Referee's Guide to Volleyball Australia Indoor Championships All Ages 2026

From the 2026 VA Indoor Handbook (section 12). Every participating team is rostered for match duties close to its playing times, may be allocated duty in divisions other than its own, and works under the supervision of the Referee Coach, Assistant Referee Coach and Referee Supervisors. Any delegation member can be on the duty roster if their accreditation meets the referee eligibility requirements.

Minimum personnel, present at the start of the official warm-up of the duty match:

Duty teams may change line judges and assistant scorers during the interval between sets.

Your own gear: bring your own whistle (hand-whistles may be available for loan but cannot be relied on). Flags, scoresheets and scoreboard, rotation slips and sanction cards are provided.

Conduct: wear closed-toe footwear and be neatly dressed in uniform and/or track suit. Hats, bandanas and similar headwear, and mobile phones, music devices and headphones, are prohibited for duty personnel. Line judges must stay standing throughout the match.

Before the scoresheet goes in: the duty team must make sure both coaches have verified their team list before the match, the scoresheet is fully completed, the score is confirmed with both coaches before it is submitted to the competition office (the court supervisor at the Schools Cup), and both team captains verify the result before the teams leave the court.

Failure to report: the minimum fine is $20 per late or missing duty team member, and the Tournament Control Committee may apply further sanctions.

From the Volleyball Australia Referee Accreditation Framework 2024 (the newest framework on the VA referee requirements page).

• Level 1 Referee: 4 hours of online course work plus an online assessment quiz. Target level: junior club and school competitions, social community competitions, and athlete referees at the Australian Volleyball Schools Cup, Australian Youth Volleyball Championships and the beach equivalents. Valid for 2 years.
• Level 2 Associate Referee: online courses (ASC Community Officiating Essential Skills, Safeguarding Children and Young People in Sport Induction, Harassment and Discrimination) plus a 4-hour face-to-face course. Target level: senior club, school honours level and state divisional competitions. Valid for 4 years.
• Level 2 State Referee: the safeguarding and harassment courses plus one practical assessment each for 1st referee, 2nd referee and scoresheet by a VA Level 3 referee (or a letter of endorsement from a Level 3 referee and your state association). Target level: nominated referees at the Australian Youth Championships and Australian Junior Championships. Valid for 4 years.
• Level 3 Referee: individual application process. Target level: state premier and national premier competitions, and Referee Supervisor at VA senior events. Valid for 4 years.
• Level 4 Referee: by VARC invitation only. Target level: Referee Delegates at VA events. Valid for 4 years.
• AVC / FIVB referee: by VARC invitation, for continental and international events. This is not a VA-managed accreditation.

You must be a registered member of your state or territory volleyball association before accreditation is granted, and VA courses are accessed through your state association.

At the championships: the 2026 VA Indoor Handbook sets a minimum VA accreditation (Level 1 or Level 2 or international equivalent) for First and Second referees depending on the event, and all accreditations must be obtained before the event starts. Teams that do not provide appropriately accredited referees face fines at the discretion of the Tournament Control Committee. Referee management roles at the Australian Youth Championships must hold at least a Level 3 national referee accreditation.

From the FIVB Rules 2025-2028 (Rule 23). The 1st referee stands on a referee's stand at one end of the net, opposite the scorer, with their view about 50 cm above the net. They direct the match from start to finish and have authority over all members of the refereeing team and the teams. Their decisions are final, they may overrule other officials who are mistaken, and may replace an official who is not performing properly. They decide any matter involving the game, including matters the rules do not cover.

Before the match: inspects the playing area, balls and equipment, performs the toss with the captains, and controls the teams' warm-up.

During the match: issues warnings, sanctions misconduct and delays, and decides:

• faults of the server and of the serving team's positions, including the screen
• faults in playing the ball
• faults above the net and faulty contact with the net, mainly on the attacker's side
• attack hit faults of the Libero and back-row players
• a completed attack hit on a ball above net height coming from an overhand finger pass by the Libero in the Libero's front zone
• the ball crossing completely the lower space under the net
• a completed block by back-row players or an attempted block by the Libero
• the ball crossing the net outside the crossing space or touching the antenna on their side, and the served ball or 2nd or 3rd hit passing over or outside the antenna on their side

Discussion: the 1st referee does not permit discussion of decisions. At the game captain's request they explain the application or interpretation of the rules behind a decision. If the captain disagrees, the captain must immediately reserve the right to protest at the end of the match.

After the match: checks and signs the score sheet.

From the FIVB Rules 2025-2028 (Rule 24). The 2nd referee stands outside the court near the post, on the opposite side of and facing the 1st referee. They assist the 1st referee but have their own range of jurisdiction, and may replace the 1st referee if they become unable to continue.

