3A. Introduction
For many regional players, a Country Championship is the major volleyball event on the annual calendar, with participation limited to players registered in country associations.
These regulations have been developed to encourage associations to better prepare for a Country Championship, and to provide an event that is enjoyable for all participants, both of which impact directly on the success of the event.
Regrettably, penalties for non-compliance become necessary, but are set to be reasonable considering the impact non-compliance has on the organisers and other participants.
Unless otherwise specified in these regulations, the Rules of Play shall be those published by the FIVB at the time of a championship.
3B. Association Eligibility
(i) Country Championships may only be contested by players registered in associations outside a radius of 40km of the Melbourne CBD.
(ii) Only associations that comply fully with the affiliation requirements of Volleyball Victoria Inc. shall be eligible to enter a team in a Country Championship.
(iii) Associations may nominate club-based teams, but such teams shall compete in the name of the association and shall be treated in every respect as fully representative of their nominating association.
3C. Player Eligibility
(i) All players must appear on the registration database of Volleyball Victoria Inc. in the name of the association they represent, with the exception of invited players.
(ii) Individual player registrations should be submitted to Volleyball Victoria Inc no later than the date set for the provision of the final Team List documentation.
(iii) Players under suspension from their association, as advised to Volleyball Victoria Inc. prior to the event, are ineligible to compete.
(iv) Except for eligible invited players, all players must have played at least eight (8) matches in their associations regular weekly competition, or with their associations representative team, during the twelve months prior to the time final Team List documentation is due for submission. At least five of the required eight matches must be played in the regular weekly competition, or with their associations representative team in the State League competition, during the twelve month qualifying period.
The above requirement shall be verified as part of the entry process by the association.
(v) Any player found to be ineligible in accordance with these regulations shall cause their team to forfeit all matches in which that player took any part, 3 sets to nil, 25-0 each set, and in addition, the association shall forfeit their entire bond.
3D. Invited Players
(i) Subject to fulfilling the applicable requirements of Articles 3B & 3C above, players from an association not entered in a Championship, may be eligible to be invited to play for a different association.
(ii) Subject to fulfilling the applicable requirements of Articles 3B & 3C above, players not selected by an association to represent them in a Championship, may be eligible to be invited to play for a different association, provided the player obtains a written clearance from their association to play for another association. A sample clearance form is included in Appendix 11.
(iii) Invited players must have played at least eight (8) matches in an affiliated country association, or with an affiliated country association’s representative team, during the twelve months prior to the time final Team List documentation is due for submission. At least five of the required eight matches must be played in the regular weekly competition, or with their associations representative team in the State League competition, during the twelve month qualifying period.
The player may be required to obtain written verification of this requirement prior to the Championship.
(iv) Participating teams shall be limited to a maximum of one invited player.
(v) Permission to include invited players may only be granted by the VVCCC after receipt of the initial Entry Documentation for a particular team, which must clearly indicate the invited player and their details.
3E.. Entries & Registration
(i) The Host Association shall distribute invitations to participate by ordinary mail, facsimile or e-mail (in accordance with the current contact details held by Volleyball Victoria), to all regional affiliated associations, at least three (3) months prior to the date set for the Championship. Appendix 10 details a sample invitation.
(ii) Associations desirous of entering a team(s), shall register their association by utilizing the official Championship web-site. Appendix 10-1 describes the entry process via the web-site.
(iii) After verification of the Associations eligibility by the VVCCC, additional access to the entry section of the web-site, in the form of a password, shall be emailed to the nominated association contact. The entry will be finally accepted on receipt of the required fees and bonds by the date set by the Host Association, which shall be at least four (4) weeks prior to the Championship. Host Associations are required to pay all applicable fees and bonds.
(iv) Having registered to participate and paid the required fees and bonds, an association acknowledges and accepts complete liability for full compliance with these regulations, agreeing to pay particular attention to the player eligibility criteria and provision of referees.
(v) Failure to return the required fees and bonds by the due date may result in continued access to the entry section of the web-site being denied and the entry being rejected.
(vi) Associations must complete the Team List documentation via the official Championship web-site by the date set by the Host Association, which shall be at least seven (7) days prior to the event. Associations must nominate a minimum of seven (7) players and include the appropriate referee nominations for every division.
