Big City Volleyball League Rules

*All Big City play is governed by USAV rules unless otherwise noted.

1. ELIGIBILITY
To play in the Big City Volleyball League, a person must both be on their team’s roster and must have handed in a waiver form. Teams have until the 6th match of the season to add players to their roster. To do so, the league must be notified (by phone: 212-288-4240 or e-mail: info@bigcityvolleyball.com) by 5:00 p.m. the day of the match in which they wish to use such players. (Leaving the info on our answering machine is fine.) You can also re-fax your team roster to our office at 212-734-4213, adding the new players, and writing "REVISED" across the top. Such players must then fill out a waiver (available in every gym) and hand it in to the ref. PLAYERS MAY NOT BE ADDED AT THE GYM!

If you are found to be using a player who is not on your roster OR has not handed in a waiver form, you will forfeit all three games of the match(es) in question.

After match 6 (including the postseason), roster exemptions to replace injured players or players who have moved will be handled on a case-by-case basis. In no event will the league allow any such player to be replaced by someone at a higher skill level.

Players may only play on one team per division. A player MAY play on a Division 3A and a Division 3B team, but may NOT play on two Division 3A teams. Teams playing with any player who is not on their roster will forfeit any games they win. (Teams are NOT allowed to “borrow” players from other teams for the evening.)

Playoff Eligibility: To be eligible for postseason play, a player must have appeared in at least one match during the regular season. This is to prevent teams from loading up with “ringers.”

Players on more than one team qualifying for the playoffs in the same level (i.e., such a player plays on a playoff qualifier from Div. 5B and another playoff qualifier from 5D) must declare which team they’re on for the postseason: no playing on two teams in the same level in the playoffs.

Inappropriately High Talent Rule:
The league discourages the use of players who are obviously at a significantly higher skill level than their team average, even if said player is legally on that team's roster. This rule generally applies to high-level players who play on teams in levels 4-7. Please do not use players who will create havoc in your division; at the very least, they throw off the level of play, and in many cases, they can be dangerous to the opposing teams. (In extreme cases, the league may expressly prohibit such players from playing on a team.)  Note: It has been the league's experience that captains and players often balk when we make this ruling, thinking the league is "unfairly picking on them."  Please rest assured that we are not; the league has encountered this situation numerous times in our many years of experience, and our judgment, based on that cumulative expertise, will be final.

2.TEAM STRUCTURE
If a team has 6 players on the court, at least 2 must be women. If it has 4 or 5 players on the court, at least 1 must be a woman. Fewer than 4 players is a forfeit.

Teams are allowed to play with fewer than 6 players if they choose, even if they have 6 at the gym.

Exception: if a team starts with a legal # of players, they can continue on if someone gets injured. They cannot lose by forfeit if someone gets hurt after play begins. This means that a team that starts with 4 people can continue on with 3 if one of them gets hurt, and that a team that starts with 4 men and 1 woman can play on if the woman gets injured.

3. CONDUCT
Absolutely no abuse of the referees will be tolerated. Refs may warn, penalize with a point, or eject any player who is verbally abusive. Physical abuse will result in automatic ejection from the league. Officials are not required to give a warning in any situation. Once the match is underway, only the floor captain may speak to or question the referee. If a ref’s conduct comes into question, the team captain should call the league office the next day. Similarly, we want to know if a ref is ever late.

4. SCORING
Three 15-point games will be played (win by two points, cap at 17). The referee may decide, before a game begins (or during a game, if time requires), to play rally points or an 11-point game due to time constraints. All games count individually in the standings.

5. STARTING TIMES/FORFEITS
Start times vary by gym, so check your team’s schedule carefully. Teams with fewer than 4 players (or without at least 1 woman) on the court—ready to play—at game time, will forfeit the 1st game of the match. If the situation does not change, they will forfeit game two 15 minutes later, & game three 15 minutes after that. In the event of a match-ending injury to a player on a team which leaves that team without an eligible line-up, that team may finish the match with its remaining players. The refs are under strict orders to never negotiate forfeit times. They will declare a forfeit at the appropriate time, according to their timepiece, and there will be no further discussion. “But we have two players coming up the stairs” or “One of our guys is in the bathroom” are not going to persuade a ref to give you more time. Referees will NOT officiate forfeits.

6. EQUIPMENT
Each team shall bring at least one quality volleyball to each match. (Recommended: Tachikara’s SV5W.) The ref will decide which ball will be used in play.

