Referee's Guide to Volleyball South Africa FIVB Rules Open 2025-28

The 1st referee works from a referee's stand at one end of the net, opposite the scorer, with their eyes about 50 cm above the net (Rule 23).

Authority:

• directs the match from start to finish and has authority over the whole refereeing team and all team members;
• their decisions during the match are final. They may overrule other officials who are mistaken, and replace an official who isn't doing the job properly;
• controls the ball retrievers and moppers;
• decides any matter involving the game, including anything the rules don't cover;
• allows no discussion of decisions, but explains the rule behind a decision when the game captain asks;
• decides before and during the match whether the playing area, equipment and conditions are fit for play.

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

During the match: gives warnings, sanctions misconduct and delays, and decides on:

• faults by the server and the positions of the serving team, including screening. From 2025, the serving team's players may stand anywhere within their own court at the service hit, but every player except the server must still be inside it;
• faults in playing the ball (catch, double contact, four hits);
• faults above the net, and net contact, mainly on the attacker's side;
• attack-hit faults by the libero and back-row players, and attacks above the net on a libero's overhand finger pass from the front zone;
• the ball completely crossing the space under the net;
• a completed block by back-row players, or an attempted block by the libero;
• the ball crossing outside the crossing space, or touching or passing outside the antenna, on their side.

After the match: checks and signs the score sheet.

The 2nd referee stands outside the court near the post, opposite and facing the 1st referee (Rule 24). They assist the 1st referee but have their own jurisdiction, and they replace the 1st referee if needed. They may signal faults outside their jurisdiction without whistling, but may not insist on them.

Authority (Rule 24.2):

• controls the scorer's work;
• supervises the team benches and reports misconduct to the 1st referee, and controls players in the warm-up areas (done by the reserve referee at FIVB, World and Official competitions);
• authorises time-outs and substitutions, controls how long they last and rejects improper requests;
• keeps count of time-outs and substitutions, and tells the 1st referee and the coach about each team's 2nd time-out and 5th and 6th substitutions;
• for an injured player, authorises an exceptional substitution or gives 3 minutes' recovery time;
• checks the floor, mainly in the front zone, and that the balls still meet the rules.

Before each set, at the change of ends in the deciding set, and whenever needed: checks that players' positions on court match the line-up sheets.

Decides, whistles and signals (Rule 24.3.2):

• penetration into the opponent's court and the space under the net;
• positional faults of the receiving team;
• net contact, mainly on the blocker's side, and contact with the antenna on their side;
• a completed block by a back-row player or attempted block by the libero, and attack-hit faults by back-row players or the libero;
• the ball touching an outside object, or the floor when the 1st referee can't see it;
• the ball crossing the net outside the crossing space, or passing over or outside the antenna on their side.

At the end of the match, the 2nd referee checks and signs the score sheet.

Only the 1st and 2nd referees may whistle. Whistle the end of a rally only when you are sure a fault has been committed and you know what it was (Rule 22.2). Straight after the whistle, show the official hand signals (Rule 22.2.3). Hold each signal for a moment. A one-handed signal is made with the hand on the side of the team at fault, or the team making the request (Rule 30.1).

Fault whistled by the 1st referee, in order:

1. the team to serve;
2. the nature of the fault;
3. the player(s) at fault, if needed.

Fault whistled by the 2nd referee:

1. the nature of the fault;
2. the player at fault, if needed;
3. the team to serve, following the 1st referee's signal.

The 1st referee then shows only the team to serve, not the fault or the player.

Attack-hit or blocking fault by a back-row player or the libero: both referees signal, as above.

Double fault: both referees show the nature of the fault and the players at fault, if needed. The 1st referee then shows the team to serve.

Referees may also whistle while the ball is out of play to authorise or reject a team's request.

Position (Rule 29.1):

• With two line judges: they stand at the corners of the court nearest each referee's right hand, diagonally 1 to 2 m from the corner. Each controls both the end line and the side line on their side.
• With four line judges (FIVB, World and Official competitions): they stand in the free zone 1 to 3 m from each corner, on the imaginary extension of the line they control.

What they signal (Rule 29.2), using 40 x 40 cm flags:

• ball "in" or "out" whenever it lands near their line(s);
• touches of "out" balls by the team receiving the ball;
• the ball touching the antenna, or the serve or the team's 2nd or 3rd hit crossing the net outside the crossing space;
• any player other than the server standing outside their court at the moment of the serve;
• the server's foot faults;
• any player contact with the top 80 cm of the antenna on their side while playing the ball or interfering with play;
• the ball crossing the net outside the crossing space into the opponent's court, or touching the antenna on their side.

A line judge must repeat the signal if the 1st referee asks. Line judges use the official flag signals and hold each signal for a moment (Rule 30.2). Only the 1st and 2nd referees may blow a whistle.

