Brampton Volleyball League

Rule the Court!

BRAMPTON VOLLEYBALL LEAGUE - INDOOR RULES

Gym and Facility Related

• No food, drinks, or ALCOHOL are allowed in the gyms except for water.
• No smoking or vaping allowed in the gyms or changerooms.
• No one under the age of 18 is allowed in the gyms.
• Only indoor shoes (non-marking) are permitted gym/facility courts. Please leave outdoor shoes outside the entrances of the gyms.
• Service Animals are allowed in the gyms with pre-approval notice by emailing info@bramptonvolleyball.com

General Rules of Play

The Brampton Volleyball League follows FIVB Volleyball rules, with a few exceptions as mentioned below:

• No player may play a ball below the knee (NO KICKING ALLOWED).
• No ball may be played off the ceiling or walls.
• The Libero player is not permitted.
• There are no uniform requirements. For safety reasons, no hats are allowed.
• At all locations, you are allowed one step in for serve.
• Each team is responsible for providing a game volleyball.
• It is your team's responsibility to start your match on time. This applies even if no referee is present or if there is another community group in the gym.
• A match is all the games in your scheduled time against one team.
• A legal team must be present on the court, in view of the opposing team and referee, and dressed in an appropriate manner to play at the scheduled start of their game.
• If a legal team cannot be supplied, a team defaults their first game ten minutes from the official scheduled start time. The second game is defaulted five minutes later. The third game is defaulted five minutes after the second. The Referee/On-Site Coordinator must advise the participants when the game has been defaulted.
• Only players listed on the roster are eligible to play.
  • Exception: In order to allow for a full team, teams may play with a player who is not on their roster for regular season only, provided that player is currently on the roster of a team in the same or lower division, or no greater than a single tier above. You may not get more than half of your substitute players from other rosters (example: non-spiking, women’s, coed spiking max 3 subs from other rosters, reverse 4’s 2 subs).
• Despite an injury, you must field an eligible team. Inability to do so will result in a default. From time of injury, your team will have two (2) minutes to field an eligible team to continue the match.
• All matches are played within a time limit.
• All games are played to 25, with at 27-point cap (time permitting or unless specified otherwise).
• The Referee/On-Site Coordinator will choose a game-clock. It is in the interests of all team Captains to enquire as to how time is being kept.
• If there is less than ten (10) minutes remaining in a match and the final game has not started, the current game will be stopped and the score will be recorded. If the current game is at a tie, then a last rally point will be played (in all divisions). The final game will then be started. If time is called and the score is tied, then a last rally point will be played in all divisions. There are no ties.
• A time-out may not be called with less than five minutes remaining in a match. Each team gets one 30-second timeout per set.
• In the absence of a Referee, the results should be conveyed to the Head Referee/Onsite of the facility.
• Teams will be ranked by the following during regular season:
  • WINS
  • WINS between the tied teams
  • Plus/Minus between the tied teams
  • Overall Plus/Minus
• Prizes will be awarded to teams who win their respective division; provided the team’s roster is also complete. However, there shall be a maximum number of prizes provided to winning teams, i.e. For women’s, coed non-spiking and spiking - max 8 prizes, for reverse 4s - max 6 prizes.

Substitution Rules during a Match

• For late players substituting in for the team, the player can fill in the position between any players without changing the current rotation of the team and cannot substitute for the server if their current teammate is serving.
• A team may choose to use either a continuous rotation or standard OVA substitution in a game.

Figure 1

• Continuous rotation is where after you lose your serve at position 1 and your team gets a side out to rotate, the player at position 1 substitutes off and the player off the court substitutes in at position 6. (See Figure 1 for position numbers)
• With standard OVA substitution, a player substitutes out for another player once a set and cannot substitute back in the game or two players substitute in and out only for each other, but they must make a full rotation, switching out at position 1 on a side out after their serve and the other player comes in at position 6, similar to continuous rotation.

