Still have a question that we haven't answered here, then contact us or email us.  Please note that specific information such as  tournament schedule, practice schedule for particular teams and exact registration fees will only be provided to those selected athletes who receive offers to join one of our teams.

ABOUT FOCUS VOLLEYBALL CLUB

WHAT IS OUR CLUB’S VISION AND PHILOSOPHY?

Focus Volleyball Club offers youth boys and girls the chance to learn the game and compete within the club system. We form teams that pursue excellence and aim to help every athlete reach their full potential. Our primary focus is on building competitive, performance-driven teams. When resources allow, we also provide recreational teams and experiences that emphasize social connection, enjoyment, and skill development in a fun, supportive environment. Look out for our updated Policies page which is coming soon.

WHERE IS FOCUS VOLLEYBALL CLUB BASED OUT OF?

Focus Volleyball Club is based in the Burnaby and Tri-Cities area.  We are open to having athletes from all areas of the Lower Mainland involved in our various club teams.  Most of our practices are primarily in the Burnaby and TriCities areas with a couple of practices in our Surrey Facility.

WHEN AND WHERE ARE FOCUS PRACTICES?

Teams generally have two practices per week.  Each practice session lasts from 90 minutes to 2 hours in length. The location of practices vary. We use Elementary, Middle and Secondary schools in the Tri-Cities, Burnaby and Surrey areas. Our younger teams practice sessions are between 5:30pm and 9:30 pm, while our older teams generally practice from 7pm to 10pm.  Our regular practices take place on weeknights.

WHAT ARE THE CLUB FEES?

Club fees are determined based on the athlete’s age category and may vary accordingly. These fees typically cover essential costs such as registration for a minimum of three tournaments (including Provincial Championships), gym rental for practices, equipment, uniform package, sport insurance, coaching fees, and a basic travel budget for coaches. Additional variations in fees may occur depending on the age group and coach's decision.  In some cases, teams may collect extra funds to support participation in additional tournaments beyond the team's established budget.

Please note athlete and spectator travel costs are not included in club fees. As well players are expected to pay for their Volleyball BC membership (approx. $85) Post provincial events such as Nationals are not part of the registration fee. Coaches may choose to collect additional fees to increase their tournament budget or for extra training.

TRYOUTS - HOW DOES AN ATHLETE GET ON A TEAM

WHO CAN TRYOUT FOR A FOCUS TEAM?

Athletes born between 2008 to 2015 can tryout for our teams.  See age categories below.  In order to be eligible to be selected for one of our teams you are required at register for a tryout session.

CAN I STILL TRYOUT IF I PLAYED FOR ANOTHER CLUB LAST SEASON?

YES. If you played for another club previously, you are permitted to try out for another club for the 2027 club season.  Only athletes who have pre-signed (committed / accepted an early signing offer) with another club are ineligible to attend the tryouts.

CAN A PLAYER PLAY UP AN AGE CATEGORY?

Yes, a player can try out for an older age category but they should first register in their own age group and then the age up group.  This will help ensure they are evaluated both with their peer group and the higher age category.  This will also improve your chances to be selected and play for one of our teams.

We encourage athletes to play with their own age group but where an athlete demonstrates exemplary skill and maturity they will be considered to play in an older age category.

If you wish to apply to play up you must still try out for the team in that age category.  

DOES MY ATHLETE NEED TO ATTEND TRYOUTS? AND IF SO, WHEN ARE TRYOUTS AND WHAT IS THE SELECTION PROCESS? HOW WILL THE RESULTS BE COMMUNICATED?

Because of the demand and the limited number of coaches, facilities and equipment the Focus Volleyball Club holds tryouts for team spots. Tryouts for Focus Volleyball Club take place in November and early December, following the guidelines set by Volleyball BC.

