Suwanee Sports Academy and A5 Partnership Information

We are excited to announce that Suwanee Sports Academy and A5 Volleyball Club are joining forces in an innovative step for club volleyball in the Southeast. Through the partnership a new club will be launched for the 2008/2009 USAV club season. The new club will be a sister club to the existing A5 Club.

>>>Read Press Release

>>>Meet the GA5 Club Director, Rob Lutz

>>>Meet A5 Founder, Bob Westbrook

>>>GA5 Mission and Goals

** UPDATE **

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Stop by and meet the new club director. Ask questions or just find out more about this exciting new step for club volleyball in Metro-Atlanta.

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FAQs

What is Club Volleyball?
Club volleyball is the term used to describe the competition circuit devised and operated by the USAV (United States Association of Volleyball) at the Junior Olympic level. Teams are based on age and range from 18-and-under to 12-and-under. Tournaments are held throughout the United States, finishing with a National Tournament that crowns champions for each age bracket (18s, 17s, 16s, 15s, 14s, 13s, 12s). There are currently over 200,000 girls playing on club teams throughout the nation.

What is GA-5?
GA-5 is a girls’ volleyball club that practices at Suwanee Sports Academy two evenings a week. The focus of the club will be to train players to become whole players with the physical, emotional, and mental tools that will help them succeed on and off the court. The club will consist of 12 teams for the 2008-2009 season, with each team consisting of ten to twelve players.

What is the relationship between GA-5 and A5 Pure Volleyball Club?
GA-5 and A5 are two separate, competitive volleyball clubs who are aligned in the process of teaching and training female volleyball players. A5’s rise to the top of southern volleyball has happened in a relatively short time span (4 seasons). GA-5 seeks to utilize a similar business model and training methodology (both clubs are trained using VolleyPerformance) with the full support of A5.

The clubs consider themselves ‘sisters’ in their efforts to provide life lessons through the game of volleyball. By focusing on the process of providing each player and her family with a positive experience, GA-5 and A5 believe strongly that a successful product will be produced. Coaching methodology and resources will be shared between the two clubs in an effort to support growth of national caliber volleyball in the Metro Atlanta area. Both clubs will compete on a national level with travel schedules tailored to each team.

Is one club a ‘feeder system’ for the other?
Absolutely not. Players and their families now have the opportunity to train and compete nationally for clubs based upon their geographic location.

What are the benefits to joining GA-5?
Athletes will receive the same training approach that has made A5 a nationally recognized premier volleyball club. Practice and training will take place at one of the best facilities in the country. Located in one of the fastest growing counties in the U.S., the Gwinnett area is poised to quickly become a hotbed for girls’ volleyball.

What is the travel schedule like for GA-5?
The schedule has not been established completely and changes slightly from season to season. Players that make the top team in their age bracket can expect to compete at 9-10 tournaments during the season: 2 to 3 Junior Olympic National Qualifier tournaments, as well as 7 or 8 local or regional tournaments. One of the Qualifiers will be in Atlanta, others may include locations such as: Texas, Indiana, Maryland or other locations determined by the USAV. The second and third teams within a given age bracket will play in a like number of tournaments, but just one or two qualifiers.

Careful consideration of travel costs is taken into account when selecting a team’s travel schedule, with efforts made to keep costs as low as possible while maintaining a national level of competitive play.

What are the costs associated with GA-5?
GA-5 is a non-profit organization that seeks to compete at the highest levels on a national stage. All club costs are a reflection of gym rental fees, uniforms, coaching compensation and other expenses associated with running a nationally recognized volleyball club.

Travel fees will vary on a team-by- team basis and are designed to pass on the direct costs associated with traveling: airfare, charter, car rental, hotel rooms, coaching per diem, tournament fees and other miscellaneous expenses. This guarantees that teams that travel less aren’t forced to contribute to other team’s travel budgets. Travel fees are based upon a “best guess” philosophy (previous years’ costs are part of this calculation) and will be collected at the same time as the club fees. If the travel fees collected are not enough to cover expenses for a team, families of that team will be charged the additional costs as soon as a shortage is detected. Conversely, if an excess of what is spent is collected, families will be reimbursed accordingly.

Can I play another sport?
Yes. Although time demands placed upon the serious, multi-sport athlete are extremely high, GA-5 supports any girl willing to make this commitment. It’s not for everyone though, and it is important to communicate all game and practice conflicts with coaches and teammates.