Junior Development Program (JDP)

Please do not register with the club until you have received a confirmation email with all the process details.

The HVC Junior Development Program promotes the development of the fundamental skills of volleyball to upper primary and secondary school aged students in a fun and social setting. It is designed to give students the opportunities to participate in weekly games and various tournaments run throughout the year. It is the foundation program set up to support and encourage participation in the sport with our club, in the hopes that students will want to pursue to such areas as the SVL and State Teams.

In the JDP sessions, you will learn a variety of the following fundamental skills and concepts:

Technical Skills

Serving: Introduction to underhand and/or overhand serves, focusing on proper stance, ball toss, and contact point for accuracy and consistency.
Passing (Bump/Forearm Pass): Techniques for receiving the ball using forearms, including platform formation, body positioning, and directing the ball to the setter.
Setting: Basics of overhead passing to prepare the ball for an attack, emphasizing finger placement, body alignment, and controlled ball trajectory.
Hitting (Spiking): Introduction to attacking the ball, including approach steps, jump mechanics, and arm swing for power and placement (often simplified for beginners).
Blocking: Basic defensive positioning at the net to stop opponents’ attacks, focusing on timing, hand placement, and court awareness.

Tactical and Strategic Skills

Court Positioning and Movement: Learning roles (e.g., setter, hitter, libero) and basic movement patterns like shuffling, transitioning, and rotating.

Team Dynamics

Communication and Teamwork: Developing on-court communication skills, such as calling the ball (“mine!”) and coordinating with teammates.
Game-Like Drills: Simple drills and modified games to practice skills in a controlled setting, often with smaller teams or adjusted rules to build confidence.

In these Intermediate sessions you build on your beginner skills with more advanced techniques, strategies, and teamwork.

Technical Skills

Refined Serving Techniques: Mastering overhand serves (float, topspin, or jump serves) with improved power, accuracy, and consistency, targeting specific zones.
Advanced Passing: Enhancing forearm passing precision under varied conditions (e.g., faster serves, off-angle balls) and introducing defensive digging techniques.
Setting Proficiency: Developing quicker, more accurate sets with proper hand positioning, footwork, and decision-making for varied offensive plays.
Hitting and Attacking: Learning complex spiking techniques, including approach angles, timing, and hitting variations (e.g., tips, roll shots, or off-speed hits).
Blocking Strategies: Improving timing and positioning for effective blocks, including reading the hitter, penetrating the net, and coordinated double/triple blocks.
Defensive Skills: Advancing floor defense with dives, rolls, and quick recovery movements, plus reading opponents’ attacks for better anticipation.

Tactical and Strategic Skills

Team Rotations and Systems: Understanding advanced rotations (e.g., 5-1 or 6-2 systems) and transitioning smoothly between offensive and defensive positions.
Offensive and Defensive Strategies: Learning basic plays like quick attacks, combination plays, and zone defense, plus adapting to opponents’ tactics.

Team Dynamics

Communication and Leadership: Strengthening on-court communication, calling plays, and fostering team synergy under pressure.
Game Situations and Scrimmages: Engaging in competitive drills and full games to apply skills, with focus on decision-making, situational awareness, and endurance.

2026 Program – Fees

There are 2 or 3 (deprending on what training option you choose) payment parts to this program.

1. Training fees (payable by the term only) Fees are dependent on the number of weeks per term. Usually around $180

2. Annual Registration Fees – A Volleyball Victoria Membership will also be required to purchase in 2026 to train or play with our club. The annual registration and insurance fees are payable to HVC and Volleyball Victoria $170 (returning players requiring no training or playing top) and new members start at $200. This includes a training top and a playing top if playing in social games and tournaments. Annual Volleyball Victoria fees are either $32.24 or $42.24 on top of HVC fees.

🏐 Join HVC Social Volleyball Games!

