GENERAL RULES for all leagues

• Be respectful to your ref! We like to allow kids to ref youth leagues as a fun summer job and encourage responsibility. But all refs are not the same, meaning they will each be trained and make calls to the best of their ability. If you have a big problem with a ref, please take it up with a manager. Do NOT yell at your ref, whether it’s an adult or child.  
• Each team is permitted one 30-second timeout per set, but they do NOT accumulate. (Medical issues do NOT require a timeout).
• NO PROFANITY!
• No intentionally delaying the game.
• No unsportsmanlike conduct (see “UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT” for more details).
• No smoking or tobacco products on the sand courts or near the entrances of the building.
• No outside food, drinks, or coolers.
• Animals are NOT permitted inside the facility, which is the whole fenced-in area outside. Exceptions for service animals only.
• We love kids! However, our staff are NOT your babysitters. Please do NOT drop off your child under 14 years of age unless supervised by another parent. Also, please do not allow young children to be unsupervised while your other kids are playing. We do not allow kids to play with small sand toys near the courts (even if the court is not being played on) because they often get buried and cause a painful hazard when stepped on by players. Also, please do not allow your child to run across the courts while teams are playing.

PLAYABLE AREA

• A player may only use the sand covered area or grass. Once player steps on the concrete, the ball is dead.
• A player may play the ball all the way up to the boundary of the next court over but NOT cross into that court (even if that court does not have an active game going).
• A player may serve from the sand ONLY. A player may utilize the grass area for their approach but must make contact with the ball while in the sand.
• Any part of the net inside the metal/cement poles (including the wooden dowels) is deemed playable.
• Any contact between the ball and the metal or cement part of the ref stand is instantly a dead ball and ruled out of bounds.

TEAM COMPOSITION

• Players are allowed to get subs for both league games and tournament nights. However, please be respectful and choose players of similar ability and level for the league. At least HALF of your team is required to be present on tournament night to be eligible to play.
• You may only play on 1 team per league on tournament night UNLESS you paid to play on both teams. (Ex: if you play for team 10 and lose, but team 4 asks you to sub with them for the next round, you can NOT since it is in the same league).
• All youth leagues are any mix of boys and girls. Only 6 players are allowed on the court at a time.
• Teams need to be a majority of the grade they are signed up for. Ex: an 8^th grade rec team may have a mix of 7^th-9^th graders, but no more than 2 of those players can be above the 8^th grade. This is obviously on an honor system.

SCORING

• All league matches are played 3 games to 21 straight. You do NOT have to win by 2.
• Tournament matches are played best 2 out of 3 games. The first 2 games are played to 21 straight and the 3rd game if needed is played to 15 straight

ROTATION

• All teams must rotate clockwise upon siding out for the serve.
• You can have as many players on the team as you’d like. Players may rotate in however you’d like, as long as they stay in the same rotation pattern.
• Back row players may NOT attack a ball at the net. (Reach above the net while standing or jumping from in front of the 10 foot line. Obviously in sand, this “line” is imaginary and will be at the ref’s discretion).
• If a player enters after the game after it has begun, the new player enters as the next possible server if all other players have served (prioritizing gender rules).

SERVING

• Foot Faults – On the serve, your foot cannot contact the line or go under the line
• A player may only stand/jump from behind the end line and within the side lines when serving.
• A player may serve from the sand ONLY. A player may utilize the grass for their approach but must make contact with the ball while in the sand.
• A serve must be performed by tossing the ball (or resting it in the non-serving hand) and contacting the ball with only one hand/arm. The ball can NOT be thrown, kicked, or passed over with 2 hands/arms as a serve.
• A server may drop the ball after toss to redo their serve attempt once per rotation (if a serve contact was NOT made).
• A server has 5 seconds to perform their serve once the whistle is sounded by the referee.

LEGAL CONTACTS

• The ball may be played off any part of the body as long as it is NOT lifted/thrown.
• The serve may NOT be blocked or attacked. Attacking the serve is performed when the ball is contacted ABOVE the top of the net and hit back towards the serving side with a downward trajectory. This does NOT mean the player has to jump for a penalty to be called.
• NO lifts, carries or throws are permitted (ref’s discretion based on level).
• When two teammates touch the ball simultaneously, it is counted as two hits (with the exception of blocking), and neither player is permitted to touch the ball again if there is a 3^rd hit remaining.

hand sETTING

• Due to new AVP guidelines, youth teams may now receive a serve with a hand set.

NET VIOLATIONS

• You cannot have any contact with the net inside the antenna.

–         Exception: when the ball is driven into the net and the net touches a player, no fault is committed.

–         Exception: A player touches the net outside the antenna to stabilize themselves.

• You may go under the net, provided there is no interference or contact with the opposing team.
• If the ball is down and a player illegally contacts the net as a result of a play, the fault is called.
• When two opponents touch the ball simultaneously over the net (joust) and the ball remains in play, the team receiving the ball is entitled to another three hits. If such a ball goes “out,” it is the fault of the team on the opposite side.
• A player may NOT reach over the net to attack a ball that is completely on the opponent’s side.

INTERFERENCE

• A player interferes with the opponent’s play while going under the net into the opponent’s space.
• If a ball from another court or other foreign object interferes with the play at hand, the play is immediately stopped and a redo is called. Refs will NOT stop the play if they feel a ball is not interfering with the play.
• A player may NOT run under/around the net with the intent to play a ball on the opposing side.

UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT

• Do NOT kick the ball to the other team. Roll it under the net.
• Participants must NOT refute or dispute a referee’s decision. (Clarification may be asked by the team captain).
• Offensive conduct: Players must NOT use defamatory or insulting words or gestures including any action expressing contempt, towards the opposing team or ref.