All rules are as per the Official Volleyball Rules 2021-24, with minor amendments intended to enhance the playing experience at Cockburn ARC. Please consult the Sports Management Team for specific rule clarification.
All participants play at their own risk.
Games consist of two eighteen-minute halves, with a one-minute half-time break and a two-minute changeover period.
Game start times are: 6:00pm, 6:40pm, 7:20pm, 8:00pm, 8:40pm, 9:20pm. All registered teams are expected to be available to play at these times.
Player and spectator behaviour
The moment you set foot in Cockburn ARC Sports Stadium, you have become a custodian of our sporting community. Players and spectators must understand that they are just as responsible for creating a positive and inclusive environment as administrators and referees.
Anti-social and aggressive behaviour will not be tolerated by your teammates, opposition players, spectators, officials and competition organisers alike. Individuals who fail to acknowledge their responsibility in maintaining a social environment will be making participation less enjoyable for all and risk their and/or their teams ongoing involvement with all Cockburn ARC facilities and programs.
Any on or off-court incidents deemed to be anti-social will be dealt with accordingly and at the discretion of the Sports Management Team and/or an authorised representative of the Cockburn ARC. This may include ejection from the playing arena, short- and long-term suspensions, and if necessary, permanent banning from the Cockburn ARC for the offending individuals and/or teams.
Spirit of the game
At Cockburn ARC, the focus will be seeing games go ahead so that all teams can enjoy the consistency of knowing they have an opposition to play each week. This will occasionally result in cross-division fixtures, scheduled byes being substituted for fixtured games or teams being asked to play twice in an evening. The allocating of competition points in such cases will be managed by the Team Sports Coordinator.
Fostering a social environment where everyone can feel welcome to participate is an integral aspect of our competition. Players from any team during the regular season (regardless of division) are welcome to fill-in for any other side. However, this is only permissible when a team is short of regular players.
Please respect the spirit of the game – attempting to headhunt players to achieve results won’t get your team anywhere in the long run. All players and substitutes must be at least registered within the Spawtz online portal to participate. If teams are utilising regular substitutes throughout the course of the season, we would suggest they be registered as a player of the team, allowing us to easily ascertain their eligibility for finals.
Players are welcome to feature in multiple sides during the regular season (including within the same division). However, if a player qualifies for finals for two sides in the same division, he or she may only represent one team during the entire finals' series (semi-finals and grand finals).
Officials and the Sports Management Team reserve the right to deny a player from playing within, or ‘filling in’, for another team. In other cases, a non-regular player may also be told that they can only play on a wing for that game. Such decisions will be based on a perception of fairness for the opposition team and will be a judgement call made the Sports Management Team.
Rule clarification
Participants may not wear jewellery, watches, pins, or other dangerous/sharp items. Fingernails may be short taped, cut or gloved at the discretion of the umpires/referees. Tape is not provided by The Cockburn ARC, and it is the responsibility of the player to ensure that they comply with the above.
To qualify for finals, individual players must have played at least 4 games within a regular season.
All players are required to present conforming uniforms with the same colour & shade.
Open League: There are no caps on gender, an open league is a league for all!
A minimum of 4 players are required to start the game.
All players must be 16 years or older to play in the competitions.
Gameplay Regulations
All FIVB rules apply unless stated otherwise in the Cockburn ARC By-Laws.
1. Gameplay Length
1.1 All games comprise of three sets played in 40-minute period; when time expires and the rally is continuing, play will continue until the point is considered “dead”.
1.2 The first 2 sets are played to 25 points, with the third set played to 15 points in the event the first 2 sets are drawn.
2. Team Management
2.1 All players must be sixteen years or older to participate.
2.2 The maximum number of players on court per team at any given time is six (6)
2.3 The minimum number of players on court without forfeiting is four (4), as per Cockburn ARC By-Laws.
2.4 Players may make a substitution at the end of a point only, and the referee must be made aware of it.
2.4.1 The nominated team captain may ask for rule clarification when the point is considered over.
3. General Rules
Points will be scored using the rally system, in that if a team wins the rally, regardless of the serving team, they win the point and will continue to serve until they have lost the point.
A team must be two (2) points ahead to win the set. Unless time has elapsed, an additional point will be played to determine the winner.
If neither team has reached a minimum of eight (8) points in any given set when time runs out, the set shall be deemed incomplete.
If a team has reached a minimum of eight (8) points and is ahead in points by at least two (2) points by the end of the game, then they will have won the game.
4. Game Management Procedure - Misconduct and Sanctions
4.1 This is classified into three categories as per the Cockburn ARC by-laws (modified from FIVB Official Rules of the Game):
4.2 Sanction Scale: warning, “sending off”, or ejection (as per Cockburn ARC by-laws wording)
4.2.1 Warning: the first instance of unsporting conduct will result in a yellow card, a loss of the point and the service awarded to the opposing team.
4.2.2 Expulsion or “sending off”: the second instance of unsporting conduct will result in a red card, and the player shall not play for the remainder of the set.
4.2.3 Ejection: the third instance of unsporting conduct or abusive language and/or undue rough play or physical aggression will result in a red and yellow card held together, and the player must be substituted off the court, and leave the centre immediately for the rest of the match, as per Cockburn ARC by-laws.
4.3 In the event a team has less than the maximum number of players required to continue gameplay after a player has been ejected, they will be required to complete the game with a minimum of five (5) players to avoid a forfeit.
4.4 In extenuating circumstances, the referee or sports management may call off the game according to the Cockburn ARC by-laws.