Seaside Volleyball Club is entering its 23rd year and in many ways, the club is 23-years-old. We’ve truly grown up over these years and we are embarking on the next phase as a “young adult” in the volleyball club world. As we mature as a club, I’ve realized what has brought us this far, and primarily it’s our club culture. But what do I mean by our club culture?

When I look back over the years, I feel there are four keys to a successful volleyball club: coaches, facilities, operations and culture. If you look after these four details, volleyball families migrate towards a club and measured successes follow. Let me elaborate on these four keys to Seaside’s success:

Coaches

They are the foundation of any sports club. Without good-to-great coaching you can’t sustain a club long term. You need continuity with your coaching staff, ones who are competitive by nature, passionate about coaching and developing good citizens, not just athletes. The club focuses on providing the coaches with the tools and support they need. All our coaches are NCCP certified and often take additional coaching courses to increase their knowledge. The club centrally manages all the administrative functions, from practice scheduling to tournament registration, from ordering gear to managing many other intangibles. We endorse coaches to take a holistic approach to athlete development and creating a “good person” culture.

Facilities

If you don’t have a place to practice, you can’t run a volleyball club. Six years ago, Seaside took a rare step and built a one-court practice facility called “The Wave”. The timing of this facility became a critical part of our identity with the pandemic hitting us in 2020/21 when we became one of only a few places kids could train and play. While we have always rented gym space in numerous schools, the convenience of having the Wave was paramount. Today, we are embarking on a new venture, opening early 2026. The Nest is an 8-court practice and competition facility located on the Tsawwassen Mills Shopping Center grounds in South Delta. This new facility will be the home of Seaside Volleyball Club and will take our club to the next level. This facility will be a game changer for our sport provincially. We will still maintain our roots in South Surrey with several key school gym locations serving as practice gyms for the club along with our new South Delta location. Our members can always have confidence, that no matter what happens in the future, they will have a place to practice, play and gather.

Operations

The importance of a solid club operational and management structure can’t be stressed enough. I have applied many of my own business-life experiences to how the club is run, including being a registered non-profit since 2003, quick response times to inquiries and progressive planning to make us better. We often share our best practices with other clubs as this communal approach keeps us on top of things and makes us strive to be better every season.

Club Culture

Our goal is to develop competitive, respectable young people, preparing them for life after high school. We are truly “part of the village that raises the child”. Many clubs boast about being a family. Seaside’s culture is what we call a “team” culture. The word “team” to us encompasses active engagement not just with the athlete, but their parents, siblings and grandparents as well. All play a part in the development of the club culture. The priority is “team” while the athlete is with club. This means it is the club and coaches’ responsibility to “coach” the players on the team, but we leave the parenting to the athletes’ family. This distinction is important, as often parents fall into helicoptering mode and try to coach their child. We model “leave the coaching to the coach”. In the same breath, parenting beyond club volleyball is the responsibility of the parents. This philosophy is the primary principle that guides the “team” culture of our club.

These four keys to our success are best exemplified in our club’s core values. I encourage you to check them out and see what Seaside’s all about!
Cheers,

Shane Donen
President, and Co-Founder
Seaside Volleyball Club
circa 2003