Looking for a fun and inclusive place to play volleyball? Our social volleyball games are open to all levels—whether you’re a beginner, an experienced player, or just looking to have a great time on the court!

✔ All skill levels welcome
✔ A fun and friendly atmosphere
✔ A great way to stay active and meet new people

Come connect, play, and enjoy the game in a supportive and energetic environment with supportive coaches.

Teams available:

U14 mixed gender
U16 Boys or Girls
U18 Boys or Girls (currently not running due to low interest)

Currently we offer two venues to join the games:

📍Maribyrnong Sports Academy, 1 River St, Maribyrnong. Please enter via Gordon St.
📍PRACE: Merrilands Community Centre, 35 Sturdee St, Reservoir.

📅 Every Friday night between 5.00-9.00pm, during school terms only.

Games start at:

5.00pm for U14 mixed gender
6.00pm for U16 Girls
7.00pm for U16 Boys

💵 $15 per game (50 min) per player.

All participants must have valid Volleyball Victoria registration for 2026. Minimum required is a Recreational membership for social competitions.

Send expressions of interest to socialcomps@heidelbergvolleyballclub.com.au

Please include the player’s full name, DOB and level of skills. See you on the court! 🙌 🏐

Choose between the following 2 options:

2026 Junior Development Training (JDP) Training, Tournaments and Friday Night Social Games Membership – Regional/Local Tournaments, Social Competitions and Training.
2026 Junior Development (JDP) Training Only Membership (NO social games or tournaments) – Junior and Academy Training.

JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM TRAINING VENUE UPDATE:

OUR JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (JDP) RUNS DURING THE SCHOOL TERMS

TUESDAY PEGS (Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School) Keilor Rd & Rachelle Rd, Keilor East 6.00–7.30pm
WEDNESDAY Darebin Community Sports Stadium – Class 1 – THIS CLASS IS ALMOST AT CAPACITY 857 Plenty Rd, Reservoir 4.30–6.00pm
WEDNESDAY Darebin Community Sports Stadium – Class 2 857 Plenty Rd, Reservoir 6.00–7.30pm
THURSDAY Darebin Community Sports Stadium – THIS CLASS IS FULL FOR TERM 3 857 Plenty Rd, Reservoir 4.30–6.00pm
THURSDAY CLC (Catholic Ladies College) 19 Diamond St, Eltham (in the Sports Stadium) 5.30–7.00pm
THURSDAY PRACE – THIS CLASS IS FULL FOR TERM 3 35 Sturdee St, Reservoir 6.00–7.30pm
SUNDAY Eltham Leisure Centre – THIS CLASS IS ALMOST AT CAPACITY 49 Brougham St, Eltham 10.30am–12.00pm

Our JDP is designed to give players the opportunities to participate in weekly games and various junior tournaments run throughout the year.

It is the foundation program set up to support and encourage participation in the sport with our club, in the hope that players will want to pursue a pathway into the SVL, state teams and possibly beyond.

Sessions are conducted within each school term (school holiday breaks are observed) at a casual cost of $15 per session or an upfront term cost (calculated each term on number of sessions less one as a discount for upfront payment).

There are match play opportunities throughout the year via the one day junior tournaments (Sundays) and we enter teams into a Friday night junior competition at Maribyrnong.

Many of our junior development athletes (both male and female) have gone on to represent the club in the Victorian Volleyball League, the state at the national junior and state championships, as well as representing Australia in international competitions.

DEVELOPMENT SQUAD PROGRAM: To be eligible for this program, our coaches would have to identify you as having the technical skills ready to enter the next level of training.

Program structure:

Maximum 16 athletes of mixed gender
You will compete in Friday night social matches at PRACE (included in your fees).
Unlike JDP, this program has capped numbers, ensuring a consistent training group throughout the term—just like our State League teams.
You will be coached by our State League Coaches, who will focus on foundational team structure and game play, with weekly opportunities to put this learning into practice.