Controls and supervises:

• the work of the scorer(s)
• team members on the bench, reporting misconduct to the 1st referee
• players in the warm-up areas
• the regular game interruptions: authorises them, controls their duration and rejects improper requests
• the number of time-outs and substitutions each team has used, reporting the 2nd time-out and the 5th and 6th substitutions to the 1st referee and the coach
• floor condition (mainly the front zone) and that the balls still meet the regulations

Checks: at the start of each set, at the change of courts in the deciding set and whenever necessary, that the players' actual positions match the line-up sheets.

Decides, whistles and signals:

• penetration into the opponent's court and the space under the net
• positional faults of the receiving team
• faulty contact with the net, mainly on the blocker's side, and with the antenna on their side
• the completed block by back-row players or attempted block by the Libero, and attack hit faults by back-row players or the Libero
• contact of the ball with an outside object
• floor contact of the ball when the 1st referee cannot see it
• the ball crossing the net plane outside the crossing space or touching the antenna on their side, and the served ball or 2nd or 3rd hit passing over or outside the antenna on their side

In an injury they authorise an exceptional substitution or grant 3 minutes of recovery time. At the end of the match they check and sign the score sheet.

From the FIVB Rules 2025-2028 (Rule 22.2). Only the 1st and 2nd referees may blow a whistle during the match. The 1st referee whistles to authorise the service that begins the rally. Either referee whistles to end the rally, but only when sure a fault was committed and its nature identified. They may also whistle while the ball is out of play to authorise or reject a team request.

Immediately after the whistle that ends the rally, the referees use the official hand signals:

• Fault whistled by the 1st referee: show in order (a) the team to serve, (b) the nature of the fault, (c) the player at fault, if necessary.
• Fault whistled by the 2nd referee: the 2nd referee shows (a) the nature of the fault and (b) the player at fault, if necessary, then (c) the team to serve following the 1st referee's signal. The 1st referee shows only the team to serve, not the fault or the player.
• Attack hit or blocking fault by back-row players or the Libero: both referees indicate, following the sequences above.
• Double fault: both referees show the nature of the fault and the players at fault, if necessary, in order, and the 1st referee then indicates the team to serve. The rally is replayed.

The 2nd referee may signal faults outside their own range without whistling, but may not insist on them to the 1st referee.

From Diagram 11 of the FIVB Rules 2025-2028. The signal must be held for a moment, and if shown with one hand it is the hand on the side of the team that made the fault or request.

• Authorisation to serve: move the hand to indicate the direction of service
• Team to serve: extend the arm to the side of the team that will serve
• Ball "in": point the arm and fingers toward the floor
• Ball "out": raise the forearms vertically, hands open, palms towards the body
• Catch: slowly lift the forearm, palm facing upwards
• Double contact: raise two fingers, spread open
• Four hits: raise four fingers, spread open
• Ball touched: brush the palm of one hand across the fingers of the other, held vertically
• Net touched by a player: indicate the relevant side of the net with the corresponding hand
• Reaching beyond the net: place a hand above the net, palm facing downwards
• Penetration into the opponent's court / ball crossing the lower space / server touches the end line / player outside court at service: point to the centre line or the relevant line
• Positional or rotational fault: circular motion with the forefinger
• Blocking fault or screening: raise both arms vertically, palms forward
• Attack hit fault: downward motion with the forearm, hand open
• Ball not tossed or released at service: lift the extended arm, palm upwards
• Delay in service (8 seconds): raise eight fingers, spread open
• Double fault and replay: raise both thumbs vertically
• Time-out: palm of one hand over the fingers of the other (a T), then indicate the requesting team
• Substitution: circular motion of the forearms around each other
• Change of courts: raise the forearms front and back and twist them around the body
• End of set or match: cross the forearms in front of the chest, hands open

Cards: yellow for a misconduct warning, red for a penalty, both together for expulsion, red and yellow separately for disqualification. A delay warning is a yellow card over the wrist and a delay penalty is a red card over the wrist.

From the FIVB Rules 2025-2028 (Rules 29 and 30.2, Diagram 12). Line judges use 40 x 40 cm flags. If only two line judges are used, they stand at the corners of the court closest to the right hand of each referee, diagonally 1 to 2 m from the corner, and each controls both the end line and the side line on their side. At the 2026 VA championships the duty team provides two line judges, who must remain standing throughout the match.

What they signal:

• the ball "in" and "out" when it lands near their line
• touches of "out" balls by the team receiving the ball
• the ball touching the antenna, and the served ball or the 2nd or 3rd hit of a team crossing the net outside the crossing space
• any player (except the server) stepping outside their court at the service hit, and the server's foot faults
• any contact with the top 80 cm of the antenna on their side by a player playing the ball or interfering with play

Flag signals:

1. Ball "in": point down with the flag.
2. Ball "out": raise the flag vertically.
3. Ball touched: raise the flag and touch the top with the palm of the free hand.
4. Crossing space fault, ball touched an outside object, or foot fault by any player during service: wave the flag over the head and point to the antenna or the respective line.

The signal must be held for a moment, and at the 1st referee's request a line judge must repeat the signal.

From the FIVB Rules 2025-2028.

