Age Definition Chart

The age definition was put into place by the USAV to ensure fair and equal playing and competition opportunities for all.

Once a player participates (including but not limited to practicing, training, attending workouts and/or competing) in a club or varsity program for any university, college, community college, or junior college, he/she is ineligible to take part in any regional and national programming, which includes but is not limited to Junior National Championship qualifying and championship events.

Boys are permitted to play on girls' teams. If the boy is 14 and under, he may play with his age division. If the boy is 15 and older, he must play at least 1 age division up. Girls team rosters that have a boy are only eligible for in-Region competition (cannot compete in USAV qualifiers or national championships).

The USA Volleyball board of directors voted to adjust the USAV junior age definitions; effective for the 2020-21 season. This change is in accordance with motions for change passed by both the Regional Volleyball Association Assembly as well as the USA Volleyball Junior Assembly. 

In other non-board related items, USA Volleyball, in consultation with both the RVAA and JA, approved the following:

The junior age definition for each age group was adjusted to a start date of July 1st (the date had previously been September 1st).

A national waiver was added allowing girls 18’s in their junior year of high school to compete on girls 17’s teams. This was previously communicated as a Regional waiver, but further review of the motion and discussion by the RVAA and JA Chairs lead USA Volleyball to institute this waiver nationally (it will automatically be allowed on rosters in the member management system).

Regional grade waivers will again be allowed for 14’s boys in the 7th grade to play at the BJNC on a 13’s team and for 13’s boys in the 6th grade to play at the BJNC on a 12’s team. This is the second season of this experimental waiver. Documentation of these waivers must still be submitted to the national office by the Region to be allowed onto rosters for nationally sanctioned events. This waiver will not be automatically applied in the member management system without Region approval.Describe the item or answer the question so that site visitors who are interested get more information. You can emphasize this text with bullets, italics or bold, and add links.

USA Volleyball passed a new rule for the 2021 and following seasons that high school junior girls (11th grade) who are defined as 18's athletes by the USAV Age Definition (born on or before July 1, 2003) are eligible to play in the 17's with an age waiver in both region and USA Volleyball national events.

For example: A 17 year old female player who is considered by the Age Definition to compete on an 18's team and is still in the 11th grade for the current academic year, may compete on their 17's team in a qualifying division for both National Qualifiers and the Girls Junior National Championships with a waiver from their region.

This was put in place for recruiting purposes to prevent an athlete from having to play in the 18's Division twice.

This is ONLY for high school juniors.

Please Note: The "frozen player rule" would still be enforced.  A player can play on both a 17's & 18's team during the season, but would become frozen to a roster with whatever team they qualify with first and would no longer be eligible to play for both teams in qualification.