Each tryout session runs for 1.5 to 2 hours and have a limited number of spots due to court and facility capacity limits. Here are the few highlights:

• REGISTERING ONLINE is the required way to secure your spot. A non-refundable participant fee will be applied at the time of registration. A tryout information and a registration link will be posted on our website home page by mid-October Registration is now open.  Go to the home page of our website.
• ONE TRYOUT SESSION per participant please - we ask that you only register for ONE tryout session to allow slots for other athletes. You will pay a one time registration fee.
• REGISTRATION DEADLINE applies to online registrations, which close 9pm the day prior to the tryout session.
• IN PERSON (WALK IN)  REGISTRATION can be done provided there is room available in the tryout session. An additional administration fee of $15 will be charged to register onsite. Please arrive early to allow time to fill in the necessary forms. Please note we cannot guarantee that there will be room for you at the tryout if you register on-site.
• CALLBACKS will be by invitation only to athletes who will be asked to attend another tryout session for further evaluation. Your initial tryout registration fee covers the call back session so no additional fee needs to be paid.

To ensure a fair and thorough evaluation process, a selection committee — comprising team coaches, additional club coaches, and volleyball volunteers — will oversee athlete assessments. Coaches with any potential bias are excluded from selection discussions to maintain impartiality. All athletes will participate in the same drills and activities, and teams are not pre-selected.

We encourage all athletes to attend try outs, regardless of their experience level. For younger age groups (12U to 14U), the focus is on developing fundamental skills and gradually introducing athletes to competitive play. Athletes will be evaluated on a variety of criteria, including technical ability, physical attributes, decision-making, tactical understanding, attitude, and their willingness to learn and work as part of a team.

Athletes are required to attend one initial tryout session. Based on their performance, some may be invited to a second session, commonly referred to as a ‘callback,’ for further evaluation. There is no additional cost to attend a callback session, but only athletes who receive an invitation will attend. In some cases, an athlete may receive a team offer based solely on their performance in the initial tryout.

To ensure safety and that every athlete has a fair opportunity to be evaluated, we place a cap on the number of participants per court during tryouts. While we are open to parents attending tryouts, certain facilities have occupancy limitations due to safety regulations. At certain facilities, parents may be asked to return or asked to observe from a particular area. If parents do have questions, coaches and staff are available before or after tryouts to answer any inquiries.

COMMUNICATION OF RESULTS: Athletes who are selected for a team or invited to a callback will be contacted via email. Those who are not selected will receive a group email indicating that no position is available at this time. Due to the high volume of tryout participants, coaches are unable to send personalized emails to each athlete.

Offers to join our club can be given by the coach from the start of tryouts to  up until the signing date.  Please note that if you receive an offer to join a team the offer is valid up until 6pm of the signing date.  You are not obligated to give a decison until the signing date. All clubs cannot give you a deadline for making a decision prior to the signing date. This is a Volleyball BC policy and applies to all clubs. (e.g. A coach cannot say that they want to know if you are going to accept an offer by Nov.20  when the established signing date is set by VBC for Nov.24.) Any offer made that is not accepted by 6pm of the signing date becomes invalid. The unclaimed spots will then be assigned to the next athlete(s) on the coach's priority or back-up list. 

After the main tryout period concludes, we may offer late tryouts in December or early January to fill any remaining open spots. Additionally, new teams may be added or positions may become available later in the season. Therefore, we recommend checking our website regularly throughout November and December for updates and additional tryout opportunities.

Following the completion of tryouts, athletes who are selected for a team will receive an official offer letter via email, which will include registration procedures and next steps. Again, please remember that athletes must be registered for a tryout in order to be considered for team selection. 

WHAT ARE THE TRYOUT AND SIGNING DEADLINES/DATES FOR THE 2027 SEASON?

Dates are established by Volleyball BC.  The season start date indicates the earliest date clubs may run a tryout.

The signing date indicates the date when any offers made officially expire.  Any offers not accepted by 6pm of ths signing date become void and the spot becomes open for another athlete at the coach's discretion.  After the signing date passes, coaches will make offers from their back up/priority  list to fill any unclaimed spots. These are the athletes that were evaluated as the players rated best of those athletes initially not receving offers.  The priority or back up list is  based on tryout evaluations.

Offers will be emailed to selected athletes any time from the first tryout until the signing date. (see below)   Athletes can accept or decline an offer at any time during this signing period.