(vii) Failure to complete the Team List documentation on the web-site by the due date may result in the Technical Delegate rejecting the entry, in which case that team shall forfeit their entire bond. If the entry is to be accepted, a penalty of 5 penalty units per team shall be applied to the responsible association.
(viii) If, for whatever reason, a listed player is unable to participate, the team may continue to play in the event provided at least seven (7) players are present to commence the first match of the event.
(ix) Any team who requests to add one or more players after the registration deadline, may do so, provided that player fulfils the eligibility criteria, but will have a Late Player fee of 5 penalty units per player deducted from their bond.
(x) Any team who withdraws after submission of their entry documentation, but prior to the registration deadline, shall forfeit their bond in total but shall have their entry fee refunded in full.
(xi) Any team withdrawing after the registration deadline, or who fails to present for the event, shall forfeit both the entry fee and bond in full.
3F. Draw
(i) Where possible, a full round-robin format will be used for each division, with any variation, and the format of any such variation, approved by the VVCCC.
(ii) The allocation of teams to divisions and/or pools shall be approved by the VVCCC.
(iii) Time slots for matches shall be set at a minimum of 90-minute intervals, unless a variation is approved by the VVCCC.
(iv) The draft draw shall be prepared by the Host Association for VVCCC approval at least three (3) weeks prior to the Championship. In considering the proposed draw, the VVCCC shall pay attention to the principles of fairness, without restricting any options to maximise local spectator interest.
(v) Following approval, the VVCCC shall load the draw onto the official Championship web-site, at least 4 clear days prior to the Championship.
3G. Results.
(i) All matches shall be played best of five, no time limit, unless a different format is approved by the VVCCC.
(ii) Championship points shall be allocated as follows: a. Match won - 3 points b. Match lost - 1 point c. Match forfeit - 0 points
(iii) Set percentage shall be determined on the basis of sets won and sets lost.
(iv) Point percentage shall be determined on the basis of total match points won and lost.
(v) The teams to contest the grand finals of each division shall be determined by total championship points, and if equal then on set percentage and if still equal then on point percentage. If a tie still exists, the result of the last match played between the tied teams shall be used to determine the final order of the teams.
(vi) A progressive results table shall be maintained on the official VVCCC Results system and displayed by the host association in a prominent location throughout the Championship.
3H. Disputes and Protests
(i) Disputes relating to the eligibility of any participant shall be referred to the Jury for determination and appropriate action.
(ii) Protests formerly raised by the captain of a team relating to a refereeing decision in any championship match shall be immediately referred to the Referee Delegate for court-side resolution. The first referee shall relate the protest to the Referee Delegate who may seek additional comment from other match officials (second referee, scorer and/or line judges), with each captain and the Jury member in attendance. Subject to a decision being reached by the Referee Delegate, their decision shall be final and no further correspondence entered into. Should the protest not relate to a ‘Rule of the Game’ issue, the Referee Delegate may choose to refer the matter to the Jury for further deliberation, in which case the match will continue and the result will be subject to the deliberation of the Jury.
(iii) Other disputes shall be in writing, addressed to the Chair of the Jury, and be delivered to the Tournament Manager or Chair of the Jury within two (2) hours of the completion of the match or incident relating to the dispute.
3I. General Regulations
(i) Nominated match start times shall be based on the GEST (Guaranteed Earliest Start Time) system.
(ii) Teams will be guaranteed a minimum of 15 minutes on court warm-up (including spiking and serving).
(iii) All teams shall be guaranteed a minimum of 60 minutes between playing commitments.
(iv) Any team not ready to commence play within 10 minutes of the appointed time, being the later of the GEST time or 15 minutes after the conclusion of the previous match, shall forfeit the match, 3 sets to nil.
(v) Teams must ensure each player wears the uniform number nominated in the final Team List documentation as scoresheets and championship programs will be pre-prepared on the basis of that information.
(vi) Teams with players wearing numbers different to those listed in the Team List documentation shall incur a penalty of 2 penalty units per match per player.
(vii) Teams presenting less than seven (7) players for a competition match, unless as a result of an injury sustained during a Championship match, shall incur a penalty of 2 penalty units for each match in which their team members are below the minimum. In accordance with FIVB rules, any team presenting less than six players shall be declared incomplete.
