the registration process, participants can make special requests for friends and coaches, as well as identify days and times that may conflict with other commitments.  Arlington Youth Volleyball will accommodate these special requests as best as possible

What happens to those on the waitlist?
The hope is to pull everyone off the waitlist. However, the program is constrained by the availability of gym space and the number of volunteer coaches. The more coaches, the more teams and therefore the more players we can support. To this point, anyone on the waitlist with a parent who volunteers to head coach will be switched from the waitlist to the active registration list. Coaches have the ability to influence practice times and locations.  Please email the Youth League Director with any questions about volunteering as a coach.

Note that these rules may change after the Director / Coaches meeting.

Equal Playing Time with Continuous Substitution
All teams will use a 'carousel' continuous substitution system for equal playing time. All the players on the bench and on the court are one continuous line-up with a player in a specific position leaving the court and the next available player on the bench entering the game into that position.  Substitution continues in this manner every time there is a rotation of players on the court, with the order of players in the entire line-up remaining constant throughout the game. Substitutions can be made in the same location either in the front row or back row, or both simultaneously.

Serve Foot Fault
Foot faults are not enforced.

Re-Serve
Re-serve if first serve on new rotation is missed.

Maximum Consecutive Serves
4-6th: Maximum of 3 consecutive points per serve.
7th & up: Maximum of 4 consecutive points per serve.

Extra Points
4-6th: Extra point awarded for any three-touch combination leading to an immediate win.
7th & up: Extra point awarded for a three-touch combination where the last touch is an overhand spike leading to an immediate win.

Ball
4-6th: Volley Lite
7th & up: regular NFHS certified ball

Playing Area
4-6th:  shortened playing area of 30' x 25'.

Net Height
4-6th:  7 feet
7th & up: regular 7 feet 4 inches