• All games are played at Men's net height (2.43m).
• A team may have up to 12 players on its roster, and a minimum of 6.
• A legal team in shall have a minimum of 4 players, with a minimum of 1 man. There may not be more males than females on the court.
  • Exception: If a team is unable to play with three women, they may choose to play with 3 men, and 2 women, but will start with an 11-point deficit. When a team plays with less than 6 players, three players are still considered front row players, and may attack the ball from the front court.
• You may not use a rotation that places all three men beside each other.
• One player may serve only five consecutive times. After this, a team retains service but must rotate to the next player in the rotation.

• All games are played at Men's net height (2.43m).
• Jump serves are not permitted. At least one foot must maintain contact with the floor/ground.
• A team may have up to 12 players on its roster, and a minimum of 6.
• A legal team in shall have a minimum of 4 players, with a minimum of 1 man. There may not be more males than females on the court.
  • Exception: A team may, with approval from the other captain, play with 3 men, and 2 women or without approval, but will start with a 5-point deficit.
• One player may serve only three consecutive times. After this, a team retains service but must rotate to the next player in the rotation.
• You may not use a rotation that places all three men beside each other.
• You cannot reach over the net into the opponent's side of the court to block a ball.
• If a swinging motion is utilized to contact the ball, the player must have at least one foot in contact with the floor. The ball must go up before it goes down, with the only exception being in the case of a block.
• When blocking, arms and hands must be straight up in the air and no motion may be used to direct the tradjectory of the ball.

• All games are played at Women's net height (2.24m).
• A team may have up to 12 players on its roster, and a minimum of 4.
• A legal team in shall have a minimum of 2 players, with a minimum of 1 female. There may not be more males than females on the court.
  • Exception: A team may play with two men and one woman, but a ''modified" ghost rule is in effect. When the second/absent female would be serving, it is an automatic side out, awarding a point and serve to the other team.
• There is no serve limit in any tier. Jump serves are not permitted for men. At least one foot must maintain contact with the floor/ground.
• There is no positional rotation, 2 females are always front court players, the men are always back court players.
  • Exception: If a team chooses to play with more than 2 females, two must be declared front court players.
• All balls must land in the backcourt (completely behind the attack line). If a ball lands in the front court, it is a fault. No tipped, dinked, or knuckled balls may land in front of the attack line.
• Exceptions:
  • Serves
  • Blocks
  • Hard driven balls (Player must be jumping and make contact with the ball with a full swing)
  • First contact off of either a serve, block, or a hard driven ball

• All games are played at Women's net height (2.24m).
• A team may have up to 12 players on its roster, and a minimum of 6.
• A legal team in shall have a minimum of 4 players.
• When a team plays with less than 6 players, three players are still considered front row players.
• One player may serve only five consecutive times. After this, a team retains service but must rotate to the next player in the rotation.
  • Exception: In the top two divisions, there is NO five serve rule.

• All games are played at Men's net height (2.43m).
• A team may have up to 12 players on its roster, and a minimum of 6.
• A legal team in shall have a minimum of 4 players.
• When a team plays with less than 6 players, three players are still considered front row players, and may attack the ball from the front court.

The Brampton Volleyball League applies the following rules and interpretations for the 2026/27 Indoor Season. These provisions clarify how internal passes, ceiling contact, one-handed tips, and two-handed actions are judged during BVL play.

Internal Pass / Double Contact

An internal pass is a contact intended to keep the ball on the team’s own side for a subsequent play by a teammate.

On the second contact by a team, a double contact made using an overhand finger action will not be penalized when all of the following conditions are met:

• The contacts occur during one playing action.
• The action is the team’s second contact.
• The ball remains on that team’s side of the court.

This interpretation allows play to continue when a player makes an uneven overhand finger pass to a teammate during the team’s second contact. It does not remove the double-contact rule or make all successive contacts legal.

When a fault occurs

If the double-contacted ball becomes a completed attack hit, the action is a fault. This includes situations in which the ball:

• Completely crosses the vertical plane of the net; or
• Contacts the opponent’s block.

The player’s intention does not change this decision. A player may intend to set a teammate, but if the double-contacted ball instead crosses the net or touches the opponent’s block, the action is a fault.