(viii) For Division One competition, team uniforms must be strictly in accordance with the FIVB Rules of Play, including team numbers within the range of 1 to 18 only. For all other divisions, player numbers greater than 18 will be allowed, provided each player has a unique number.
Playing numbers temporarily applied using strapping or other forms of adhesive tape will not be permitted.
(ix) For Division One competition, playing uniforms (shirt and shorts/skirts) must be identical. Socks must be predominantly the same colour and must be the same style/length. Non-compliance shall incur a penalty of 2 penalty units per player per match to be deducted from the team bond.
For all other divisions, the basic style and colour of playing uniforms must be the same.
Where uniforms are noticeably different, the Jury will be asked to rule on the acceptability of the uniform in question.
(x) For all country championships, the twelve-substitution rules shall apply, with the Libero nominated per set.
(xi) Twelve-substitution scoresheets shall be used in all matches. Coaches requiring copies of scoresheets should advise the Competition Manager who shall arrange for the appropriate copies to be made available.
3J. Officials
(i) Referee Delegate
(a) The Volleyball Victoria Referee Commission shall be invited by the VVCCC to appoint a Referee Delegate for the Championship.
(b) The authority, responsibility and appointment conditions of the Referee Delegate shall be as detailed in Appendix 12.
(c) Failure of the Volleyball Victoria Referee Commission to appoint a Referee Delegate within six weeks of a request to do so shall result in the VVCCC making their own appointment under the terms and conditions as detailed in Appendix 12.
(ii) Referee Panel
(a) A referee panel shall be formed for the duration of the Championship from the fully qualified independent referees nominated in the entry documentation by Associations entering Division One teams, plus an additional two referee assistants nominated by the Host Association. Referees nominated by other than Division One teams are entitled to participate in all Referee Panel activities as an observer.
(b) Associations entering Division One will be required to nominate qualified referees at the rate of one referee for up to two Division One teams.
Associations entering Division One must provide referee nominations as part of the initial entry process – refer section 3E(iii). Failure to nominate appropriate referees shall incur a penalty of 5 penalty units. The Technical Delegate and Referee Delegate shall negotiate with the Association regarding the provision of a Referee at the Association's cost, refer section 3J(ii)(n) or the entry may be rejected.
Associations entering divisions other than Division One shall be required to nominate referees at a minimum rate of one referee per team. Nomination of referees for divisions other than Division One shall form part of the Team List documentation – refer section 3E(vi & vii).
(c) For 2005 senior Championships and beyond, nominated referees for Division One must be both qualified to at least NOAS Level 1 (AVF Regional and above) and be independent of playing or coaching commitments.
For 2005 Championships and beyond, nominated referees for divisions other than Division One must as a minimum have completed a Level One theory course (AVF District) within the previous four years.
(d) Referee assistants nominated by the Host Association are expected to be competent officials (preferably but not necessarily qualified) able to undertake second referee/scorer/line judge duties for Division One and if qualified, undertake First Referee duties on other divisions.
(e) Division One referees must provide and wear a white shirt (white jumper/jacket permitted during cold weather) and dark trousers (navy or black).
(f) All referees must supply their own whistle and yellow/red cards.
(g) Members of the referee panel must be available to be rostered by the Referee Delegate for first and/or second referee duties on all Division One preliminary matches and as many other division preliminary matches as possible.
(h) Members of the referee panel must be available to be rostered by the Referee Delegate for first and second referee and scorer duties on all finals matches.
Where possible, members of the referee panel may also be rostered to perform line judge duties for finals matches. However, if this is not possible, the Host Association shall be responsible for providing competent line judges for all finals matches, in addition to ball retrievers and floor moppers as outlined in the Organisational section.
(i) All members of the referee panel, plus at least one of the nominated referees from each team in divisions other than Division One, shall attend the initial referee meeting as scheduled by the Referee Delegate.
(j) Members of the referee panel who make themselves unavailable for any match, particularly finals matches, and referees who fail to attend the initial referee meeting, shall cause a penalty of 5 penalty units to be applied to the association they represent.
(k) Associations are encouraged to nominate additional referees (qualified or not) for experience.
