The Outsiders was established in 1996 by Jody Connolly and a group of volleyball enthusiasts and advocates who had been playing and coaching the sport for many years, demonstrating a genuine love of the game. Their personal experiences and numerous successes with the sport constantly inspired them to find ways to get girls interested, keep them playing, and hopefully, share in the appreciation of the sport.

The purpose of club volleyball is to allow players to be able to play year round and to afford them much more exposure to the sport than can be received during the short school season. It is considered a great opportunity and perceived as a great advantage but it also presented various disadvantages. To begin, there was the significant financial expense to join a club. Secondly, there were a lot of talented girls for a small amount of available spots. And lastly, since there was no relatively local clubs to the Philadelphia area, there was a timely commute to and from practices a couple times a week. Understandably, these disadvantages prevented a lot of families from being able to participate in club volleyball. However, what was not understood was a player and her family overlooking all these disadvantages because of the innate desire to play and still being passed on, simply because a club’s staff decided the girl didn’t go to the ‘right’ school, didn’t live in the ‘right’ community, or just didn’t know the ‘right’ people. So, when politics started to dictate the standards and interfere with the primary objective of club volleyball, Jody’s group fought back by introducing their own club volleyball team. And, they appropriately named it the ‘Outsiders’.

Consequently, the Outsiders organization is dedicated to minimizing the disadvantages of club volleyball and maximizing the potential. It is based in the Roxborough/Manayunk section of the city, convenient for families residing in the city as well as families residing in neighboring suburbs. The club strives to keep club fees affordable and provide various fundraising events to assist families with the costs. Most importantly, the staff closely evaluates each season’s tryouts, looking for not only the elite players, but just as equally, the hard workers and the players with heart. Everyone is given the chance they deserve, regardless of school, community, or lack of influence.

Each year, the Outsiders continues to grow more popular among the players and more respectable among the other clubs. The Outsiders encompasses seven teams, serving ages 12 to 18, carrying an average of 90 girls a season.

Our Mission