About our league
CMSA Volleyball League proudly stands as one of the largest LGBTQ+ volleyball leagues in the country. We celebrate diversity, acceptance, and the joy of playing together.
What We Offer
- Two Formats
- Fours Beach Volleyball
- Sixes Beach Volleyball
- Women+ Three Levels of Play
- Competitive (4x4)
- Intermediate (4x4)
- Recreational (6x6)
- Open - Six Levels of Play
- A - Advanced Competitive (4x4)
- BB - Competitive (4x4)
- BU - Advanced Intermediate (4x4)
- BL - Intermediate (4x4)
- CC - Advanced Recreational (4x4)
- C - Recreational (6x6)
2026 Registration
*** Last Updated May 14th 2026 ***
Thank you for your interest in CMSA Beach Volleyball!
Pricing
- Price per player will be $78
- Registration requires Annual CMSA Membership which is about $32
- LeagueApps processing fee will be charged and is about 6%
Logistics and Game Play
- Venue: Montrose Beach
- Friday 6:30 PM Play Time
- We use 3 team pods where the 3rd team reffs games
- Matches are 2 games
- Teams play 4 games per night
- Teams must ref 2 games per night
Being a captain
- Being a captain is a significant responsibility
- Captains are the liaison of a team to the commissioner
- Captains are responsible for their team
- Captains should have the capacity to read and understand all league communications and meet all deadlines.
Being a Player
- CMSA has a no-alcohol and no-drugs policy
- CMSA has zero tolerance for breaking this rule
- If you expect to drink at CMSA Activities, this will be a problem. You should not register.
- All players must adhere to the CMSA Code of Conduct
- Players must be invited to a team by a captain.
Free Agents
- If you dont have a team, and want us to find one for you, sign up as a Free Agent.
Key Dates
- Returning Captain Registration Opens April 4th 12:00 AM
- Captains will get password emailed shortly before registration
- Sent via our mailchimp email system
- Captains who have unsubscribed will not receive the password ** Updated 4/3/2026 **
- For early registration, a team must include half of the players from previous year
- Please wait for general registration to invite the rest of your team
- Captains will get password emailed shortly before registration
- General Registration Opens April 5th 12:00 AM
- First Team Minimum Deadline April 18th
- Teams must have minimum players invited ** Added 4/8/2026 **
- Teams must have 4 paid players
- Main administrative deadline: submitted by May 2nd
- Teams must have minimum players paid ** Date has changed from May 9th **
- Bye Week Requests
- Division Validation (Confirm team is in correct division) ** Details Added 4/8/2026 **
- Open LeagueApps on a desktop/laptop computer (This data not shown on mobile browser/App)
- Navigate to Team page
- Page should show team division
- Team Name Changes
- Waitlist teams should know if they are being moved to the main program by May 9th ** Added 4/8/2026 **
- First day of normal play: May 29th
- Last day of normal play: August 21st
- Tournament: Sunday August 30th **Updated 7/14/2026**
Additional Details
- Minimum Number of Players
- All 4x4 teams must have at least 6 players (Recommended 7 minimum)
- All 6x6 teams must have at least 8 players (Recommended 10 minimum)
- C and WR divsiions
- Captains can add players until June 12th
- Captains can request free agents using the button above
- If minimum player count is not met by the deadline
- Team may be placed on the waitlist
- Free agents will be added to team
- Limit of 190 total teams (22 more than 2025)
- Additional play dates allow us to add more teams this year!
- If registration is full, sign up for 2026 WAITLIST
- Many people on the waitlist were moved to the program in 2025
- You will not have to pay until placed on a team
- All teams will be scheduled to play at least 9 nights
- Rain outs can result in canceled games which are not made up
- Registration Includes the end of season tournament
- Use Bye Week request button above to request bye weeks
- Not all free agents are guaranteed spots
- Every attempt will be made to place free agents
- Players and/or teams may be moved to a different division based on skill level
- If there is enough interest, we will have separate divisions for:
- A (Advanced Competitive)
- Women's+ Competitive/Intermediate/Recreational
Captains Meeting
- Scheduled for May 14th 2026 6:30 PM at Roscoe's Tavern
- All teams (even returning teams) should have a captain or co-captain present
Other Events
- Skills Clinics: We occasionally offer skills clinics to learn the basics or improve your technique.
- Social Events: Beyond the game, we host social events—mixers, parties, and outings.
- End of Season Tournament
References
Rules and Information
Teams self-referee between their matches.
- 2025 Beach Volleyball Rules (PDF)
- 2026 Beach Volleyball Captains Meeting (PDF)
- Beach Net Setup Instructions (WEB, PDF)
- Add your team's season schedule to personal calendar (PDF)
Equipment
- All equipment is provided (Nets, lines, scoreboards, referee equipment)
- Beach Nets are set up by teams before play
- Teams should arrive 30 min before their first game
Apparel
- Outdoor: Numbered shirts are not required
Many teams choose to create jerseys at their own expense, but it is not required.
Photos
- 2024 - Beach Week 1
- 2024 - Beach Week 4
- 2024 - Beach Tournament - Team Photos
- 2024 - Beach Tournament - Action Photos
- 2025 - Beach Week 7 (July 11)
- 2025 - Beach Week 9 (August 1st)
- 2025 - Beach Tournament - Team Photos
- 2026 - Beach Volleyball Session 1
Contact Us
- Beach Volleyball: beachvb@chicagomsa.org
- Volleyball Board Members
Current and Future Programs
Venues
Kathy Osterman Beach
Montrose Beach
Beach Volleyball Leadership

Ed Hayes
Beach Commissioner
Indoor Commissioner
edward.hayes@chicagomsa.org

Bill Barrett
Masters Commissioner
Indoor Co-Commissioner
Beach Co-Commissioner
bill.barrett@chicagomsa.org

Shelly Carbone
Women's+ Indoor Commissioner
Beach Co-Commissioner
shelly.carbone@chicagomsa.org

Mark Ferraro
Indoor VB Board
Beach VB Board

Danny Larsen
Beach VB Board

Dragan Mackovic
Beach VB Board