Coaches have the option of running additional tryouts to fill unclaimed spots after the signing date passes.

October 15th - Early Signing Period Ends for selected 15u/16u athletes

November 8th - 12U/13U Season/Tryouts Start

November 15th - 14U Season/Tryouts Start

November 16th = 12u/13u Signing Date

November 22nd - 15U Season/Tryouts Start

November 23rd - 14U Signing Date

November 30th - 15U Signing Date

December 6th - 16U/17U/18U Season/Trouts Start

December 14th - 16U/17U/18U Signing Date

ALL ABOUT CLUB VOLLEYBALL

WHAT IS CLUB VOLLEYBALL?

In BC, club volleyball is under the guidance and leadership of our provincial sport organization, Volleyball BC.  Club volleyball provides opportunities for players to train and compete, beyond the school season, with approved club teams that cater to various levels of play.  There are over 70 clubs located throughout BC.

WHAT TIME FRAME DOES THE CLUB SEASON RUN FROM?

Club season runs from January to late April/May (depending on when the Provincial Championships are scheduled) although some teams begin training in December to finalize rosters. Provincial Championships, which take place in late April or early May, culminate the club season. Teams may also choose to attend post-Provincial Championship events such as the National Championship or the Emerald City Classic Tournament in Washington State. The indoor season officially ends May 31st.  At that time all seasons and tournament play must be completed.

WHAT ARE EARLY SIGNING OFFERS?

Early signing offers can be offered at the coaches/board's discretion to athletes 15U to 18U and who played for us last year as per Volleyball BC policy.  These offers will be given to players who have demonstrated excellent team contributions in the past and we feel merit a spot on one of our teams.  Our club limits early signing offers to the top athletes from our last season’s division 1 and upper division 2 teams.  This means that our top teams will still have approximately 8 spots open while our other teams will still have 12 open spots.

ONCE I ACCEPT AN OFFER WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Once a player accepts an offer from a club, they must cease attending other club tryouts and they may not accept any other offers from other clubs.

2027 CLUB SEASON

WHAT CLUB TEAMS ARE WE RUNNING? WHAT ABOUT TEAM COMPOSITION AND NUMBER OF PLAYERS ON A TEAM?

We provide club teams at the 13U to 18U levels for both boys and girls, providing we have the coaches to support the various age groups.  The availability of teams depends on the availability of coaches and their preferences for coaching at the various age categories.  Where we are able to run more than one team at an age level, the teams are based on performance level and are tiered.  We run teams of various ability levels.

For the 2027 season we are targeting to offer:

• Three 13U Boys teams (Up  to 36 positions available) - Coaching Team: Barton Lim, Sue Andrew Mah, Sue Cejalvo-Howse, Sophis Torrenueva, Jordan Centenera, Bob Yuen and Olga Mala
• Three 14U Boys teams  (Up to 36 positions available) Coaching Team: Cameron Wong, Bob Yuen, Joe Ho, Olga Mala, Sophia Torrenueva, Barton Lim, and Sue Cejalvo Howse 
• Three 15U Boys teams  (33 positions available) - Coaches: Malia Howse, Josh Newman, Xin Liu, and Nicolas Rodriguez
• Two 16U Boys teams - (34 positions available) Coaches: Ian Tan, Christine Viray-Luk, and Sergio Martinez
• One 17U Boys team - (A minimum of 12 positions available) Coaches: Jane Peng, and Davin Ng
• One 18U Boys team - (A minimum of 12 positions available) Coaches: Kacey Scurrah, and Nate Soer
• One 14U Girls team - (A minimum of 12 positions available) Coaches: Ian Tan, Lili Cordeiro, and Corrina
• One 15U Girls team - (A minimum of 12 positions available) Coach: Xedric Claveria
• One 16U Girls team - (A minimum of 12 positions available) Coaches: Marilyn Flores, and Irvin Flores
• One 17U Girls team - (A minimum of 12 positions available) Coaches: Jeffrey Vuong, and Linda Schmidt
• One 18U Girls team - (A minimum of 12 positions available) Coaches: Bryan Sales, and Rylan Sales

Coaches and teams are subject to changes due to unforeseen circumstances.

