BACKGROUND on the "Pledge"

The NC Fair Tryout Pledge was originally formed prior to the 2021 club season to provide athletes and families confidence that the North Carolina clubs that adopted and agree to adhere to the principles of the pledge would make a fair tryout experience a priority for athletes. Dozens of clubs signed the pledge.

Prior to the 2022 club season a few larger clubs in North Carolina announced they were running early tryouts for high school aged athletes. In the absence of enforceable tryout calendar restrictions, many clubs had no choice but to follow suit. In an effort to create a collaboration of like-minded clubs who prioritize the athlete experience and an equal opportunity tryout and team selection process we revisited the NC Fair Tryout Pledge prior to the 2023 club season to broaden its scope.

The 2022/2023 NC Fair Tryout Pledge seeks to define tryout periods, establish ground rules for conduct aimed at protecting both clubs and athletes, and seek to deter those clubs who employ unethical practices and pressure tactics to manipulate athletes during tryouts.

• Over the last decade some areas of the country have seen club tryouts shift to prior to or during the high school season. While recognizing the trend, we who are signing this pledge believe it is equally important that every effort be made to avoid creating a direct conflict for athletes with their high school season, the ending of their prior club season, and their desire to attend summer college camps for the purposes of training and recruitment.

• It is worth noting that those signing this pledge agree that having tryouts prior to the high school season is not meant to signal the official “start” of the club season.

• Early tryouts do, in essence, erase the ‘break’ many athletes previously chose to take in July. For most playing at the club level, it’s undeniable that volleyball has become a year-round sport and scheduling breaks during the club season can help combat burn-out, escalating injury risk, etc. that the summer break helped to provide.

• Club tryouts are a significant stressor for athletes. The hope is that with collaboration on dates and adherence to fair tryout practices, athletes can settle their club decision with more choice and less stress. Athletes can then move beyond club tryouts to invest fully in their high school or middle school seasons.

• We believe that club's collaborating, adopting and adhering to this pledge will lead to a higher standard for club conduct during tryouts. Our goal is for this standard to translate into club families adopting higher expectations of the clubs they choose to consider.