Monday, June 1, 2020
 
To All Club Directors, Parents, Families, and Members of SCVA:
 
As referenced in our communication on April 24^th, a “return to play” task force has established by USA Volleyball to create a comprehensive roadmap to safely restart USAV’s sanctioning of activities when it is appropriate.  The task force has been meeting diligently and gathering information from United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), medical experts, government entities, volleyball clubs and other national governing bodies to help pave our course of action.  At this point, the group believes that it is premature to safely commence play and thus USA Volleyball is extending the elimination of sanctions for all USA Volleyball activities (including but not limited to events, practices, team activities, individual training sessions or anything covered by USA Volleyball insurance) through May 15, 2020. See attachment for updated policy.
Virtual training/coaching/instruction/meetings are permitted during this period of sanction suspension. Any virtual training/coaching/instruction/
meetings involving minors are subject to requirements of MAAPP, specifically the regulations on electronic communications and one-on-one interactions. These requirements include the following:

1. All virtual trainings/coaching/meetings must be “observable and interruptible,” able to be ended at any time, and have at least two applicable adults on each session, i.e., coach and assistant, coach and club director, etc.
2. All parents/guardians must be provided the code or link to join the virtual session.
3. All parents/guardians must sign a waiver in advance as these sessions could be viewed as individual training. A record of which clubs/coaches have been approved to conduct these sessions should be kept. USAV has created a standardized waiver form if you care to use it.
4. If a minor athlete ends up emailing a video to a coach for feedback or additional coaching, the coach needs to copy the parent/guardian and/or other applicable adult on all correspondences.

To be clear, virtual training/coaching/instruction/meetings will only be considered sanctioned so long as the above requirements are followed.
USA Volleyball has been asked by local clubs whether such ban applies to club activities covered under the club’s own (non-USA Volleyball) insurance. In these situations, USA Volleyball strongly encourages all member clubs and coaches to adhere to USA Volleyball’s policies. However, should a club decide to voluntarily disregard those policies and assume all risks associated therewith, we recommend that the club adhere to CDC; local, state and federal guidelines and recommendations when deciding whether or not to host practices or individual training sessions. If a club does host practice or individual training sessions, those activities would be considered a non-sanctioned activity by USA Volleyball and thus NOT covered by USA Volleyball insurance.

The health and welfare of our membership, volleyball families and fellow citizens is our primary concern in all decisions we are making during these uncharted times.

USA Volleyball is monitoring the situation daily and will continue to provide updates on a regular basis.

The challenges we face today and in the near future are unlike anything we’ve ever seen, or could have ever even imagined. We’d like to first thank all of our SCVA family members who are also first responders, doctors, hospital employees, delivery drivers, grocery workers, and various other civil servants. You’re true heroes and our communities’ rocks in these confusing and uncertain times.

While the COVID-19 pandemic reshapes our lives on a seemingly daily basis, the SCVA isn’t any different. We’re constantly evolving and striving, in myriad ways, to provide as much continued activity and support for our athletes and families as possible. Thank you for the encouragement, positivity, patience, and understanding during this extremely fluid phenomenon. As you know by now, the novel coronavirus forces us to respond to new information, rather than predict, making some questions difficult or even impossible to answer at the moment. However, one thing we can promise, is that we will always respond. We will never stop finding ways for SCVA members to enjoy the game that they love, safely.
 
We’ve received a number of questions from families regarding club fees and club refunds. While all SCVA clubs are encouraged to operate with the utmost transparency, it must be understood that the structure, management, and operations of each club can vary as they’re all run independently. We encourage you to reach out to your specific club’s leadership team with any questions regarding your independent player contract. But please be patient. Club Directors and staff are dealing with a lot right now. As we all are.
 
While it’s best to contact your club with most questions, we wanted to answer some of the more frequently asked questions in the meantime. Here’s a few:

 1. Cancelled 2019/2020 Season
 It is with great sadness that we must cancel the postponed and remaining tournaments for the scheduled 2019/2020. Refunds for these cancelled events are being calculated and processed at this time. 
 
2. Will there be some form of a refund given back to families by clubs?
It is possible that some form of a refund will come to families from clubs, but every club is built differently and we cannot comment on your club specifically. We encourage you to communicate with your club leadership, if they have not yet proactively communicated with you already. What we can say is that refund distribution, if applicable, and the size of the refund, depends on the specific club you play for, not to mention a number of other factors—many of which, do not have clear answers yet. More clarity will emerge with time. Please note that any refunds administered to you by your club are independent of any monthly billing/charges (see next question for more info). 
 
3. Why are clubs still charging/billing monthly amounts?
Please refer to your specific club’s player agreement/contract. The majority of families playing club volleyball have already finalized their payments and paid in full for the 2019-2020 season. As a courtesy, many clubs offer extended payment plans. These are not monthly service charges. These are payment plans for dollars committed to be paid at the start of the club season, much like a purchasing agreement for a smartphone or car. Most, if not all, of these payment plans were put in place to help make club volleyball more accessible. Clubs are within their right to continue charging monthly amounts for extended payment plans while you are also within your right to contact your club about adjusting your payment plan schedule. If you have a genuine need to adjust your current plan as a result of COVID-19, we are confident clubs will be understanding and work with you accordingly. As previously mentioned, it will be a case-by-case scenario, as all clubs and situations are different. Please note that while any and all refunds are independent of monthly billing, most clubs are likely or willing to apply credit toward future payments/billing. In the rare case of an overage charge, actual monies should be refunded to families.

4. Returning players, movement on rosters and transfers
We will be offering optional tournaments for those that would like to participate. We do know that your teams would need time to practice prior to the start of play, so we would not begin playing until the first week of July. We do understand that some locations cannot physically get into their facilities to practice or come together as a group. We will be offering days from Thursday  thru Sunday. We also know that all of the players will not be able to play, therefore we will be unlocking the rosters for movement of players. The membership season extends through August 31. Movement between clubs will be allowed only if a club is not returning to participate in these summer events and has closed its doors for the remainder of the season. That club would also need to send an email to karynn@scvavolleyball.org indicating their approval of any transfer for individual players or for all players in their club). 

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work together through the coronavirus pandemic. While it’s been confusing, challenging, difficult, shocking, and downright depressing, it’s also been inspiring and encouraging. We’ve seen people from all over the volleyball community come together and support each other in unprecedented ways. We are wounded, no doubt. But the wounds will heal, and we’ll be back on the court someday soon. The only real difference will be that we’re a little stronger, and a lot more together.
We look forward to building a better volleyball future in Southern California with you!
-The SCVA


The SCVA hopes that all of our families remain safe and healthy during this pandemic.  Please follow the guidelines set forth from the World Health Organization and Center for Disease Control and Prevention to help slow the spread of COVID-19.  The CDC highly recommends the following actions be taken to prevent the spread of the virus:

1. Avoid getting close to anyone coughing or sneezing.
2. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water.
3. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
4. Cover your mouth with a tissue or your elbow if you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue away, and then wash your hands.
5. Stay home if you are sick.
6. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces.
7. Monitor the WHO and CDC websites for travel advisories.