The scorer sits at the scorer's table, facing the 1st referee, and fills in the score sheet working with the 2nd referee (Rule 27). The scorer uses a buzzer to signal irregularities to the referees.

Before the match and each set:

• record match and team details, including the liberos' names and numbers, and get the captains' and coaches' signatures;
• record each team's starting line-up from the line-up sheet. If the sheets don't arrive on time, tell the 2nd referee at once.

During the match:

• record the points scored;
• control the serving order of each team, and tell the referees of any error immediately after the service hit;
• acknowledge and announce substitution requests with the buzzer, count them, and record substitutions and time-outs, informing the 2nd referee;
• tell the referees about any request that is out of order;
• announce the end of each set, and the 8th point in the deciding set (when the teams change ends);
• record warnings, misconduct and delay sanctions, and improper requests;
• record other events as the 2nd referee instructs, such as exceptional substitutions, recovery time, prolonged interruptions, external interference and libero re-designation;
• control the interval between sets.

When a rotational fault is found (Rule 7.7): the scorer stops play with the buzzer. The opponent gets a point and service, and the rotation is corrected. The scorer should also find the exact moment the fault was committed: every point the faulty team scored after it is cancelled, and the opponent's points stand. If that moment can't be found, only the point and service are awarded.

After the match: record the final result, write down any authorised protest, sign the sheet, then get the captains' and referees' signatures.

The assistant scorer sits beside the scorer (Rule 28). They are compulsory at FIVB, World and Official competitions. They record libero replacements, help with the scorer's administrative work, and take over if the scorer can't continue.

Before the match and each set:

• prepare the libero control sheet;
• prepare the reserve score sheet.

During the match:

• record the details of every libero replacement and any re-designation of a libero;
• use the buzzer to tell the referees about any fault in a libero replacement. Examples are no completed rally between two replacements, or the libero being replaced by anyone other than the regular replacement player or the second libero;
• operate the manual scoreboard on the scorer's table and check that the scoreboards agree;
• if needed, update the reserve score sheet and give it to the scorer.

After the match: sign the libero control sheet and submit it for checking, then sign the score sheet.

Misconduct is dealt with by the 1st referee (Rule 21), who has authority over all team members.

Minor misconduct isn't sanctioned. Prevent teams from reaching the sanctioning level in two stages:

1. a verbal warning through the game captain;
2. a yellow card to the team member concerned. This is a formal warning, recorded on the score sheet, with no immediate consequence.

Sanction scale:

• Sanctions are individual, stay in force for the whole match, are recorded on the score sheet and are applied progressively to repeat offenders.
• Expulsion or disqualification for offensive conduct or aggression needs no previous sanction.
• Expelled: substituted at once if on court, out for the rest of the set, in the dressing room until the set ends. An expelled coach loses the right to intervene in that set.
• Disqualified: substituted at once if on court, in the dressing room for the rest of the match.
• Misconduct before or between sets is sanctioned under the same scale, and the sanction applies in the next set.

The 2nd referee supervises the team bench and reports bench misconduct to the 1st referee.

Improper requests (Rule 15.11). It is improper to ask for a time-out or substitution:

• during a rally, or at or after the whistle for service;
• through a team member who isn't authorised (only the coach, or without one the assistant coach or game captain, may ask);
• for a second substitution by the same team in the same interruption (before the next completed rally), except for injury, illness, expulsion or disqualification of a player in play;
• after the team has used all its time-outs or substitutions.

The first improper request by a team in the match that doesn't affect or delay the game is rejected and recorded on the score sheet, with no other consequence. Any further improper request by that team is a delay.

Delays (Rule 16) include delaying a regular interruption, prolonging an interruption after being told to resume, requesting an illegal substitution, repeating an improper request, and any team member delaying the game.

Delay sanctions are team sanctions, last for the whole match and are recorded on the score sheet:

• first delay in the match: delay warning;
• second and later delays of any type by anyone in the team: delay penalty, a point and service to the opponent.

Delay sanctions given before or between sets apply in the next set. Once a team has had a request rejected with a delay warning, it may not ask for another interruption in the same interruption.

Under Rule 23.2.4 and 27.2.3:

1. The 1st referee does not allow any discussion of decisions. However, at the game captain's request, the 1st referee must explain the application or interpretation of the rules on which the decision was based. Only the game captain may ask for clarification.
2. If the game captain disagrees with the explanation and wants to protest, they must immediately reserve the right to file and record the protest at the end of the match. The 1st referee must authorise this.
3. At the end of the match, with the 1st referee's authorisation, the scorer writes (or lets the team or game captain write) a statement on the incident on the score sheet.
4. The scorer signs the score sheet first, then gets the team captains' signatures, then the referees'.

During the match, the 1st referee's decisions are final.