Application example

A player makes an overhand finger pass on the team’s second contact and contacts the ball unevenly during one action. If the ball stays on the team’s side for a teammate to play, the rally continues. If that same ball crosses the net or contacts the opponent’s block, a double-contact fault is called.

Ceiling Contact

Contact with the ceiling does not automatically end a rally. A ball may remain playable after touching the ceiling or qualifying attached overhead infrastructure above the playing area, subject to the conditions below.

When play continues

Play may continue when the ball contacts the ceiling or qualifying attached overhead infrastructure after:

• The first contact by the team; or
• The second contact by the team.

The ball must stay on that team’s side and remain playable for its next contact.

The ceiling contact does not give the team additional contacts. Following the team’s first contact, the next play is its second contact. Following the team’s second contact, the next play is its third contact.

When a fault occurs

A fault occurs when:

• The ball touches the ceiling after the third contact by a team, regardless of which side of the net the ceiling contact occurs on.
• The ball touches the ceiling or qualifying attached overhead infrastructure and then goes directly to the opponent’s side.

This allowance applies to the ceiling and qualifying attached overhead infrastructure above the playing area. It does not automatically apply to every surface or structure located inside a gym.

A wall is not considered ceiling contact. A structure that does not qualify as ceiling or attached overhead infrastructure is not covered by this allowance. Players should consult BVL’s playing-area guidance for the facility.

Application examples

• A team’s first pass touches the ceiling and returns to the same side, where a teammate can make the second contact: play continues.
• A team’s second contact touches the ceiling and returns to the same side, where a teammate can make the third contact: play continues.
• A team’s third contact touches the ceiling: a fault is called.
• A ball touches the ceiling and then travels directly to the opponent’s side: a fault is called.

One-Handed Tip Attacks

A one-handed tip is a controlled redirection of the ball. To be legal, the ball must rebound from the player’s contact rather than be held, carried, caught, pushed, or thrown.

A legal tip must meet all of the following requirements:

• No push, carry, catch, or throw: The player must not hold or transport the ball through the action.
• One hand: The tip is performed using one hand.
• Short contact: Contact must be brief in both time and distance.
• Straight-line action: The action must follow a straight-line motion, with the ball’s direction changing only once during the contact.

A gentle touch is not automatically a legal touch. The quality of the contact determines whether the action is permitted.

Fault indicators

An action is a fault when:

• The ball does not rebound immediately from the contact.
• The hand accompanies the ball through an extended movement.
• The ball is thrown from the palm.
• The ball’s direction changes more than once during the action.
• The action involves pushing, carrying, catching, or throwing the ball.

Application example

A quick fingertip contact that redirects the ball once may be legal. An action in which the player receives the ball into the hand and then guides or throws it toward another location is a fault.

Two-Handed Actions: Blocking, Setting, and Attacking

When judging a two-handed action, the origin of the ball is a key consideration. A ball coming from the opponent’s side must be distinguished from a ball coming from the player’s own team.

Using two hands does not, by itself, make an action a block.

Ball coming from the opponent’s side

A ball coming from the opponent’s side may be legally blocked. This includes a ball that rebounds from the opponent’s block and returns toward the player.

The blocking contact must not involve holding, pushing, carrying, throwing, or following the ball. If the player performs one of these actions, the contact is a fault.

Ball coming from the team’s own side

When a ball comes from the player’s own team and is directed toward the opponent’s court, the action is an attack hit rather than a block.

The following distinction applies:

• A deliberate two-handed attack hit is a fault.
• A two-handed overhead pass or setting action may legally send the ball toward the opponent’s court, provided the contact is clean.

The allowance for an overhead setting action does not permit a catch, throw, or illegal double contact. In particular, the second-contact double-contact allowance described above does not apply when that double-contacted ball becomes a completed attack hit.

Application examples

• A player intercepts a ball coming from the opponent with a legal blocking action: the action may be legal.
• A teammate sends the ball toward the net, and another player deliberately attacks it with both hands: the action is a fault.
• A player uses a clean two-handed overhead setting action to send the ball over the net: the action may be legal.

These interpretations address the quality and classification of the contact. All other applicable BVL rules remain in effect.