As a volleyball club, providing a well-executed recruiting program for athletes and families is within our wheelhouse and should be a key part of the services we offer to our clientele. The program can be adapted to a club at all levels, regardless of size and personnel. Utilizing the fundamentals of the program and adapting it into your club culture, mission and goals are the keys to its success. It will take commitment from leadership in regards to manpower, resources and time. Our belief is that clubs can be the primary resource for athletes and their families to effectively be recruited.

In addition to the tools we will be sharing…this will also be a challenge to clubs that have been ‘mulling’ this over to take the next steps in kicking-off a full fledged recruiting resource for their athletes. What it looks like is up to you! We do not claim to have all the answers…just some time tested truths and programming that has been successful.

The program consists of five keys:

Key 1: Mission/Vision/Values

Key 2: Resources

Key 3: The Process

Key 4: Expectations

Key 5: Trust/Integrity

We will begin with the first TWO KEYS.

1. Mission/Vision/Values

You must begin with the development of your ‘club mission/vision/values statement’. Your MVV should communicate the WHY you do what you do, WHO you are and WHERE are you headed! Take the time to collaborate with your key staff and develop a statement that reflects your overall vision as a club. VISION is crucial to the future of your program. It’s keeps you focused on where your club is going and what you can do as a club to keep moving forward and offering the best of your resources to your families.

2. Resources

What resources do you need to effectively implement a program? Are you willing to allocate time, finances and personnel? Many ‘resources’ are already within your club and with some ‘key’ adjustments and knowledge can make implementing a program or propelling your program to the next level an easier task.

There is a lot of information to be shared and this will be a two-part article with the goal of prompting questions and feedback. We are sharing the first two slides that prompted much discussion in our presentation and take a healthy amount of discovery, commitment and execution.

For related reading on the volleyball recruiting process click here. For more recruiting education click here.

About the Author

Patty Costlow is the Recruiting Coordinator for Munciana Volleyball, a long time JVA member club located in Muncie, Indiana. She has been involved in the sport of volleyball at various levels for over 30 years (club coach, program director, program development, semi-pro beach and indoor player). Utilizing her 30+ years of experience in both playing and coaching/teaching the sport of volleyball, it was a natural progression for her to transition into the recruiting arena. Patty brings her passion for developing leaders and helping young athletes pursue their life goals to all aspects of her responsibilities as the Recruiting Coordinator for one of the top clubs in the country. She developed a comprehensive program for Munciana VBC and speaks on a national level to parents/athletes in regards to collegiate recruiting. In addition, Patty consults with volleyball clubs on building their recruiting programs. Patty is a mother of four and resides in Carmel, Indiana with her husband, Chris. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois.