A Note From the TCE Board
A Note From the TCE Board
To our Dearest TCE Families,
Beginning with this program season, TCE will be stepping away from the traditional full-season club model and moving toward a more flexible, development-focused approach. Instead of asking families to commit to a full club season, we will be creating shorter opportunities for athletes to learn, develop, and enjoy volleyball through youth programs, developmental teams, camps, clinics, lessons, and other short-term programs.
This is a meaningful change for TCE, but it comes from something we believe strongly in: volleyball should be accessible to everyone.
The traditional club model requires a large infrastructure of coaches, administrators, facilities, tournament commitments, and volunteers. For a community-based organization like TCE, maintaining that structure while keeping costs accessible to families has become increasingly difficult. Especially while striving to provide a comparable experience to larger programs. Rather than continuing in that direction, we're choosing a model that allows us to remain community-focused, financially accessible, and sustainable.
One of the biggest opportunities we see is introducing volleyball to kids before middle school.
For many children, volleyball simply isn't on their radar yet. They may not have a chance to play until they reach middle school, and by then, they're being asked to learn the sport alongside athletes who may already have years of experience.
We want to change that.
A major focus of TCE's new direction will be building volleyball opportunities for younger athletes, particularly those in Kindergarten through 6th grade. Our goal is to create a place where kids can be introduced to volleyball, develop fundamental skills, and discover whether this is a sport they love — all in an environment that is fun, welcoming, and affordable.
For our youngest athletes in Kindergarten through 3rd grade, we are developing short, skill-focused youth programs designed to introduce the fundamentals of volleyball in an age-appropriate and fun way. These programs will give kids the opportunity to get on the court, learn new skills, and experience volleyball without the commitment of a traditional club season.
For our 4th through 6th grade athletes, we will continue building development opportunities that allow players to grow their skills and begin experiencing more of the team side of volleyball.
For the next 1–2 seasons, TCE plans to take a break from traditional full-season club teams while we focus on building this new model and creating opportunities that better serve our community.
We believe there is something really valuable in giving families the ability to choose the level of commitment that works for them.
Maybe your child wants to try volleyball for the first time.
Maybe they want a few weeks of skill development.
Maybe they discover that they absolutely love it and want to keep going.
We want TCE to be a place where all of those paths can exist.
And while our focus is shifting, our commitment to volleyball and to our community is not.
We will continue offering opportunities throughout the year, including youth programs, development opportunities, camps, clinics, lessons, and other ways for athletes to get on the court and grow their love of the game.
We are excited about this next chapter for TCE — and especially about the possibility of putting a volleyball in the hands of kids who haven't had the opportunity to play yet.
Thank you for being part of the TCE family and for continuing to believe in our mission to grow volleyball in our community.
We can't wait to see where this next chapter takes us.
With appreciation,
Twin Cities Elite Volleyball