As the 2009 Club Volleyball season is about to begin, we are pleased to announce that the Rogue Valley Volleyball Club and mOcean Volleyball Club have agreed to merge into one club. Over the past couple of years, Josh Rolfing (Head Coach at SOU) and Ron Beick have discussed the benefits of combining our programs so that the players in Southern Oregon would enjoy the benefits of such a program. Players in the Portland, Salem, Bend and Eugene areas have the opportunity to play in a large scale program. Josh and I agree that the volleyball players in Southern Oregon should have this same advantage.

The Benefits

Coaches – A combined club provides a larger number of coaches to serve all of the players.

Coach Training – This merger allows all of the coaches to participate in a coach training program. This training opportunity will help to elevate the competitive level of all the high school programs in our area. Over time, these programs will become more competitive at the state level.

Team Quality – When teams are formed from a larger pool of players, each player has a better opportunity to train with players with a similar ability.

Team Opportunities – An increased player pool also allows for more teams to be formed at a variety of levels. An elite travel team, multiple Power League teams along with significant number of local teams will give all of our players more opportunities to play on teams at their ability level. 

Friendships – One benefit players in a large club have is the opportunity to train with and become friends with players from a variety of schools. From my experience of running multiple large clubs, I know that this benefit will provide special memories for many players.

Costs – Overall, the two clubs used a similar cost structure. Therefore, the overall expenses per player will not differ significantly with this new structure.

Travel/Practice Locations – When teams are formed, the coaching staff will take into account where a player lives, so that parents will not have to drive far to practice each night. The club will organize special practice nights where all of the teams in an age group go to one site for a clinic or scrimmage. The combined club has been able to secure a large number of practice facilities in Southern Oregon to better serve all of the players. Power League teams may practice in more than one location, depending on the final make-up of the team (where those players live).

Name - Since mOcean VBC already has been properly set up as a not-for-profit entity, it would be not make financial sense to change names. Rogue Valley VBC functions under the club account system at North Medford HS, so it would have to pay to go through the process to set itself up as a not-for-profit enterprise. Therfore, using the mOcean name provideds a variety of benefits to everyone involved.