A volleyball coach's season is longer than it looks from the stands. High school coaches run tryouts in late-summer heat, then a season of weeknight matches and Saturday tournaments that start before 8 a.m. Club coaches often pick up right after and run into spring, with long weekends in convention halls and hotel lobbies. Along the way they plan rotations, drill serve receive and keep a dozen teenagers believing in each other through a five-set loss.
When it's time to say thank you, the gifts that land are the ones built from the season they gave you. Here are ideas from the team and from parents, plus a few for coaches who want to give something back to their players.
Thank You, Coach Sign Board, from the whole team
The Thank You, Coach Sign Board is the team's gift in one piece: THANK YOU, COACH and their name, the season's record and finish, every result, then every player's number and name printed with a line beside it to sign. Pass it around the locker room, hand it over at the banquet, and it is made to be framed in the coach's office. From $59.
A tip that works well for volleyball: have each player write a few words next to their signature about a moment from the year, like the set they came back from 20-24 down or the road trip where the bus broke down. It takes ten minutes, and it's the part the coach will reread.
The Season, for the coach's wall
The Season puts the whole year on one print: every match with its date, opponent and final score, the record set huge, the finish, the roster, the coach and your message. For volleyball, list each result as the match score, such as 3-1 or 2-0, and use the message line for the set scores of the one match everyone still talks about. From $45.
It's a natural gift for a season that ended with a conference title or a sectional run, and just as good for a young team that won more than anyone expected.
When the coach wants a gift for every player
Some people searching for volleyball coach gifts are coaches themselves, shopping for their team. Two pieces fit the end of the season.
The Season, Volleyball gives each player their own season: totals set big for kills, digs, aces, blocks and assists, then every match with the date, opponent, result and their line, the record and the finish. Liberos get their dig totals front and center; setters get their assists. Your stat app or scorebook has everything it needs. It fits high school, club and college. From $45.
For the banquet, the Banquet Award Certificate sets the award big (Most Valuable Player, Most Improved, Coach's Award or one you name), then PRESENTED TO and the player, their number and position, a line about why they earned it, and signature lines. Volleyball-specific awards are fair game: Best Server, Defensive Player of the Year, the Libero Award, Best Teammate. From $24.
For a milestone or a retiring coach
When a coach reaches a win milestone or steps away after years with the program, Coach's Career Record lists every season with its record and finish, works out the career wins, losses and win percentage, counts every championship in brass and shows each season's wins and losses in a graphic. Former players and the athletic office can help piece together the early seasons. From $45.
Don't forget the rest of the staff
Volleyball programs lean on more than the head coach: the team manager who runs the scorebook, the athletic trainer taping ankles before every match, the team mom who organizes every tournament lunch. The Thank You Board works the same way as the coach's board, with THANK YOU and who it's for, the season's record, and every player's number and name with a line to sign. From $59.
What to gather and when
For a sign board, collect the coach's name the way the players say it, the record, the finish, every result and the roster with numbers. For a season print, add each match's date. Start two to three weeks before the banquet, and once the board arrives, pass it around at a practice when everyone is there rather than saving it for the last night.
Time the gift to the season. For a high school team, that is usually the fall banquet. For a club team, it is the last tournament of the spring.
Shop this guide
Thank You, Coach Sign BoardFrom $59
The SeasonFrom $45
The Season, VolleyballFrom $45
Banquet Award CertificateFrom $24
Coach's Career RecordFrom $45
Thank You Board for the Team Mom, Trainer, Manager or Bus DriverFrom $59
Ordering
Personalize each piece on its product page. Every order is checked by hand, and you'll see a proof to approve before anything prints. Allow about two weeks from order to delivery.