Positional fault (Rule 7.5): a team commits one if any player is not in the correct position when the server hits the ball. Positions are judged by the feet touching the floor. The consequence is a point and service to the opponent, and the positions are rectified. A serving fault at the moment of the service hit is counted before a positional fault. The 1st referee judges the serving team's positions and the 2nd referee judges the receiving team's.

Rotational fault (Rule 7.7): the service is not made in the rotational order. The scorer stops play with the buzzer, the opponent gains a point and the next service, and the faulty team's rotational order is rectified. The scorer should also work out the exact moment the fault happened, and all points the faulty team scored since then are cancelled (the opponent's points stay). If that moment cannot be determined, no points are cancelled and a point and service to the opponent is the only sanction.

Libero limits (Rule 19.3): the Libero may replace any back-row player, may not serve, block or attempt to block, and may not complete an attack hit from anywhere if the ball is entirely higher than the top of the net at contact. A player may not complete an attack hit on a ball entirely higher than the net if it comes from an overhand finger pass by the Libero in the Libero's front zone. The same ball may be attacked freely if the Libero makes that pass from outside the front zone.

Back-row players' attack hit and blocking faults are indicated by both referees.

From the FIVB Rules 2025-2028 (Rule 21), applied at VA championships. Only the 1st referee sanctions misconduct, and all misconduct sanctions are individual, stay in force for the whole match and are recorded on the score sheet. Repeat offences by the same person are sanctioned progressively.

Minor misconduct (no sanction): Stage 1 is a verbal warning through the game captain. Stage 2 is a yellow card to the team member, which is recorded but has no immediate consequence.

Sanctioned misconduct has three categories: rude conduct (contrary to good manners), offensive conduct (insulting words or gestures, or contempt) and aggression (physical attack or threatening behaviour).

An expelled player must be substituted immediately (legally or exceptionally if on court) and cannot take part for the rest of the set. A disqualified person is substituted immediately and leaves for the rest of the match. An expelled coach loses the right to intervene for the set.

At VA championships, if there is no designated penalty area, an expelled team member must remain seated on the bench for the rest of the set (2026 VA Indoor Handbook, section 28).

Misconduct before or between sets is sanctioned the same way, and the sanction applies in the following set.

Limits (FIVB Rules 2025-2028, Rule 15): each team may request at most two time-outs (30 seconds each) and six substitutions per set. Only the coach (or, without a coach, the assistant coach or game captain) may request them. A completed rally must separate two substitution requests by the same team, except for an injury, expulsion or disqualification. The 2nd referee authorises interruptions, controls their duration, and reports the 2nd time-out and the 5th and 6th substitutions to the 1st referee and the coach.

The 2026 VA Indoor Handbook also has a 12 substitution rule (Appendix 5). For the Australian Junior Championships, matches that are no longer in medal contention are best of 3 sets with 12 substitutions permitted. Under that rule a team may make up to twelve substitutions in a set, each player may enter the court up to three times per set (the starting line-up counts as one entry), and a player re-entering must take the original position in the service order.

Improper requests (Rule 15.11): requesting during a rally or after the whistle to serve, by an unauthorised team member, a second substitution in the same interruption, or after the limits are used up. The first improper request in a match that does not delay the game is rejected and recorded with no other consequence. Any further improper request by the same team is a delay.

Delay sanctions (Rule 16): the first delay by a team in the match is a Delay Warning (yellow card shown over the wrist). The second and later delays by anyone in that team are a Delay Penalty (red card): a point and service to the opponent. Delay sanctions stay in force for the whole match and are recorded on the score sheet. Delay sanctions given before or between sets apply in the following set.

An illegal substitution noticed after play resumes costs the team a point and service, the substitution is rectified, and the points the team scored since the fault are cancelled.

Under the 2026 VA Indoor Handbook, only the head coach can lodge a formal protest, and must do so to the 2nd referee while the ball is out of play. At the Schools Cup it goes to the Adult Supervisor of the duty team instead, and a Referee Supervisor is called over. The result is final: there is no appeals process and matches are not replayed.

What can be protested: an improper decision by the referee who did not apply the regulations or did not assume the consequences of the decision, and an improper decision by the scorer on the rotational order or the score.

What cannot be protested: judgement calls, and a referee's decision to sanction a player's action or any misconduct. These are rejected.

Procedure:

1. The coach tells the 2nd referee, who immediately tells the 1st referee. Play stops.
2. The 1st referee sends the teams to their benches (they may not leave the playing area, but can use balls in the free zone).
3. The 1st referee steps down and consults a Referee Supervisor. If the supervisor cannot resolve it, the Referee Coach decides, and the Referee Coach/Referee Delegate decision is final.
4. The protest is rejected, or accepted and the referee's decision is upheld or overturned.
5. If upheld, play resumes after applying the referee's decision. If overturned, play resumes from the point before the decision. If rejected, play resumes after applying the referee's decision.

Penalty for a rejected protest: the first rejected protest is a Penalty (red card), a personal sanction on the head coach. A second rejected protest by the same coach in the same match is a disqualification (red and yellow cards separately).