TNT CLUB HISTORY
The origins of TNT Volleyball can be traced back to July 2008, when Chuck Dougherty came up with the idea of starting a volleyball program to prepare kids for the ultimate volleyball experience ... adult volleyball at the Ambler YMCA. It was the definition of a grassroots campaign, with simple goals. 28 boys and girls signed up, and Glenside Volleyball had begun.
Summer clinics continued and turned into winter clinics as more players were hooked on volleyball. Each year the program grew. In 2010, Chuck started coaching CYO Volleyball at St Luke's parish in Glenside. Finally, games to play and not just drills.
By 2012, the summer clinics had doubled in size. Girls were starting to play in high school. It was becoming obvious that volleyball was more than just an avenue to the Ambler YMCA.
In 2013, Glenside Volleyball officially registered as a volleyball club. In a time where multiple larger volleyball clubs competed for the top players, Glenside Volleyball was formed to give girls the ability to experience club volleyball, but not have to give up other sports to focus solely on volleyball. This vision and mission formed the beginnings of what would eventually become TNT Volleyball. The first tournament featured a Saturday volleyball tournament, a memorable hotel pool & lobby evening for players and parents, followed by a day at Hershey Park. Volleyball can and should be fun.
2014 was the year that volleyball took hold in Glenside. 25 players that had been introduced to volleyball through the Glenside program were playing club volleyball for established volleyball clubs such as GPS Crush, Infinity, DVA, and Peak Performance. Glenside Volleyball expanded their offerings as well, and started entering more tournaments. At the conclusion of the 2014-2015 season, Glenside Volleyball entered a team of friends in a 13U AAU tournament...and WON!
Summer clinics continued in 2015, and local college, high school and club coaches started volunteering their time to coach. Registration was approaching 100 players, and players were coming from all over to participate in the clinics.
The Spring of 2016 can be called the official start of TNT. Girls that started volleyball in Glenside years ago were all playing for high schools and clubs. Once again, Glenside Volleyball formed a tournament team. Once again, this team took first place in a tournament. However, this time it was different.
Summary of a conversation in the stands between Glenside Parent and another club parent while watching the Championship Match:
Club X parent: "Who is Glenside? We have never played you before"
Glenside Parent: "We just formed a team last week. We had 1 practice."
Club X Parent: "How much does your club cost?"
Glenside Parent: "We paid $65 each".
Club X Parent: " We pay $2000 club fees and lost the Championship to a T-Shirt team??!!!"
The seeds of TNT were officially sowed at the post Championship celebration at none other than Victory Brew Pub. Players and parents agreed that this experience was exactly what they were looking for with club volleyball. A team with no drama. Coaches that were positive. Fun parents. And really competitive play. The question asked over and over at lunch was...can we do this for real next year? The answer was a resounding YES. The wheels were officially in motion!
In the fall of 2016, TNT became a reality. Season 1 featured 4 teams, 12U, 14U, 15/16U, 18U. The TNT Vision was simply:
"TNT Volleyball is volleyball club in the Philadelphia area that believes that playing club volleyball should be affordable for all families. We provide the same 'club experience' as the larger clubs, at a fraction of the cost."
TNT Club Photo - January 2017
In a sign of success to come, the first ever TNT tournament entry resulted in Gold Medals. On January 14, 2017, the unknown pink and black team took home Gold Medals at McCaskey High School.
TNT 18U Champs 1/14/17
By the end of the 2017 club season, the 12U and 14U TNT teams had also captured medals at tournaments. The highlight of the season came when the TNT 18U team won the Mid Atlantic Grand Prix to qualify for AUU Nationals!
TNT 14U Champs at Catasauqua HS
As the 2017-2018 Club season approached, it was obvious that the TNT secret was out. TNT expanded to 9 teams in 2017.
TNT teams enjoyed success at all levels, and once again had a team qualify for Nationals. This season it was the TNT 13U team.
TNT 13U team
For 2018-2019, TNT continued to grow and offered 12 teams. What started as an outdoor experiment had grown into one of the largest clubs in the area in 3 short years.
Throughout the rapid growth, TNT holds true to the initial vision that Volleyball should be fun. We pride ourselves on offering competitive volleyball, good coaching, little drama, and aim to build lifelong friendships for players and parents alike.
The 2019-2020 season continued the pattern of growth. More players tried out for TNT than ever before. The secret was officially out. In addition to an influx of players, 2019-2020 was the year where coaches were also finding TNT. Almost every TNT team had 2 coaches, allowing for more instructions. 12 teams were offered in 2 locations. The TNT 15 Blaze team won the York Blue Ribbon Brawl, and qualified for a free entry into the AAU National tournament. TNT teams at every age group were consistently winning medals at tournaments. And then...
COVID-19.
As the 2020 season began in September of 2020, every gym that TNT used for practice had instituted a policy that they would not rent to outside groups. It appeared that all of the hard work spent to build the TNT club was going to be wasted. But then, Germantown Academy donned the Knight in Shining Armor outfit and agreed to allow TNT to rent their facilities...and what facilities they have! TNT was able to field 15 teams and practice at GA. In addition, TNT also gave court time to another club so that they would not have to fold. TNT firmly believes in their mission of providing volleyball opportunities for as many girls as possible.
TNT teams won 30 medals in the 2020-2021 season, including 15 Gold.
2020 also represented the first time in TNT History that we had a team qualify for AAU Nationals AND attend the event!
As TNT continues to grow, it is becoming apparent that we need our own facility. We stay awake at night dreaming of all of the cool volleyball offerings that we can offer if we controlled our own gym. We entered negotiations for the TNT Bunker in 2020, and continue to work towards our dream.
2021-2022 Was the Year of AAU Nationals!TNT saw 6 teams win AAU National Bids! Winners of National Bids were:
12 Dynamite
13 Roadrunner
15 Havoc
16 Thunder
17 Mambas
18 Mixers
The club had its most successful season ever and won 51 medals in 2021-2022.
In 2022, TNT added 2 boys teams from Abington. They were called TNT A-Town.
2022 was the first year that TNT hosted a full boys program. 9 teams strong, with 5 teams going to AAU Nationals in Orlando!
As TNT continues to grow, we remain committed to staying true to the principles upon which TNT was founded while providing a quality experience for all who are part of our TNT family.