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Following on from contacts made at the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) convention last December we have been invited by the Amateur Athletic Union of the United States to send an under-18 womens team to its 2019 AAU National Tournament in Orlando, Florida, on 21-24 June.

In a fast-track pace to assemble the squad in less than 90 days, VbDC have already put together a coaching and administration team and will conduct the first training session on 15 April.

In order to put a competitive team into the International Division of the 180-court tournament, VbDC will attempt to arrange several weekend training sessions, a final try-out session, and as many days of intensive training just prior to departing for the tournament as possible.

The value of participation in the tournament for athletes of a high skill level cannot be underestimated; some 600 US university volleyball coaches and scouts attend the tournament in order to spot potential candidates for their teams.

Interested players should contact VbDC as soon as possible before 5 April in order to obtain a prospectus, and to put their name on the weekly updates e-mail list.

A former VbDC camper and mentor will be travelling to Minneapolis in December to take part in a showcase of talent before scouts and coaches at the American Volleyball Coaches Association convention.

Ben Lucas, a member of the England U-19 squad, will participate in the showcase with other young men who are looking for scholarships to play at US universities. Lucas is the third male VbDC alumnus to have received offers to play on a sports scholarship in America, but he is the first to use the AVCA showcase to broaden awareness of his volleyball skills among university recruiters.

At the showcase, athletes are taken to a closed gym to participate in a variety of drills and activities that display their skills. Lucas plans to attend university in autumn 2019.

It’s nearly convention time again, we will shortly be getting our winter clothes ready for a trip to Minneapolis

We here at VbDC have been members of the American Volleyball Coaches Association – @AVCAVolleyball – for almost as long as we have been running camps. We first attended the AVCA Convention in 2010 and have attended as often as we can ever since. The convention and all the associated events is a great opportunity to pick up on all the latest trends and tactics in the game as well as seeing the latest products not to mention the numerous networking opportunities.

Over the years the number of international coaches attending the convention has steadily increased. To further grow that number the AVCA are offering a discount of $330 off the full convention price to coaches travelling from Great Britain.

This year the convention and NCAA Finals are in Minneapolis between December 12th and 16th and the all important discount code you need is –

2018AVCAGreatBritain

If you are heading to Minneapolis this year, drop us a line so that we can meet up for a coffee.