7. SERVICE
The team wearing the most BIG CITY shirts of any color (up to six) gets the choice of side or serve. (Choosing “serve” means they get to serve first in games one and three.) If both teams have the same number of shirts (or both have more than 6), a coin will be flipped.

The ball must be tossed when serving (except in levels 5-7). If it is tossed and not served (i.e., is dropped or caught), it is a side-out. In some gyms, stepping in to serve is allowed; the ref will go over any such ground rules in the captains’ meeting.

8. SERVICE RECEIVE / OTHER ILLEGAL CONTACTS
The serve and / or any first hit of the team, may now be received with open hand (finger). USAV rules allow for two consecutive contacts of any first ball over the net, providing that they occur during a single attempt to play the ball, and that the ball is not caught and/or thrown.

9. SPIKING
Spiking by any of the three front row players is legal. Spiking from out of the back row is only legal if the attacking player takes off from behind the ten-foot line. If a back row player contacts a ball while within the 10-ft. area, it must be below the height of the net. In gyms where there is no 10-foot line, the ref will designate one.

10. NET CONTACT
No contact with the net is ever legal, including on a follow-through. (Exception: when the ball hits the net into a player's hands.)

11. CENTER LINE
Contacting the opponent’s playing area with any part of the body except the hand or foot is a fault. Touching the opponent’s area with a hand or foot is not a fault providing that some part of the hand or foot remains on or above the center line.

12. BLOCKING
A player may reach over the net to block any ball, provided that ball has been intentionally guided by their opponent toward his or her court. A player may also block any third ball hit by their opponent. A player may not block a set, and may not touch a ball that has not yet broken the plane of the net (unless it is a third ball). A block does not count as a hit; in fact, the blocker may then touch the ball again as the team’s first contact. Only front row players may block. (A player may never attack a ball that is still on their opponents' side of the net.)

13. ANTENNAS
The ball must pass between the antennas or their assumed indefinite extensions. A ball that touches an antenna is out. Any player wearing antennas should immediately return to Mars.

14. CONTACT WITH CEILING, BASKETS, ETC.
A ball hit by a team which touches the ceiling on their side of the net and stays on their side of the net is in play, provided they have not used up their three hits. If it lands on the opponents court, it is no good. A ball striking a backboard or rim will be a replay only if the ref feels it was going to be a playable ball; such obstructions will be noted in the captains' meeting.

15. TIME OUTS
A team will be granted two 30-second time outs per game. Only the floor captain may request a time out.

16. SUBSTITUTIONS
Teams may substitute by rotating in, or through any other legal substitution pattern. (A player who comes out may not return in a spot that would advance him in the rotation.) If a team starts with fewer than 6 players, anyone who arrives late may only be brought in to a back row position. Any pattern may be used as long as it is agreed upon prior to the match and that the referee is able to keep track of it. However, Teams are not allowed to do a "double switch" using the rules to prevent one of their two female players from ever rotating through the front row, a practice the league believes is contrary to the spirit of a coed league. Because we do not employ a team of scorekeepers, a referee may refuse any substitution or substitution pattern that?fs too difficult to keep track of.

17. PROTESTS
Decisions based on the judgment of the referee are final and not subject to protest. Disagreements with interpretations of the rules must be brought to the attention of the referee and the opposing captain before the beginning of the next point; the protesting captain must note the score before such a play. A formal protest requires a non-refundable fee of $25 to be paid to BIG CITY within 24 hours of the game. The League Directors will then talk to all involved parties and make a ruling. If the protest is upheld, play will proceed from the point preceding the disagreement at a future date.

18. Due to insurance regulations and new school policies, children under 18 are not permitted in our gyms.

SPECIAL NOTES
• A valid photo I.D. required for admission to all schools.
• No food or beverages in any gym. Water fountains are available.
• No bikes allowed in any school. Roller blades must be removed at the front door.
• Please do not arrive at any gym before 6:00 p.m.; we are not allowed in before then. For games at Lycee, please do not arrive before 6:45.
• Sneakers are mandatory: no shoes, hiking boots, sandals, or bare feet!
• No hats or bandanas worn over the head.
• Any captain who suspects a ”ringer” on the opposing team may ask for a signature to be collected by the referee, which will be compared to that player’s signed waiver form. The refs may also do so on their own. (Another good reason to get all your waivers in!)
• Playoff dates and info are noted on your regular season schedule