With Early-Signing concluded and the School Season up and running, we would like to send some reminders about the Seasons of Play, Scouting and Recruiting Regulations as it relates to this fall period, and what club activity is allowed and what is not. These regulations are in place to respect the school season as well as to help maintain a competitive balance and equal playing field among club teams. As Approved Clubs, you have agreed to abide by all Volleyball Manitoba rules and policies. Clubs in violation of these regulations face consequences affecting their club approval status, which could affect the status of their early-signed athletes. Clubs should make sure that participant families are aware of these regulations, as their actions could also impact the status of the Club.
Camps run by Clubs during the school season are allowed. If a club is running a camp, it must be neither mandatory for club members to attend nor exclusive to club members, and they must register it with VM HERE (new this year). Camps must be registered as early as possible, but no less than 2 weeks in advance of the beginning of the camp. For those camps already underway, they need to be registered by the end of September. Camps will be posted on our website.
Club organized strength & conditioning programs (or any other off-court training) offered as a part of a camp or as a program in itself would be considered a camp and should be registered as such.
During the school season, club teams (even those with early-signed athletes) can not:
- Train (on or off the court) as a team
- Train in exclusive small groups of team members
- Train individually with their club coach(es)
- Use Camps as a disguise for team training activities
A good rule of thumb for any camp (regardless of size) to avoid the perception that they are engaging in team training would be to ensure that fewer than half of the participants on a court are from any single club team.
Parents should not organize club-centric activities as a means to circumvent these regulations. This includes “Open Gyms”, whether coaching is taking place or not. Coaches not registered with VM who are operating outside of these regulations would be risking the opportunity to become approved members in the future.
This list is not exhaustive, if you are unsure whether an activity/situation is allowed, please contact us to confirm.
We appreciate everyone’s cooperation and adherence to the regulations.
