National Championship Guidelines – Individual Pairs

MISSION STATEMENT: The BVCA was created in an effort to unite all beach volleyball clubs across America and provide a competitive environment for athletes to compete as a “team” on the National stage. Together we hope to grow the game, promote and protect our athletes, improve our programs, and work together to increase the level of juniors’ beach volleyball in the United States. 

General Information

  • BVCA events are club-based competitions. Athletes compete with and for their club throughout the season.
  • BVCA events include:
    • Club vs. Club Events
    • Club vs. Club National Championship (July)
    • Individual Pairs National Championships (July)
  • All points, rankings, and match results are earned on behalf of an athlete’s designated club.
  • BVCA discourages “club jumping.” Athletes may not compete with partners outside their club at BVCA-sanctioned events.
  • BVCA reserves the right to refuse registration or participation to any club or individual at any BVCA-sanctioned event.

BVCA Annual Individual Membership

Required for all athletes participating in BVCA events

  • Athletes must register for a BVCA Annual Individual Membership:
    https://bvca.volleyballlife.com/member/levels
  • Membership confirms the athlete practices and competes with one specified club for the season.
  • 2026 Season Dates: August 1, 2026 – July 31, 2027

Purpose of Membership

The BVCA Membership:The BVCA Individual Membership Program helps identify and connect junior beach volleyball players across the United States while tracking the clubs they represent. Through individual memberships, BVCA is able to build a national player and club database that supports consistent competition, rankings, and event organization nationwide.

BVCA uses the TruVolley ranking system to track individual player performance and establish rankings for players and teams. This system allows BVCA to provide more accurate seeding, better competitive matchups, and consistent rankings across all BVCA events while giving athletes and clubs a way to track their performance throughout the season

  • Identifies beach volleyball athletes nationwide
  • Tracks club affiliation
  • Supports the BVCA national points and rankings system
  • Determines event seeding for all BVCA competitions

Membership Benefits

  • Enforced national rules and standards across all BVCA club events
  • A true club-based competition model (same-club partnerships only)
  • Access to:
    • Club challenges (5-team and 3-team squads)
    • Pairs events restricted to same-club athletes

Coaching Policies

Coach Eligibility

Coaching Limits & Match Conduct for the individual pairs

  • Maximum of 2 coaches in the box during the match
  • Coaching locations allowed: positions 1–3 or 1–5.
  • Coaches may:
    • Coach during side changes (walk-and-talk while athletes switch sides; 6 seconds)
    • Coach during time-outs
    • Suggest time-outs
    • Dead Ball coaching is allowed.
  • Coaches may NOT:
    • Instruct athletes to dispute calls
    • Approach referees with questions
    • Engage with opposing coaches or directors during competition
    • Engage in negative banter or disagreements before or after matches

Communication with Officials

  • Only a pair’s captain may speak to the referee.
  • Coaches with questions regarding officiating must go directly to the Tournament Director or lead official in charge of refereeing 

Parent Restrictions

  • Parents may not coach from the sidelines.
  • Parents may not call out the score and yell at the ref

Disciplinary Action for Coaches

  • First offense: Warning issued by the Tournament Director
  • Continued behavior could result in the following:
    • Coach is ejected from the match
    • Coach is removed from the event for the day
    • Current match will be forfeited

Zero-Tolerance Policies

  • Aggressive or excessive profanity directed at a coach, parent, or player results in immediate removal from the event.
  • Any physical altercation will be handled by law enforcement.

Dress Code & Uniform Requirements

Athlete Uniforms

  • Each athlete must visibly represent their club via name or logo on either the top or bottom.
  • Club identification must be clearly visible to spectators and coaches during matches.
  • Recommended competition attire includes:
    • Shorts or leggings
    • Tank tops, performance tops, or t-shirts
  • Bikini tops or bottoms are NOT permitted in competition.

Coach Dress Code

  • Coaches must dress professionally at all times.
  • Required standards:
    • Male coaches must wear shirts.
  • Prohibited attire:
    • Male tank tops
    • Bikini tops or bottoms

Contest Rules Reference

BVCA follows AVCA contest rules:
https://www.ncaa.org/championships/playing-rules/beach-volleyball-playing-rules/ 

Disqualification Policy

  • BVCA events operate under the highest standards of integrity.
  • If a club or participant is found to have:
    • Violated guidelines
    • Provided false or misleading information

BVCA reserves the right to:

  • Disqualify the team and/or athlete
  • Withhold all club points
  • Deny refunds to disqualified participants

National Championship Bids & Registration (Individuals)

Bid Requests

  • Beach Directors request bids January 15 – April 1 via the BVCA website.
  • A waitlist is published after the request period ends.

Bid Allocation Timeline

  • Bids awarded: Mid April
  • Waitlist bids awarded (if available): June

Bid Philosophy

  • Clubs are encouraged to award bids to athletes who:
    • Demonstrate excellence
    • Are recruitable and/or college-committed

Registration & Payment

  • Clubs receiving bids will be given a payment deadline in May
  • Unpaid bids by the deadline are forfeited to waitlisted clubs.
  • Club Directors are responsible for team registration.

Bid Quantity

  • Bid numbers are determined using a Tier System, considering:
    • Years of BVCA participation
    • Club size
    • Past National finishes
    • Strength of club based on previous finishes in the CVC
    • Number of committed players
    • Ranking and qualifying for Club vs. Club

Roster Deadlines

  • All National Championship rosters must be finalized by July 1 in Volleyball Life.
  • All athletes must hold a current BVCA Individual Membership.

Athlete Eligibility Guidelines for Individual Nationals

  • Clubs are encouraged to only award bids to athletes who attend a minimum of 10 club practices.
  • Exceptions due to extenuating circumstances must be approved via email:
    [email protected]

Out-of-Area Athletes

  • Athletes living more than 100 miles from a club’s training location are considered Out-of-Area Athletes.
  • Clubs may roster a maximum of 4 actively participating Out-of-Area Athletes per year for individual pairs. 
  • Out-of-Area Athletes must be registered using the designated BVCA process.
  • Click here to register your out-of-area athletes
  • Out of region players will be posted on the website to be transparent by club affiliation

Club Affiliation Restrictions

  • Athletes may not switch clubs between May 1 – July 31 (dead period).
  • Clubs may not award individual bids before BVCA officially allocates them.

Additional Requirements

Awards

  • Best in Beach: Awarded to the club earning the highest total points in each age division.
  • Points awarded to Gold Division club finishes:
    • 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 9th, and 17th
  • National Champions:
    • U12
    • U14
    • U16
    • U18