(l) All refereeing officials shall be directly responsible to the Referee Delegate.
(m) Members of the Jury may speak with referees about their duties but shall not issue directions in relation to individual performance unless as a direct result of solving a formal protest in a specific match.
(n) Independent (non-playing/coaching) referees nominated by participating associations shall be entitled to a reasonable allowance to cover travel, accommodation and meals. Any such allowance shall be negotiated between the referee and their association and be paid by the nominating association.
(iii) Duty Teams
(a) Participating teams in each division shall be rostered for duty within their own or a lower division throughout the competition draw.
(b) Duty teams shall supply a minimum of four members – scorer, scoreboard operator and two line judges. Scorers must be conversant with the 12-sub scoresheet.
Where referees are not supplied from the referee panel, an additional two members shall be provided to act as first and second referee.
Duty teams unable to provide the requisite qualified referee shall incur a penalty of 4 penalty units per rostered duty, which shall be made available to any qualified referee able to undertake the required duty.
(c) Duty teams must be available to commence their duty at the GEST time, or within 15 minutes of the conclusion of an immediately preceding match, whichever is the later.
Any duty team not ready to commence their duty at the appointed time, being the later of the GEST time or 15 minutes after the conclusion of the previous match, shall incur a penalty of 4 penalty units.
(d) Duty teams are expected to perform their responsibilities in a courteous and professional manner at all times.
Jury members assigned to matches where a duty team’s performance is considered below acceptable levels shall request an improvement in performance via the first referee at the first available opportunity.
Subsequent failure of a duty team to reach an acceptable standard shall be detailed in the match report by the Jury member for consideration by the Jury at its next meeting.
3K. Fines and Penalties
(i) Fines and penalties may only be applied by the Technical Delegate in accordance with these regulations.
(ii) The Jury is the only body authorised to determine and apply penalties not specifically stated in these regulations.
(iii) Penalties applied by the Jury may be in any form, including but not limited to championship point penalties, bond deductions, monetary fines on associations, player suspension or team disqualification.
(iv) Unless otherwise stated, any penalty involving a bond deduction on teams other than Host Association teams shall be retained by the Host Association and included as event income. Penalties applied to Host Association teams shall be payable to Volleyball Victoria who may use such funds in any way they see fit.
(v) Penalty units shall equate to $5.00 bond deduction per unit.
3L. Code of Conduct
(i) This Code of Conduct applies individually or collectively to all officials, players, coaches, managers, and team officials participating in events covered by these regulations.
(ii) All participants have a duty to display, maintain and encourage the highest level of sportspersonship and are expected to set an example in their personal conduct and avoid all unsportslike acts and practices, which may be detrimental to the sport.
(iii) Such acts and practices during the tournament include, but are not limited to:
o Swearing at a match official, opponent or spectator;
o Using obscene language or gestures;
o Showing persistent outward displays of temper, throwing, hitting, or kicking a volleyball deliberately in the direction of an official, opponent, or spectator;
o Persistently challenging the decisions of referees or tournament officials;
o Inciting others to challenge the decisions of referees or tournament officials;
o Refusing to comply with reasonable requests from referees or tournament officials;
o Behaving in a manner deemed detrimental to the sport.
3M. Disciplinary Action
(i) All violations of the Code of Conduct occurring during a Championship shall be reported to the Chair of the Jury or his representative.
(ii) Such reports shall be in writing, stating nature, time and place of the offence, the persons involved, their affiliation and position and the names of witnesses.
(iii) Reports shall be dealt with as soon as practicable by the Jury, after they have been received.
(iv) In considering the report, the Jury may call witnesses but will provide the opportunity for the defendant to present their case.
(v) The defendant is entitled to be accompanied by one other person and may themselves call witnesses. Legal representation shall not be permitted.
(vi) A record of the hearing shall be maintained by a member of the Jury, a copy made available to the defendant and a copy forwarded to Volleyball Victoria.
(vii) The Jury shall have the power to suspend offenders for all or part of the tournament, and if warranted, recommend further action to Volleyball Victoria.
(End of Regulations)
Major Revision - October 2002
Minor Revisions - 1/04, 2/05, 2/06, 3/07, 2/08, 2/09, 2/11, 2/12
Latest Revision - March 2013
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