The teams will be divided by ability.

Each team will have 10 to 15 players depending on the coaches’ decisions.

WHAT ARE THE AGE CATEGORIES FOR CLUB VOLLEYBALL?

Volleyball BC and Volleyball Canada have established these age categories for the 2027 season:

• 12U - Athletes born in 2015 (Note: 12u's will be combined with the 13u age category)
• 13U - Athletes born in 2014
• 14U - Athletes born September 1, 2012 to December 31, 2013
• 15U - Athletes born September 1, 2011to December 31, 2012
• 16U - Athletes born September 1, 2010 to December 31, 2011
• 17U - Athletes born September 1, 2009 to December 31, 2010
• 18U* - Athletes born September 1, 2008 to December 31, 2009 (*team may also take up to 2 athletes born in 2007)

Some athletes may attend tryouts in two age categories to increase their chances of being selected if they are born September to December e.g. a player born in 2012 may try out for the 15U but if their birthday falls on September to December, they may also try out for the 14U team as well.  The athlete would have to register separately for both age groups tryouts.

DOES FOCUS OFFER A HOUSE LEAGUE?

Focus Volleyball Club is offering a house league for 14u girls for the 2027 season.  It will consist of two to four teams.

WHAT COMPETITIONS/TOURNAMENTS DO FOCUS TEAMS ATTEND?

Each team will participate in 4 to 6 tournaments, including the season-end Provincial Championships in late April or early May.  Some teams will also participate in some playdays, which are mini inter-club tournaments.  Teams also have the option of participating in a post-season event such as National championships. There are  tournamentsoffered by Volleyball BC (VBC) or other clubs.  Teams that are competing in the lower divisions of play do have the option of avoiding travel, participating in local events.  The Focus Club aims to send our teams to at least 2 of the 3 Super Series tournament events, which are run by Volleyball BC, one of which will require travel to Vancouver Island or the Interior. The results from these Super Series events are used to determine seeding going into the Provincial Championships. If teams choose to attend all 3 Super Series events, additional travel will be required. In addition, coaches may choose other club tournament/playday events depending on their remaining team budget.  Coaches will send out a tentative seasonal competition schedule to those athletes who are selected to receive an offer to join their respective team. Teams going to provincials will attend all of the required qualifying events. (e.g. 13u/14u teams will attend their respective regional championships_ 

Tournaments take place on the weekends (Saturday/Sunday).  A typical tournament day runs from around 8:30am to 6pm.  The second tournament day often finishes earlier to allow visiting teams to travel home.  Local tournaments may be one day events.

Teams may also organize additional playdays to attend.

WHAT ARE THE KEY COMPETITION DATES FOR THE 2027 SEASON?

Coming soon....  Volleyball BC (www.volleyballbc.org)  has posted their 2027 Competition Schedule which shows all Volleyball BC events.  All teams will attend provincials and the Super Series Lower Mainland or Super Series Fraser Valley events.  Coaches will then select other tournaments from a list of available VBC tournaments and other Non-VBC events.

WHAT CAN AN ATHLETE DO IF THEY ARE UNABLE TO ATTEND A TRYOUT?

If you are unable to attend one of the scheduled tryouts, you can contact info@focusvolleyball.ca to make alternate arrangements, provided the tryouts have not ended. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to accommodate you.  Athletes attending an alternate tryout must do so during the established season of play.

INFORMATION ON COACHES

WHAT IS REQUIRED OF OUR COACHES?

Our coaches are screened and must have completed:

• a Criminal Record Check
• Safe Sport Training Module
• Making Headway in Sports (Concussion protocol) training
• Making Ethical Decisions
• Volleyball Coaching (as required by Volleyball BC)

All of our coaches are expected to be part of the National Coaching Certification program.

In addition, our coaches are required to meet the coaching education requirements outlined by Volleyball BC.  This involves sport specific courses.  By the end of their second year of club coaching, we expect our coaches to be fully certified as a Development level coach through the National Coaches Certification Program (NCCP).

Still have a question that we haven't answered here, then email us.