The club volleyball powerhouse uses Hudl to grow and evolve, ensuring club success while creating transparency with athletes and families.
Since its founding in 2003, Minnesota Select Volleyball Club has understood the value of investing in solutions that work and evolve with the club.
In response to the growing need to help athletes build a path to college, the club implemented a recruiting coordinator to build curriculum and assist players in their growth to the next level.
Nearly a decade ago, club director Scott Jackson and his admin team made Hudl part of the club’s offering for development and recruiting.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, MN Select installed cameras above each court in its facility and upgraded the Wi-Fi so families can watch livestreams of practices, scrimmages or drill work at any moment.
They also invested in tools to remove obstacles or barriers to adoption, resulting in club-wide success.
Hudl is one of the things that stayed constant because it's found ways to solve the questions that we've had without having to go shop around and find something else.
Kayla Cole, MN Select Associate Director, Coach and Recruiting Coordinator
Future-Proof Tools
Jackson and his admin team are continually evaluating possible solutions that meet the MN Select’s needs.
MN Select was an early adopter of Hudl. From his background in high school volleyball where Hudl had more of a presence, Jackson saw video as an opportunity for club growth.
“Seeing what it could do in a high school environment led us to going further and further in the club environment here,” Jackson said.
He and his admin team have been pleased with the results: as the club has grown and evolved, so has Hudl’s volleyball offering. After starting out with a handful of teams using Hudl, the club quickly realized that its competitive teams needed this technology to compete.
Now, the club has 36 teams on a club-wide package equipping both the girls’ and boys’ programs with video, data and recruiting tools. But even beyond that, MN Select boldly invested in iPads and tripods for every team using Hudl to ensure they had no obstacles to success.
By equipping teams with the necessary tools, coaches and parents aren’t left scrambling to find recording devices. Every team has the tools they need to capture quality video at every tournament, all year long.
That’s a serious cost for the club, but Jackson and his staff believe it’s the clear choice for highly competitive clubs.
As the club has found more uses and demands for video, Hudl has helped them adapt and evolve quickly to deliver on the needs of the athletes and their families.
Whether that’s expanding recruiting tools, faster analysis with Hudl Assist, or even livestreaming: Hudl delivers. Here’s what MN Select associate director, coach and recruiting coordinator Kayla Cole had to say:
For 16-1s coach Jamison Gray, he’s been blown away by Hudl’s responsiveness. He’s met with various members of Hudl’s team to solicit feedback, and insists Hudl not only listens but implements changes that impact his ability to coach.
Building Relationships with Hands-On Technology
Within club volleyball, it’s no secret that there are increased costs for increased competition. The greater the costs, the greater the stakes for families paying into these opportunities.
As a result, parents often want lines of communication to track progress or visibility into team growth.
MN Select created the “Hudl Parent” role to satisfy these needs. Any parent volunteer in this position is responsible for handling technology, filming matches and submitting film to Hudl Assist for post-match analysis.
By including parents in the video and data routine, families can impact their athlete’s growth while equipping teams with the resources needed to compete on the court and in recruiting. It also increases visibility into the coaching and development.
Andy Jaynes is a Hudl Parent. A former college athlete and coach, Jaynes jumped at the chance to be the Hudl Parent because of how valuable he finds Hudl.
For the Jaynes family, MN Select and Hudl have exceeded expectations. The older Jaynes daughter, Sydney, plays at the University of Tennessee. The youngest, Teagan, is a MN Select athlete committed to Montana State.
Paul Schneiderman is the Hudl Parent for his son Will and the MN Select 16-1s team. A professional videographer with editing experience, Schneiderman has been impressed with Hudl’s capabilities and ease of use.
“My experience with Hudl has been great. I have a video background, but Hudl, if I were to describe it one word: seamless,” said Schneiderman. “The app interface is very user-friendly. Once we get the schedules for the upcoming weekend we plug them in and then once we’re there we start recording right from an iPad or iPhone.
“You send it off to Hudl [Assist] and within 24 hours you have stats back for highlight reels. The game is uploaded so the team can go back and rewatch. You can also pull up stats from prior games or tournaments and see exactly what you want to see.”
Including parents in the video and data routine means everyone is building toward success together.
A Culture of Trust and Inclusion
Trust is fundamental to healthy relationships. That atmosphere of inclusion and transparency has elevated MN Select to being a premier club–not just in Minnesota, but in the country.
The Schneidermans live in Wilmar and drive nearly two hours each way for practice multiple times a week. They believe the hours spent in the car are worth it for Will to have the opportunity to be part of the MN Select family.
As the club director, Jackson uses Hudl to check in on various teams and stay in touch with coaches, athletes and families. Part of the value of Hudl is the ability to foster and maintain relationships with everyone throughout the club.
Jackson models the behavior he expects from his administrative team and coaches. Everyone is committed to supporting each other to give the athletes and their families the best possible experience.
To make MN Select the best it can be, admin, coaches, athletes and families are all bought in together. The club’s leadership works tirelessly to give everyone the tools and opportunities they deserve.
That’s why they’re constantly looking for solutions to keep them at the top of their game. And for nearly a decade, Hudl has proven to do just that.
