Beach Volleyball

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

  1. Two Formats
    1. Fours Beach Volleyball
    2. Sixes Beach Volleyball
  2. Women+ Three Levels of Play
    1. Competitive (4x4)
    2. Intermediate (4x4)
    3. Recreational (6x6)
  3. 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
  • 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.

Current and Future Programs

Venues

Kathy Osterman Beach

Montrose Beach

Sponsors

Official Beer Partner Sponsor Bar
Sponsor Bar Sponsor Bar
Sponsor Bar Sponsor Bar
Sponsor Bar Sponsor Bar
Sponsor Bar

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

Headshot of Mark Ferraro
Mark Ferraro
Indoor VB Board
Beach VB Board

Danny Larsen
Beach VB Board

Dragan Mackovic
Beach VB Board