Who doesn’t want to try volleyball for free? Following the Olympics, USA Volleyball regions, clubs and affiliates across the country will be letting people try just that! The initiative will be Saturday, Aug. 27, in gyms, schools and courts around the country. Want to know more about Open Court? Follow along:

WHAT IS OPEN COURT?

Open Court is a USA Volleyball promotion developed to take advantage of the Olympic momentum from our successful athletes and the Gold Map program. (For more on Gold Map, click here)

While Gold Map is a “find a place to play” initiative, Open Court is a one-day “try volleyball for free” promotion aimed to drive potential players to grassroots programs and facilities. This is a first-time program for USA Volleyball, but other National Governing Bodies have successfully turned Olympic-based growth programs like Open Court into an annual event that drives new athletes to the sport. USA Hockey conducts two “TryHockeyForFree.com” events a year, attracting thousands of kids to the rinks with incredible retention rates over the years.

WHERE DO I GO TO TAKE PART IN AN OPEN COURT?

A handful of clubs and facilities are starting to get on board for the Badger Region’s Open Court initiative. Click on the links below for details about the club/facilities/locations:
* Eau Claire: UW-Eau Claire McPhee Center, 509 University Drive, 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. (Hosted by UW-Eau Claire women’s volleyball who will hold an intrasquad scrimmage at 3 p.m. that day).  Click here to register for this location.
* Madison: Madison Turners, 3001 S. Stoughton Road, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Hosted by Madison Elite VBC).
* Oak Creek: Oak Creek High School, 340 E. Puetz Road, 5 to 7 p.m. (Hosted by the boys and girls high school teams at Oak Creek).
* Sheboygan: Sheboygan North High School, 1042 School Ave., 10 a.m. to noon (Hosted by Sheboygan North High School).
* Waukesha: Waukesha North High School, 2222 Michigan Ave., Noon to 3 p.m. (Hosted by Waukesha North High school ).
* Wauwatosa: St. Joseph School, 12130 W. Center St., 2 to 4 p.m. (Hosted by Sporting MKE Volleyball Club).

HOW DO I REGISTER FOR AN OPEN COURT EVENT?

If you played club volleyball (in any Region) during the 2015-16 season, you already have a membership and don’t need to sign any waivers for the Aug. 27 events. For those who did not play or coach during the 2015-16 club season, click here to be directed to the Open Court membership registration.

Registration for the event closes on Aug. 22, 2016.

CAN MY FACILITY/CLUB/SCHOOL HOST AN OPEN COURT LOCATION?

Yes, it can! If you are interested in having your club, school, university, facility, court, etc. be a part of the Open Court initiative, contact Brian Sharkey at the Badger Region office at brian@badgerarchive4.0ed61ed.netsolhost.com or call 262-349-9785.

#USAVOpenCourt

FIND A CLUB

See below to find a club close to your zip code