THE DREAM

To share our passion and love for the game.
The Sand Club experience is absolutely “sandtastic” and our number one goal is to connect everyone to our community that contacts us.

Since 2007, The Sand Club has been offering leagues, tournaments, and clinics for adults. In 2009, The Sand Club created The Starter Club for players who were not making their school team and players looking to learn about the “beach game”. With the success of players making their team the following year, The Starter Club quickly evolved from beginner into competitive players.

In 2014, The Sand Club created The Sand Club Academy providing year-round training for dedicated, sand volleyball players.

The Sand Club connected with EVP Tour, the largest PRO-AM tour in the US, and created Varsity EVP for competitive youth sand volleyball tournaments.

In April of 2015, The Sand Club celebrated the Grand Opening of Mesquite Beach, located within Mesquite High School, featuring four courts with professional-grade sand and lighting. Mesquite Beach is the premier facility for junior beach volleyball training, leagues, and tournaments.

The Sand Club is the largest sand volleyball club in Arizona with over 500 active players during the week. In addition to junior training, junior and adult tournaments, and adult leagues, The Sand Club hosts a number of special events each year, including Holiday Costume tournaments, Glow in the Dark events, USA Volleyball National Qualifiers, AVP Qualifiers, and other sand volleyball sanctioned events.

THE MISSION

The Sand Club offers muscle memory beach volleyball training, volleyball specific conditioning, weekly games and plenty of tournament opportunities for junior players ages 10-17 in Mesa, Gilbert and the surrounding cities of the Arizona Phoenix Valley.

All head coaches are AVP certified and the owner is a proud recipient of the Robert L. Lindsay Meritorious Service Award for contributing outstanding participation, motivation and other services in the promotion of volleyball. The Sand Club is also committed to be a resource for parents with news about local and out-of-state tournaments and helpful volleyball links and ways to connect with other volleyball parents.

THE CULTURE

Our culture begins with the parents believing that being an athlete first will begin the process of progressing at beach volleyball. The Sand Club philosophy can be described in two words: Win. Learn.  We do not believe in losing.  We are always learning.

Good character will build unlimited reward. The Sand Club’s goals are to encourage players to be outgoing, attentive, encouraging, optimistic, industrious, dedicated, resilient, adaptive and enthusiastic in order to help continuously be successful. Dr John C Maxwell, an internationally recognized leadership expert, says “talent is a gift, but character is a choice.” Many talented athletes’ collegiate and/or professional careers are cut short due to the lack of character but even the most “mediocre” athletes go on to be societies’ greatest leaders. Youth sports are the beginning of life’s lessons.

MEET THE SAND CLUB COACHES

• Background Check
• Fingerprint Clearance Card
• USA Volleyball Certified Coach
• Robert L Lindsay Meritorious Service Award from USA Volleyball
• Double-Goal Coach Certified by Positive Coaching Alliance
• SafeSport Certified
• Heat Illness Prevention Certified
• Blazepod Certified

Allen Alexander, owner and coach, established The Sand Club in 2007 and has officiated well over 1000 sand volleyball matches. Before The Sand Club, Coach Allen was an instructor from 1999-2003 and program director for Leona Group Arizona, LLC. In 2003-2004, he developed an entire coarse curriculum for East Valley Institute of Technology. Coach Allen applies his years of experience in preparing daily lesson plans to his coaching. In 2009, Coach Allen established The Starter Club for youth volleyball players that did not make their school volleyball team and young aspiring beach volleyball athletes. Then in 2010, Allen started networking with professional beach volleyball players to offer more advanced training for The Starter Club players that were looking for something more, which lead to The Sand Club Academy in 2014.

Coach Allen is originally from Milwaukee Wisconsin and is married to Heather Alexander with two daughters Gabby and Kylie. When he is not playing, running events, or coaching volleyball he is enjoying his family. During the mornings, Coach Allen runs a web company with his wife. Coach Allen loves pizza and stand-up comedy.

• Background Check
• Fingerprint Clearance Card
• Blazepod Certified

Jasmine Urban recently graduated with her Bachelors degree in Exercise Science from Park University, where she played and was a Captain of the college beach and indoor volleyball. She and her indoor teammates went on to be 2X Cal Pac Champions at Park University. In high school, Jasmine was MVP, Captain, First Team All League and graduated honors with distinction having a 4.2 G.P.A. Jasmine was also a Captain of the beach and indoor volleyball team, received 2nd Team All Conference, and graduated with a 4.0 and 3 Associate Degrees at her junior college, Riverside City College. You may also see Jasmine as a beach and indoor AIA high-school and middle school referee. Jasmine is currently at Park pursuing her Master’s Degree in Education for Organizational Leadership and Adult Learning as well as coaching for the current college volleyball teams. Jasmine coached for us at the p1440 National Championships and is excited to continue her journey as a Coach at The Sand Club.

• Background Check
• Fingerprint Clearance Card
• Blazepod Certified

Brooke Beresford recently graduated with her degree in Business from Park University, where she also played college beach volleyball. In high school, she was team captain, co-MVP and Orange County top 10 player, tabbed a scholar athlete which is no surprise that she was a student representative of the HIU College of Business, where she started as an indoor college player, and a member of the Sigma Beta Delta Honor Society her first four years before transferring to Park. Brooke coached for us at the p1440 National Championships and is excited to share her experiences.

• Background Check
• Fingerprint Clearance Card

Casey Barnabas is a high school varsity beach volleyball coach and head coach at The Sand Club. She is a mother of two young children, which helps her patience and understanding of motivating and building confidence with our young developing players. You might have seen her at the AVP Phoenix Championships drop kicking a volleyball and winning the skyball competition. Parents will be pleased to have Casey as their Momma Bear coach.

• Background Check
• Fingerprint Clearance Card
• Blazepod Certified

Heather Alley played 35 AVP professional events from 2003-2008, playing on just about every beach from California to Texas to Chicago to Florida. Now, Coach Heather is a teacher at Mohave Middle School by day and Beach Cap Certified Coach by night and also works with players on their speed, agility and vertical training in order to better prepare for weekend tournaments.

• Background Check
• Fingerprint Clearance Card

Austin Baker has a great story of playing youth sports and not finding his strengths until he found beach volleyball.  Six years ago, Austin registered for the AVPNext with his partner and qualified for the Main Draw.  Now, he plays with some of the best players in the Valley.  Coach Austin is dedicated to filling athlete’s “confidence tanks” so they can get anywhere they set their minds to.  The Sand Cluh is excited to have this Arizona native help shape the minds of young beach volleyball players.

• Background Check
• Fingerprint Clearance Card

Kellen Mchale was a member of the NAU Beach Program but now is pursuing his degree at ASU in the Fall. In high school, Kellen was a 4-year varsity letter winner and made the podium several times here locally on the beach as well as in California. Last summer, Coach Kellen coached at the Junior National Championships with Coach Tim McHale (one the most decorated coaches in Arizona with 8 State Championships at Xavier) and now we are excited for him to share his knowledge with The Sand Club that he has learned under Coach Tim’s apprenticeship the last 3 years.