Rules

Unless stated otherwise, standard FIVB indoor volleyball rules will apply to this league

*NEW CEILING RULE* - as per recent Ontario rule changes, balls that hit the ceiling (or any low-hanging structure) & stay on your OWN side of the net are now IN PLAY

*NEW WARM-UP RULE* - Teams/players with later start times are unable to warm-up with a ball in between or near courts while official games are underway.  Only jogging (and other forms of ball-free warm-ups) are permitted in the gymnasium during these times.  Players/teams in violation of this important safety rule may be penalized in the form of game forfeitures or even removal from the league (repeat offenders)

  • Parents may register with as many as 7 players listed on the team roster and all players on the roster are able to attend each week (and rotate-in, if preferred)
  • To edit rosters or to add players (prior to the league 'roster freeze date' listed in the league start-up email), the registering parent can login to www.invado.ca anytime and update the roster as needed
  • For teams with 5 or more players, substitute players must rotate in for the departing server (once the server has completed a serving turn and upon the team's subsequent rotation)
  • No team may play with more than 4 players on the court
  • If a team is missing players, opponents are NOT required to 'match' their number of players on-court (i.e. teams should never play with fewer than 4 players, even if their opponents are missing players - or we collectively enable more poor attendance)
  • Games will be 15 minutes long (timed games). Teams should keep playing until they hear the whistle (even if score exceeds 25 points)
  • All matches are self-officiated...and disputes should be reserved, or take to the league convener for clarification
  • Invado convener(s) are on-hand to keep time, record results, and provide rules clarifications, when necessary
  • There are NO TIES ALLOWED - please serve out a final, deciding point if the score is tied at the time of the whistle
  • Teams may be co-ed or single-gendered...the weekly tiering will ensure that only like-SKILLED teams face-off each week
  • Rally Point scoring system in effect (every rally results in a point)
  • In most leagues, teams will move up or down among/between tiers, based on their results from the preceding week to ensure teams are always evenly-matched
  • WINNING teams must report the result after each game (no scores necessary) at the convener table
  • In order to avoid a forfeit, teams must have at LEAST 2 players in attendance
  • Teams will lose 1 point for every minute they are late or unable to play after the game time has started (indicated by the start of the music)
  • If a team is late or unable to play for more than 7 minutes - the opposing team will receive the forfeit victory
  • No player may spike, block, or attack the serve in any way
  • In co-ed 4s, all players are considered as front-court players and may, therefore, attack or block at the net - including the server (3 hitters, 1 setter)
  • Open-hand tips ARE allowed indoors (forces players to read & recognize early)
  • Teams may choose to rotate positions on the court, however, it is not mandatory to do so (teams must rotate serving order, though)
  • Players are not permitted to reach over the net (and into the opposing team's area) to contact the ball, unless the opposing team has already made a 3rd contact on the ball
  • If there are antennae in use, then the ball must travel inside the antenna to be considered in play.  If the ball travels outside, or makes contact with, the antenna, then the rally is over and the ball is declared 'out of bounds.'  If there are no antennas in use, then the posts are to be used as the outer limits of the ball's path
  • Players may play the ball after it bounces out of the net, but if the ball strikes the area of the net outside of the antenna, then the rally is over
  • There is NO 5-serve rule in effect (our tiering system ensures that only like-skilled teams play each other, each week)
  • Serves that hit the net and go over (let serves) are in play
  • Balls that land on the line are considered to be IN the court of play
  • Please call your own net and 'under the net' violations (contact with the net is only permitted after the ball has already landed or been declared 'down')
  • When setting a teammate with a volley, the ball should have very little or no spin.  In our higher tiers (elite & competitive), the expectation is that setters/players will call their own 'double contacts' or 'dirty sets'
  • A 'lift' should be called when a player attempts to play the underside of the ball with an open hand and fails to use the base of the palm as the primary point of contact (fingers or centre of palm hold or 'lift' the ball).  When playing the ball in such a fashion, it is a better - & less contested - practice to use the flat side (or thumb side) of a closed fist
  • Proper indoor footwear (court or training shoes) must be worn at all times
  • Teams will be awarded 2 points for a win and 1 point for a loss. Invado also awards additional points for games played (win or lose) in higher tiers. This is to ensure that a team with a 2-2 record in Tier 1 (the top tier) is not tied in the standings with a team of a similar record in Tier 3 (for example).
  • The standings seen on the site are used to build playoff seedings & tiers and are not, necessarily, indicative of the tier in which a team may be playing in a given week (weekly results will dictate whether a team moves up or down among the tiers)
  • If your team has more wins than another team but is still ranked lower in the overall league standings that means the other team has played more games in higher tiers (and gained those extra points) - again, this is done to ensure that our playoff tiers & seeding are reflective of the actual skill level of each team
  • Check www.invado.ca for weekly standings and start times (start times in most leagues vary from week-to-week according to the tier in which teams are placed)
  • Teams must keep track of the game score...frequently call out the score or use the on-net scoreboards provided
  • All eligible players must have completed a mandatory E-waiver (emailed to all participants at the time of registration)
  • Players who have not completed a mandatory e-waiver (names appear 'greyed-out' online) put their team at risk of forfeiting games played
  • In leagues where parents have registered full teams, the registering parent is able to edit rosters, re-send E-waivers, and correct email addresses (if necessary) in the 'Roster' area of their account at www.invado.ca
  • Individual registrants are advised to search 'spam/bulk' or inboxes for the phrase 'Invado E-waiver' to locate and submit their e-waiver
  • All back-up players will appear with an asterisk (*) in the list of league rosters at www.invado.ca
  • All playoff eligible players must be listed on the roster posted at www.invado.ca (in black) and no new players may be added after the 'Roster Freeze Date' (specified in each 'League Start-Up' email)
  • Playoffs will be conducted in the final week of play and all teams will qualify. The format will follow a best 2 of 3 format (non-timed games) unless stated otherwise
  • No individual is permitted to play for more than one team during league playoffs, unless Invado administration has granted a special exemption
  • Playoff Seeding - playoff seeding will be based on the cumulative standings listed at www.invado.ca.  While teams may move up or down among all the tiers, from week-to-week, playoff seeding will be based on the team's overall standing after 9 weeks of play (playoffs, for most leagues, are conducted in Week #10).  Invado Volleyball reserves the right to alter the size and format of a given tier for playoff night, should the point totals/standings warrant
  • Player Conduct - teams and players are reminded to be respectful of opponents and Invado staff. We organize our leagues (and you join them) to have a good time. Nasty incidents, rudeness, or taunting, etc. ruin the fun for everyone. If there is a serious dispute on the court, please remember: a re-serve fixes everything and leaves the solution in the hands of the 'volleyball gods!'
  • If there's an issue relating to our procedures, etc., please email Invado administration at info@invado.ca