JAM Toronto

Tournament Rules: Volleyball (Elite/Advanced)

The following rule book will cover all JAM Volleyball Tournaments (Elite/Advanced). It is described in its entirety below.

JAM is for Everyone – Inclusion Statement

Our program offerings are designed to be inclusive for all members of the JAM community. Our goal is to create a welcoming gender policy that uplifts and supports each player where they are at. To ensure we can offer something for everyone, our programs may be offered in the following formats: Mixed-Gender, Women's, Men's, and Open.

Many of our league rules specify gender-based roster requirements, the goal of which is to ensure that each player has an equal opportunity to be included in gameplay.

Everyone participating in a JAM program is welcome to compete based on their gender identity and gender expression; regardless of their gender assigned at birth. Members whose gender identity does not align with the binary man/woman construct are welcome to play in all our mixed-gender and open programs.

Nonbinary, trans, genderqueer, and all other players who identify as a gender minority can count towards the roster minimums for either men or women in our mixed-gender leagues.

Game Time/ Defaults

Please arrive 5 minutes prior to each game to ensure that your games start on time.
Matches are 30 minutes in length. Round robin games are comprised of one RALLY POINT game. There is no cap for score; you play until the time has ended. Note: Time format may vary for specific tournaments. Changes will be noted in the tournament's schedule.

Team Format

There are two different formats that can be used for these Volleyball Tournaments. Please refer to the requirements below:
- 6's Tournaments: Teams are comprised of 6 players with a minimum of 2 women and 2 men on the court. A team can play with a minimum of 5 people, as long as 2 players are women and 2 players are men.
- 4's Tournaments: Teams are comprised of 4 players with a minimum of 1 woman and 1 man on the court. A team can play with a minimum of 3 people, as long as 1 player is a woman and 1 player is a man.

Equipment/Set Up

Equipment including nets, poles, and volleyballs will be provided for you.
Teams will be responsible for keeping track of their own score.

General Rules

Players CAN open-hand volley a serve (updated October 17th, 2019).
A server may serve the ball from anywhere along the baseline.
Net serves ARE allowed. This means that if a serve hits the net but the motion of the ball carries it over the net, it is a live ball - it is not a service fault.
A player may play the ball off any part of his/her body, including feet.
A player may not touch the net during any part of the play. Please call your own net violations.
Rotate new players in before your team starts a new server.
A player may pass under the net as long as it does not interfere with the play. In other words, a blocker or spiker may land under the net/cross the line, as long as it happens without stopping the play or hindering the opposition. Please avoid doing this where possible to eliminate the possibility of injury.
Servers DO NOT rotate after five consecutive points. The same server continues to serve as long as his/her team successfully wins the point.
A ball that hits the wall or ceiling is out of bounds.
A game can end in a tie during round robin play. For tournaments, the playoff format will be posted by the Tournament Director at the beginning of the day. In the playoffs, the majority of semi-final and final matches are best 2 out of 3.
Teams may call a 1-minute time-out per match if needed except during the final 10 minutes of play.

Discrepancies:

All games are self-officiated. Any disputes will be discussed amongst the two team captains. Please play honestly and call your own infractions (lift, net, in/out, etc.). If a dispute cannot be settled the point should be re-served.

Preliminary Round Matches

Preliminary Round games can be tied during the regular season.

Playoffs Tiebreak

There must be a winner in a playoff match. In the event that the match ends in a tie, teams will partake in the following tie-breaker until a winner is determined:

For tournaments, the playoff format will be posted by the Tournament Director at the beginning of the day. In the playoffs, the majority of semi-final and final matches are best 2 out of 3.

Rough Play

Any rough or physical play will result in immediate expulsion from further tournament play and may result in a lifetime tournament expulsion. Please see the JAM General Policy for our official guidelines on this subject. It is recognized that incidental contact between players is inevitable; however, all players should go out of their way to avoid creating an unsafe play. This rule supersedes all others.

Please note that on-site staff members have full autonomy when supervising games. Games may be stopped entirely, players may be asked to leave the playing area or be removed from the game entirely under their discretion.

Alcohol

There are absolutely no alcoholic beverages permitted on JAM property. Any offenders will be asked to leave the tournament without refund. No exceptions.