What is NAGVA?
Author: Cha Her
NAGVA stands for North American Gay Volleyball Association. They are a nonprofit organization committed to promoting and advancing the sport of volleyball in the LGBTQ+ community. The league has over 5,000 active members throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico with its mission is to “provide a safe environment for the LGBTQ (and allied) community through the sport of volleyball. We value inclusivity, equality, and fair play.”
To be a part of NAGVA, you must register a member profile that looks easy to follow! To register, you need to provide the essential background, such as your name and address, then you create your password. After registering, there is a process of email address verification. Follow the steps in the email to log in to your account! What happens after you log in? You can visit your profile page and start a membership with the league. All of these steps are located on the website and it’s super easy which is convenient.
Tournaments take place all over as well. For example, some upcoming tournaments are in Austin on July 30th, Madison on August 13th and Virginia Beach on August 20th. On the tournaments page, once you click on the specific tournament site, it leads you to a page with contact information, division, payment deadlines, etc. For the Austin Summerfest tournament, B, BB, and Mod A1 divisions are playing. In total, there are about 102 teams that will be playing in the tournament which is a lot!
On the page, the organization lists the team city, team name, division, team number, and team status. This keeps the team informed about their status and lets people view who is playing. The banquet and awards party sounds fantastic; I bet it’s a lot of fun!
One super cool thing about the website is that they have a list of their leagues throughout the United States. When you click on a league, they provide an email for contact if you ever are interested in joining or want more information about them. NAGVA also has a championship similar to NAGAAA and is located in Las Vegas this year. Currently, they are openings for teams to register to play for one of their largest tournaments. The leagues also provide information about the hotel, facility, schedule of events, and transportation. They list all the steps to make reservations and to ensure that the team is good to go! Who wouldn’t want to spend a week in Vegas playing a sport they love against the best of the best?
Another thing you can check out on their website is their Hall of Fame, which lists some of the best players that have contributed to their organization. NAGVA provides a summary of the outstanding individuals and gives us a closer look at how they foster a safe, competitive, and fun environment for everyone. Volleyball is a fun sport, and it’s even better when playing with people who share the same drives and mission as you!
“I’ve played in a handful of NAGVA tournaments over the past couple years (prior to the pandemic). My team and I played locally in Minnesota, I joined a team as a pick-up out in Denver too, but my favorite tournament of all time was going to New Orleans with my team. We all stayed in a cramped VRBO with bunk beds and honestly didn’t do that well in the tournament, but it was the most fun I’ve ever had playing the sport.
Most local organizations have open play throughout the week where different skill levels can play together to learn and then there’s a season in the fall and in the winter for teams to compete for the title. It’s a hot, sweaty, good time!” - Prideletics Founder, Paul
Cha Her