Rules

All FIVB / Volleyball Canada rules apply except for the following:

  • The net may NOT be contacted at ANY time during play. It’s the responsibility of the captain of the team that violates the net rule to make his/her own infraction calls.
  • Maximum of three men on court per team at any time.
  • A minimum of four players from the team roster AND a minimum of five players in total are required on the court to avoid a forfeit. NOTE: does not apply for 2020-21 season.
  • There is no man-woman hitting sequence, men and women hit and block at the net.
  • All games are rally point to 21 (win by 2, max 25).
  • Team captains are responsible to make all infraction calls made by their own players; please be vigilant.

Forfeits

NOTE: this section does not apply for 2020-21 season.

  • Loss of game
    • 1st game is lost after 10-minute delay (0 – 1)
    • 2nd game and all other games are lost after 20-minute delay (0 – 5)
  • Insufficient number of players
    • If a team fails to notify the opposing captain they will be awarded with a “no show”. (*Three “no shows” over the course of the indoor season may result in ejection from the league*). Teams cannot reschedule matches under any circumstances. The league may cancel/reschedule part or all of the matches due to weather/school closure.
    • If a captain knows in advance that his/her team is unable to make the Sunday match, they must contact the opposing captain a minimum of 24 hours before the start of the match. This is considered a “forfeit” and no points are awarded.
    • If the minimum of 4 players from one team’s roster is unable to play, a team may pick up spares to field 6 a player team.  The game will be played, however this is considered a “forfeit” and no points will be awarded. Teams that do not have enough players more than three (3) times during the season will be awarded a default for all matches played with 5 players.

Players

  • No university (or equivalent) men players are allowed to play in any league games or tournaments. Co-ed Fred league or tournament men players are not allowed to play for any university or collegiate team. Unless it is the first time the player in question makes a university/collegiate team, the league team will lose all tournament and league points accumulated to that date in the season. Captains are able to issue complaints concerning questionable players to the Executive.
  • No player under 18 years of age is allowed to play in any league games or tournaments. Proof of age may be requested by league/tournament executives.
  • Sportsmanship and conduct. Any player showing poor conduct, sportsmanship or disregard for the rules may be issued a warning by league executives. Two official warnings will result in suspension from the match and the third will result in suspension from the league/tournament. League suspensions will be for a 2 week period.  Repeated suspensions will result in ejection from the league and tournaments at the Executive’s discretion.
  • Team captains must submit a team roster at the beginning of the season. This roster will be used to confirm players’ playoff eligibility. Once the playoffs start, teams cannot pick up spares or recruit players from another team. During playoffs, if a team player is injured, special allowances may be made for the team to pick up a spare of equivalent skill (at the discretion of the Executive).
  • A team may pick up extra players to complete a six-person team. If a player is picked up from another league team, it is the captain’s responsibility to ask the opposing captain if the spare is permitted to play. The premise is that the spare should be equivalent to the player they are replacing.  Only players registered on a team roster can play in the league playoffs. In order to be able to play in playoffs, players must also be active participants of the league (ie: has played in part of the regular league season). Special permission from the Executive may be made to compensate for injuries etc.  A team cannot, under any circumstances, request more replacement players than what is needed to field a 6 player team on the court.

Tournaments

  • Tournament registration and cancellation deadline is at 5 pm on the Monday before each tournament.
  • Registration fees are $120 unless otherwise specified.
  • Any team backing out after the cancellation deadline will be required to pay up front via E-Transfer for their next tournament and will be moved to the back of the waiting list.
  • Exceptions may be made at the discretion of the Executive in the event of inclement weather.
  • Team captains are responsible to pay their registration fees before their first match.  No match points will be awarded until the registration fee is paid.
  • Forfeits:
    • Loss of game
      • 1st game is lost 5-25 after 10-minute delay
      • 2nd game and all other games in the match are lost 0-25 after 20-minute delay
    • Ejection from the tournament
      • Two “no shows” at scheduled time of play
  • A team must have 6 players on the court at all times (3 men max).
    • Teams not having 6 players at the start of the game will be permitted to play but will not be awarded any point for that game. In other words, teams will only be awarded points for games won if they began the game with 6 players on the court.
    • Exceptions will be permitted for injuries or other emergencies where substitutions are not available at the discretion of the Executive.
    • Teams may not add substitute players from teams previously eliminated from the tournament.
  • Round robin matches are played to either 2 games or 3 games to 25 points (win by 2 no max), depending on the number of teams in the division. Semifinals and final are best of three (3rd game to 15; win by 2, no max).
  • Teams are allowed 5 minutes to warm up before each match.
  • When no officials (referees) are present, team captains are responsible to make all infraction calls made by their own players; please be vigilant.
  • A player can only play for one team during a tournament.
  • Scoring system
    • Round robin:
      • 5- or 6-team pool (1 pt for game win & 1 pt for match win)
      • 4-team pool (1 pt per game win)
    • The total number of points accumulated by each team will determine the final positions within the round robin. The top team will be the one with the most points and so on.
      • If two or more teams are equal in points, the next determining factor will be the total number of games won and lost between the tied teams.
      • If the teams are still tied, the record of games in favour and games against from the match between the tied teams will be taken into account.
      • If they are still tied after that, the next determining factor will be their total points for and points against between the tied teams.
      • Finally, if none of the above methods are able to determine the final positions, a coin toss will be used.
  • Tiers. Teams must specify upon registration if they are playing in Tier 1 or Tier 2. Tier 1 is defined as competitive and Tier 2 is defined as semi-competitive.
    • When a team wins a Tier 2 tournament they will be moved up to Tier 1 for the next tournament.
    • Teams finishing in 3rd or above in their division within Tier 1 will not be allowed to move into Tier 2 for the next tournament.
    • The poorest team performance in Tier 1 may be dropped to Tier 2 for the next tournament.
    • League executives reserve the right to move teams up or down as they see fit.

Food & Drink in the Gyms

  • According to ESA gym rules, absolutely no food or drinks are allowed in the gyms.  If you choose to bring food or drink with you to the gym, please ensure that all garbage is placed in a waste bin at the end of your match.