We are always looking for enthusiastic volleyball players to join one of our 9 men’s and 15 women’s teams, beginner or experienced! Are you planning to become a member of SKC Studentenvolleyball? Then read here what the possibilities are, in the EL CID, but also during the season! El Cid this year runs from August 12th to 16th. Be sure to stop by our booth if you have any questions or just want to chat!
Update:
After the El-Cid, the period with training groups will start. Interested parties will receive an email in advance with further information. The form below will be open both before and during the EL-Cid. Based on the interest form, it will be determined who can be invited to play volleyball. These emails will be sent both when the form is open and shortly after it is closed. An invitation does not automatically mean that there is a spot available for you within SKC. The Technical Committee (TC) will assess during the training groups period whether there is a suitable team for you and if you can become a member of SKC. Interested parties who are not invited or were invited but did not get placed in a team, will receive an email asking if they want to be on the waiting list. Players from the waiting list may still be approached during the period with training groups, otherwise the waiting list will offer room for possible places in January or the next period with training groups in 2024. However, being on the waiting list does not guarantee an invitation in the future.
For questions, you can send an email to tc@skcvolleybal.nl.
For more information about the registration process, please see below!
To start
SKC is a student volleyball association that mainly consists of Leiden University students, but also many other students not studying at this university. We are therefore strongly connected to Leiden University, but we do not represent them. We play in the regular Dutch regional competition, playing against all sorts of teams, most of them including non-student teams.
How can I become a member of SKC?
To become a member of SKC, those who are interested in joining should first fill out this interest form. The interest form is not yet a registration. If there are enough places available, the Technical Committee (TC) will invite interested people to come and practice with us during the selection period in August. The Technical Committee consists of SKC’ers who are responsible for the selection of new members and the making of the team line-up.
The selection period takes place in the three weeks after the EL CID (introduction week Leiden University and University). Since the El Cid lasts longer this year and therefore ends later, it is likely that we will start with the selection period during the EL CID (dates will be communicated in due time). During the training sessions in the selection period you can see if you like playing volleyball at SKC and you can show the Technical Committee your level. After you have participated in at least one practice, you may officially register for membership at SKC via the registration form. You can join a maximum of three times. After the third practice (and before September 1st) you have to make the choice whether you want to become a member of SKC. You will receive the registration form from the board or the TC in due course. Due to the fact that we usually receive more applications than available spots, we unfortunately cannot admit everyone. If you are admitted, you will then be assigned to the right team with the help of the selection practices. You can read more about the selection procedure and how we select new members below.
I have filled out the interest form, what now?
If you fill out the interest form, the TC will contact you by email. As described above, if there are still places available you will be invited by the TC to come and practice with us during the selection period. If you fill out the form before the EL CID, you may have to wait a while for a response from the TC.
Note: in recent years there have been more interested people than the number of available spots at SKC. Because we want to prevent the training groups from becoming overcrowded during the selection period, we may decide not to invite new interested people during the selection period. The TC will always inform you about this. The earlier you join, the greater the chance you will be invited, but this is no guarantee. Especially if you apply later in the selection period, there are only a few weeks left to show the TC what your level and motivation is, so other interested people who have practices with us before probably have a better chance. If a spot does become available during the selection period, the TC will still invite you after all.
The selection period
During the selection period you will be assigned to a training group that matches your level as closely as possible. You will train in these training groups with current members and those who are interested in joining. The training sessions take place at the University Sports Center (Einsteinweg, Leiden). The TC will communicate when the practices will take place.
Because of the large number of interested people, SKC has a membership stop. The TC uses the selection period to see what your level is and in which team you would fit best. Not only level plays a role in the selection, also motivation and attendance to the training sessions are important factors in a possible admission.
When can I become a member?
SKC Studentenolleyball invites potential new members at two times during the season. The first period is the one described above at the beginning of the season (after the EL CID in August/September). Most members are admitted during this period. There is also a possibility to become a member during the season. If places become available during the season, there will also be a period in January after the winter break when interested people will be invited. We cannot guarantee that there will be any vacancies in January. Interested parties can fill out the interest form above or send an email to secretaris@skcvolleybal.nl throughout the year for possibilities.
How can I find out more about SKC?
First and foremost, take a look at this website. It is also recommended that you follow our social media such as our Instagram and Facebook. To get a better feel of the atmosphere at SKC, we recommend stopping by during the EL CID and taking a look at their online platform, where we are also represented. More information about the selection process can be found in the admissions policy. Many other questions and answers can also be found under the ‘Lid worden?’ section of this website. For further questions, please contact the board (secretaris@skcvolleybal.nl) or directly the Technical Committee (tc@skcvolleybal.nl).
What happens in the following scenarios?
You have filled out the interest form, but you have not been invited to the selection training sessions
Because we want to prevent the training groups from becoming overcrowded during the selection period, we may decide not to invite new interested players during the selection period. The TC will always inform you about this. There is a bigger chance that you will not be invited if you apply later in the selection period. There are then only a few weeks left to show your skills to the TC, so other interested people who have already practiced with us more often probably have a better chance. A tip is therefore to fill out the interest form as soon as possible if you would like to become a member. If a spot does become available during the selection period after all, the TC will still invite you.
If you cannot be invited during the selection period in summer, you will receive an invitation around January if any spaces become available. The chances of this happening are small, as often only a limited number of places become available in January. In that case, you will receive another invitation around April to come and practice with us at the end of the volleyball season.
Filled out interest form, participated in training sessions, but did not sign up
To be eligible for an SKC membership, you must have officially registered with SKC via the registration form. This can be done after you have participated in at least one training session. You can join a maximum of three times. After the third training (and before September 1st) you have to make the choice whether you want to become a member of SKC. If you have not done this before this time, you cannot become a member of SKC. If you want to try again next year, you will have to fill out the interest form again in order to participate in the selection period.
Participated in training sessions, registered, but not placed in a team
When publishing the provisional team line-ups, we will announce who can become a member of SKC. As described above, due to the membership freeze we unfortunately cannot offer all interested people a place at SKC. If you have registered but have not been placed in a team at the provisional team allocation, this means that unfortunately you have not become a member of SKC. In this case, you will be placed on the waiting list.
What does the waiting list entail? As with those who have only filled out the interest form (but have not trained during the selection period), people on the waiting list will receive an invitation to come and practice with us in January if any spaces become available. If no spots become available, they will receive an invitation around April to come and practice. If you are on the waiting list, you have priority to become a member of SKC, provided that you come to the training sessions you are invited to by the TC (except for good reasons for absence) and that you show commitment and motivation.
Beach volleyball
It is not possible to become a beach volleyball member only. SKC is an indoor volleyball club. As something extra, we do offer our members beach volleyball trainings and a beach competition from May after the regular indoor competition is over until about the beginning of July. But there is no separate membership for this. To participate in these beach training sessions, you must first be admitted as an SKC member. You can book beach fields to play beach volleyball yourself if you have a USC subscription. These beach fields are available to anyone with such a subscription.
Extra notice for international students about inconvenient timing OWL
We often notice that international students sign up during or after the international introduction week of Leiden University (the Orientation Week Leiden or ‘OWL’). However, this week takes place at an inconvenient time in relation to the selection period. Filling out the interest form during or after the OWL week, leaves only little time to come and practice with us and for us to make an indication of your level. At that time, we have seen other interested people practice more, which increases their chances over those who sign up later. Therefore, be sure to fill out the interest form before or during the EL CID to higher your chances to become a member.