Sprout Training Program
- Cost100% free
- Who it’s forBoys in grades 2–7
- ExperienceNone required
- PracticesTwo a week
- WhenTue & Wed · 5:15–7:15 PM
- WhereHy-Vee Arena1800 Genessee St, Kansas City, MO 64102
- SeasonOctober – January
- CoachingExperienced club coaches
- Sponsored byDr. Meshach McKnight Foundation
Somewhere to learn the game
The Sprout Training Program gives young boys a place to learn volleyball, develop their skills, and train the way a club athlete trains — in an environment built for young athletes.
Through the Dr. Meshach McKnight Foundation, boys in grades 2–7 can take part in the practice and training portion of Sprout completely free of charge. No previous volleyball experience is required.
Whether he has never touched a volleyball or has already started learning the game, Sprout is where he builds the fundamentals, gains confidence, learns to train as part of a team, and grows his understanding of the sport. Participants train alongside other young athletes in structured practices led by experienced club coaches.
The story behind the program
Sprout was built around a simple idea.
Every young boy should have the chance to experience volleyball before cost becomes a barrier to playing.
For many young athletes the first challenge is simply finding somewhere to learn the game. Boys volleyball at the elementary level can be hard to come by, and a family may not be ready for the financial commitment of a full club season while their son is still discovering the sport.
Sprout is that entry point.
Through structured practices, quality coaching, skill development and consistent training, young athletes get to build a real volleyball foundation in a club environment. The Dr. Meshach McKnight Foundation is helping remove the financial barrier by giving eligible 2nd–7th grade boys the training portion of Sprout at no cost to their families.
The goal is not simply to teach volleyball skills. It is to create access, introduce more boys to the sport, develop young athletes, and give them a foundation they can keep growing from.
What athletes receive
Everything below is included, and none of it costs a Foundation-sponsored family anything.
- Two structured volleyball practices every week
- Experienced club volleyball coaches at every practice
- Volleyball fundamentals and skill development
- Passing, setting and serving instruction
- Attacking development and defensive skills
- Movement and coordination development
- Team concepts and court positioning
- Communication development
- Age-appropriate game play
- A structured club training environment
- Consistent training from October through January
The experience is developmental, structured, and genuinely welcoming to boys who are completely new to volleyball.
Program details
- Who can take part
Boys currently enrolled in 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th or 7th grade.
- Experience
None required. Complete beginners are as welcome as boys who already play.
- Season
October through January.
- Training schedule
- Tuesday · 5:15–7:15 PM
- Wednesday · 5:15–7:15 PM
- Cost
Free, through the Dr. Meshach McKnight Foundation.
- Where
Hy-Vee Arena: 1800 Genessee St, Kansas City, MO 64102
What the Foundation sponsors
The Dr. Meshach McKnight Foundation is sponsoring the practice and training portion of Sprout: the Tuesday and Wednesday practices, the coaching in them, and the communication that goes with them.
This is not the full paid Sprout program. Registering here does not include No Limit Fitness sessions or the other services, events and benefits that come with a paid Sprout registration. A family who wants those registers for Sprout the usual way.
The Foundation sponsors this as part of its commitment to creating opportunities for young athletes and reducing the financial barriers to taking part — so that boys in grades 2–7 can get months of structured training and experienced coaching at no cost to their families.
Join the Sprout Training Program
Six questions, and you’re done. There is nothing to pay and no membership to buy — the Foundation sponsors his place.
Once he has a place we’ll email you the practice details and ask you to set up your family’s Roots account, so he appears on the roster before the first Tuesday. You will not be asked for a payment or an AAU membership at any point.
Questions first? Call 913.990.1551 or write to contact@rootsvba.com.
Talk to a person
If anything here is unclear — whether your son is the right age, what he needs to bring, what happens after January — ask. Nobody will be talked into anything.
← Dr. Meshach McKnight Foundation