Canadian Volleyball Rules

Volleyball came to Canada five years after the game was created in 1895 by the YMCA in Massachusetts. However, it was not until 1953 that a national volleyball association, today called Volleyball Canada, was founded. That same year the Canadian association joined the “Fédération Internationale de Volley-Ball” (FIVB). The Switzerland-based FIVB approves Official Rules of the Game. With some minor variations for beach volleyball, Canadians play the game according to the same rules as the rest of the world.

  1. International Indoor Rules

    • In 2008, the FIVB approved the official rules for indoor volleyball for 2009-2012. The rules are contained in a 50-page document that covers facilities and equipment, participants, playing format, playing actions, interruptions, intervals and delays, the Libero player, participants' conduct, referees, diagrams and definitions. All international competitions and matches, national and league championships are governed by the FIVB and must be played in accordance with the Official Volleyball Rules.

    Rule Changes

    • The FIVB occasionally modifies the official rules of volleyball. Major changes were introduced in 1999, when the scoring system was revamped to 25 points per game from the previous 15, and the “libero” or “free” player position was introduced. In 2008, new ball specifications, roster requirements, quick substitution and net fault rules were introduced. Canadian volleyball followed suit.

    Beach Volleyball Variations

    • In 2009, Volleyball Canada used the FIVB’s Official Beach Volleyball Rules with slight variations. For example, the width of lines for Canadian beach volleyball competitions were 2.5 to 8 cm, while the FIVB rules specified a minimum width of 5 cm. Net height requirements in Canada were slightly lower for 16 and 14 year old players and slightly higher for those aged 12 and under. Volleyball Canada’s six variations on FIVB official beach volleyball rules were:

      For players aged 12 and under, the court dimensions are 7 meters by 7 meters each side
      GO
      Width of boundary lines is 2.5 to 8 centimeters
      GO
      Net heights for players aged 14 and under is 2.1 meters for girls and 2.2 meters for boys
      GO
      Net heights for players aged 16 and under is 2.15 meters for girls and 2.35 meters for boys
      GO
      Coaching is allowed for Youth competitions only and may take place only during time outs and intervals between sets
      GO
      Players are not required to wear numbers
      GO
      Scorer must indicate the proper server order and correct any incorrect server.

    Provincial and Territorial Associations

    • In addition to the national association, each of Canada’s ten provinces and three territories has its own volleyball association. A review of their websites showed that their matches and competitions abide by the same rules for volleyball followed by the national association and the rest of the world. The associations may have their own conventions that go beyond the official rules. For example, the official indoor ball of the Ontario Volleyball Association’s adult competition is the MIKASA MVA200. See the websites of the provincial and territorial associations for any additional stipulations:
      Alberta Volleyball Association
      albertavolleyball.com

      Manitoba Volleyball Association
      manitobavolleyball.com

      Newfoundland and Labrador Volleyball Association
      nlva.net

      North West Territories Volleyball Association
      nwtvolleyball.ca

      Nunavut Volleyball Association
      gov.nu.ca/cley/home/english/tso.html

      Ontario Volleyball Association
      ontariovolleyball.org

      Saskatchewan Volleyball Association
      saskvolleyball.ca

      Volleyball British Columbia
      volleyballbc.ca

      Volleyball New Brunswick
      vnb.nb.ca

      Volleyball Nova Scotia
      volleyballnovascotia.ca

      Volleyball PEI
      volleyballpei.com

      Volleyball Quebec
      volleyball.qc.ca

      Volleyball Yukon
      volleyballyukon.com

    Printed and Online Copies

    • Volleyball Canada sells printed copies of the Official Rules through its website. A hard copy of the “2009-2010 Indoor Volleyball Rulebook” was available for $12.50. The FIVB offers free copies of the Official Volleyball Rules on its website in English, French, Arabic and Spanish. The Official Rules for Beach Volleyball are available in English, French, Spanish, German, Russian and Arabic. The FIVB also provides Refereeing Guidelines and Instructions on its site.

      FIVB Official Volleyball Rules 2009-2012 (free, online)
      fivb.ch/EN/Volleyball/Rules/FIVB.2009-2012.VB.RulesOfTheGame.Eng.TextfileOnly.2.pdf

      FIVB Official Beach Volleyball Rules 2009-2012 (free, online)
      fivb.org/EN/BeachVolleyball/Rules/bvrb0912_forweb_EN.pdf

      Volleyball Canada’s “2009-2010 Indoor Volleyball Rulebook” order instructions
      volleyball.ca/content/officiating-publications

      Volleyball Canada’s 2009 Beach Volleyball Rule Variations
      volleyball.ca/content/beach-rules-playing-surface