Conducting a session for middle school girls to check out material on the volleyball program can generate considerable interest in the program. A school athletics information session for seventh-grade girls volleyball can invite girls from the seventh grade as well as the sixth grade, since these are the groups of students that the seventh-grade volleyball program is drawn from. The information session should tell the students the benefits of joining the volleyball team. For example, it can mention the health benefits that come from playing sports and the ability to play near the beach (if your school is actually located near a beach). When advertising the information session, use posters and announcements that appeal to the tastes of seventh-graders. For example, use contemporary pop music in audio announcements.
If you already have some members for your team, you can get them more involved with the team by having a training camp. In a training camp, you take the girls out for two or three nights on a weekend (for example, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights). Each night, the girls get three to four hours of intense volleyball practice. At the end of the experience, the girls may feel more committed and dedicated to the team. Both of these factors will contribute to the team's success in both player retention and in tournaments.
A volleyball festival is much like a volleyball recruitment session, except that the specific strategy for attracting talent involves a party-like environment rather than information. In this activity, you host a party somewhere in or around the school (ideally in the gymnasium, unless the school has access to a better outdoor location nearby) and allow the girls to try playing volleyball while they listen to music and enjoy refreshments. The point is to get the girls to associate volleyball with a fun, social time, which is crucial for attracting teens and pre-teens who have so many social priorities outside of school.
Volleyball clinics are in-depth sessions where external experts come in to help team members improve their skills. Unlike training camps, which give the students group training, clinics give the students in-depth, one-on-one training and advice. Because of the nature of clinics, they usually involve hiring an outside consultant to provide the training, unless the volleyball coach has experience with one-on-one training. Clinics are best for developing your girls volleyball team members who are already dedicated but need that extra edge to compete more effectively.