What is USA Volleyball?
USA Volleyball is the national governing body for volleyball in the United States, recognised by both the FIVB and the USOPC. It was founded in 1928 at the Yale Club in New York City as the United States Volleyball Association, making it one of the oldest national federations in the sport.[1] [2]
What does it govern?
Four disciplines under one body — indoor, beach, sitting volleyball (the Paralympic form) and snow. It issues the individual memberships required to play sanctioned volleyball, certifies coaches and officials, sanctions events, and administers SafeSport and anti-doping. Membership runs to more than 400,000 people organised through 40 Regional Volleyball Associations.[1] [3]
What competitions does it run?
The USA Volleyball Open and Adult Championships, the Girls' and Boys' Junior National Championships and their qualifiers — among the largest youth sports events in the United States — the USA Volleyball Beach Tour, and the national rankings behind them.[1] [3]
How does it select national teams?
Indoor and beach work differently, and the difference is worth knowing. Indoor teams are named by the coaching staff against selection procedures filed with the USOPC; the pipeline runs through the National Team Development Program, which explicitly holds no tryouts — athletes are identified by a nationwide scouting network at qualifiers and championships and then invited. Beach is more objective: the national team is composed of athletes meeting published minimum thresholds on USA Volleyball's internal Elo rating system, alongside athletes identified on results and at camps, and the age-group beach teams do hold formal trials.[3] [4]
Why does it matter?
Because it is the single gate into sanctioned volleyball in the country — membership, event sanctioning, officiating and every national team from sitting volleyball to the senior indoor squad run through it, and the junior championships it stages are the recruiting ground for the American college game.[1] [3]
References
- USA Volleyball — about. Accessed August 2026.
- USA Volleyball — John Speraw named President & CEO. Accessed August 2026.
- USA Volleyball — National Team Development Program. Accessed August 2026.
- USA Volleyball — Beach National Team. Accessed August 2026.