Do you want to compete against the best beach volleyball players in the world but have no idea how to go about it? Here’s a crash course on how to turn your AVP dream into reality.

A player can gain entry into AVP Tour events either by earning enough cumulative AVP Player Points to gain entry or by virtue of performance in specific qualifying events sanctioned by the AVP. This is detailed below.

AVP Player Points

Team entries in AVP tournaments are initially determined by AVP Player Points.

AVP Player Points can only be earned in 1) AVP Tour events, 2) AVP Onsite Qualifiers, 3) AVP Qualifier Tour and Developmental Tour events and 4) events run by AVP promoters awarding at least $5,000 in prize money per gender.

AVP Player Points are based on a player’s best four of last five finishes over a 365-day period and are awarded based on this breakdown.

Specific Qualifying Events

A team can gain entry into certain 2010 AVP Tour events by virtue of its finish in specific qualifying tournaments including AVP Onsite Qualifiers, designated CBVA Qualifiers and the Barefoot Wine AVPNext Championship Cup.

PATHS TO THE PROS

Path #1: AVP Onsite Qualifiers

AVP Onsite Qualifiers are one-day single elimination tournaments that immediately precede select AVP Tour tournaments. Eight teams per gender will advance to 32-team main draws and 16 teams will move on to the 64-team Manhattan Beach Open main draw. All teams participating in AVP Onsite Qualifiers will earn AVP Player Points.

AVP Onsite Qualifiers are open to all athletes and registration for each qualifier costs $50 per player.

AVP Onsite Qualifier Schedule:

Location	Date	# Teams to Advance
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.	April 16	8
Santa Barbara, Calif.	April 29	8
Huntington Beach, Calif.	June 3	8
Virginia Beach, Va.	June 18	8
Belmar, N.J.	June 25	8
Hermosa Beach, Calif.	July 16	8
Manhattan Beach, Calif.	Aug. 19	16

 

Path #2: AVP ProTrack: AVP Qualifier Tour and AVP Developmental Tour

Players can now take advantage of the new AVP ProTrack, a direct pipeline for future AVP professionals. The ProTrack will include two national tours, the AVP Qualifier Tour and the AVP Developmental Tour.

The purpose of the Qualifier and Developmental Tours is to have events that provide up-and-coming players additional opportunities to earn AVP Player Points and prize money.

The teams that win the overall points titles for each of these tours, as defined by points earned as a team on the respective tour, will receive automatic main draw berths into four 2011 AVP Tour events.

The Qualifier Tour will be open to players of all ages, while the Developmental Tour will be restricted to players born on or after Jan. 1, 1984, per USAV guidelines.

AVP main draw players, defined as players ranked in the AVP top 48 at the time of registration for respective events, will not be allowed to participate on either of these tours.

Registration for each tournament on both tours costs $50 per player.

AVP Qualifier Tour Schedule:

Location	Date
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.	April 10-11
Panama City, Fla.	May 8-9
New Orleans, La.	May 29-30
Point Pleasant, N.J.	June 5-6
Ocean City, Md.	June 12-13
Milwaukee, Wis.	July 10-11
Virginia Beach, Va.	Aug. 14-15
Aspen, Colo. (Western Championship)	Sept. 4-6
Clearwater, Fla. (Eastern Championship)	Oct. 9-10

AVP Developmental Tour schedule:

Location	Date
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.	May 1-2
Long Beach, N.Y.	June 12-13
Milwaukee, Wis.	June 26-27
Hermosa Beach, Calif.	July 17-18
Manhattan Beach, Calif.	Aug. 21-22

Path #3: CBVA Qualifiers

Select California Beach Volleyball Association (CBVA) tournaments are designated Qualifiers for specific AVP tournaments. Winners of these CBVA events will earn automatic main draw berths into corresponding AVP Tour events.

Main draw players at the time of registration for respective events will not be allowed to compete in CBVA Qualifiers.

Registration costs are to be determined. Registration will be available at cbva.com.

CBVA Qualifier Schedule:

Location	Date	Qualifies For
Manhattan Beach	April 24	AVP Santa Barbara Open
Santa Cruz	May 8-9	AVP Manhattan Beach Open
Hermosa Beach	May 29-30	AVP Huntington Beach Open
Santa Barbara	July 3	AVP Hermosa Beach Open
Malibu	July 23	AVP Malibu Open
Manhattan Beach	Aug. 14-15	AVP Manhattan Beach Open

Path #4: Barefoot Wine AVPNext Championship Cup

The Barefoot Wine AVPNext Series will award an additional main draw berth to winners of a nationwide grassroots series, giving amateurs the chance to go toe-to-toe with top pros.

Champions from each of 24 participating leagues will compete in the Barefoot Wine AVPNext Championship Cup Aug. 27 in Chicago. Championship Cup winners will win a spot in that weekend’s main draw.

For complete details on the Barefoot Wine AVPNext Series, including a list of participating leagues, click here.

ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

International Development Qualifiers

Following the program’s 2009 success, this season the AVP is partnering with USA Volleyball to host International Development Qualifiers (IDQs). Winners will earn the right to represent the United States on the NORCECA Beach Circuit and in other designated international tournaments.

IDQs are open to players ranked outside the AVP’s top 32. For more IDQ information, click here.

MASTER SCHEDULE

For players of all ages and levels, there are now more than 200 events and counting listed on avp.com’s new Master Schedule.

For more information, visit the Play Beach navigation tab on avp.com or contact avpreg@avp.com.