RISING ELITE VOLLEYBALL SCHOOL: This is an exciting new initiative created through Heidelberg Volleyball Club and Northern Volleyball. It is important to understand that R.E.V.S. is not the previous Development Squad Program. It has been designed with a completely different philosophy and purpose. The DSP has been reimagined into this new program.

To ensure the selection process was as fair and as impartial as possible, the trials were conducted and assessed by independent coaches who have not recently been involved with either the Junior Development Program (JDP) or the Development Squad Program (DSP). This allowed every athlete to be evaluated solely on their performance, attitude, potential, and coachability displayed during the trials.

R.E.V.S. is an elite development program, not a participation program. Selection is based on attitude, commitment, coachability, and the desire to continually improve. Our goal is to identify talented young athletes and provide them with the skills, knowledge, and mindset required to progress through representative volleyball, State League, Youth State League, and beyond.

Our program will focus on far more than just on-court skills. There will be occasions where the volleyballs are put away while athletes participate in classroom-style sessions covering topics such as:

Game rules and officiating.
Understanding referee calls and match procedures.
Volleyball tactics and decision-making.
Leadership, communication, and professionalism.
Goal setting, preparation, and athlete mindset.

Program structure:

Each training squad will have a maximum of 14 athletes.
Unlike JDP, this program has capped numbers, ensuring a consistent training group throughout the term—just like our State League teams.
Athletes will also have opportunities to apply what they have learned in a competitive setting. Throughout the program, we will conduct internal scrimmages and enter selected local junior tournaments, giving players valuable match experience and allowing coaches to continually assess individual progress and development.
You will be coached by our Premier team players and Club President, who will focus on foundational team structure and game play, with weekly opportunities to put this learning into practice.

TRIALS WILL BE HELD AT THE END OF EVERY TERM

All trials will be held between terms (during the school holidays) providing further opportunities for athletes to earn selection, you will not have to pay for this trial as you have already been a part of this current one and the trial fee remains for the whole of the year.

It is also important to understand that selection into R.E.V.S. is not permanent. Athletes are expected to continually demonstrate commitment, determination, work ethic, and a genuine hunger to become the best they can be. Those who do not maintain these standards may lose their place, allowing dedicated new athletes the opportunity to join the program.

To ensure every athlete receives quality coaching and individual attention, class sizes will be limited to a maximum of 14 athletes.

Where possible, each squad will consist of approximately:

2 Setters
2 Liberos
4 Middle Blockers
4 Outside Hitters
2 Opposites

This positional balance allows us to provide specialised training while still maintaining realistic team structures and high-performance learning environments.

DISCLAIMER:

Please note that athletes may be moved between training groups throughout the program. These decisions will be based on an athlete’s current skill level, rate of development, playing position, and to ensure balanced court numbers and competitive game play during training. Movement between groups should be viewed as a positive opportunity for continued development and is a normal part of an elite performance environment.

Athletes will also have opportunities to apply what they have learned in a competitive setting. Throughout the program, we will conduct internal scrimmages and enter selected local junior tournaments, giving players valuable match experience and allowing coaches to continually assess individual progress and development.

We are incredibly excited about what R.E.V.S. will become and look forward to helping each selected athlete reach their full potential.

We look forward to welcoming those selected into the inaugural Rising Elite Volleyball School.

To recap on HVC and Volleyball Victoria 2026 Fees

HVC Annual Registration	$100 (FOR THE SECOND HALF OF 2026)
Plus, one of the below
Victorian Volleyball Fee Games & Training (includes a training and playing top)	$42
or
Victorian Volleyball Fee Training only (includes a training top)	$32
Plus, Term Training Fees
~~Term 1 Fee~~	~~$180 (Term Over)~~
~~Term 2 Fee~~	~~$200~~
Term 3 Fee	$200
Term 4 Fee	$180
Optional Games/Tournaments
Friday Night Games	$150
Annual Total	$972 or $962