The goal of Boise Parks and Recreation is to provide opportunities for physical exercise, socialization, and
healthy and constructive use of leisure time for adults through sports programs.
Regardless of the league or caliber of competition, the main objective of the program is to have fun and provide
physical activity. Keep this in mind before you get upset at yourself, team members, the other team, or the
officials.
Remember to keep costs down there is only one official compared to six (6) in a high school match. They will
not be able to watch or see everything. Good sportsmanship and honesty from each player is necessary to keep
the league fair and make it a positive experience for all involved. You may be asked by the official to assist with
net or line calls.
National Federation Rules will be followed with the following exceptions: (the rules are subject to revision at
the discretion of the program coordinator). A rule book can be purchased at a local sporting goods store or the
Idaho High School Activities Association. All Officials are USSSA registered and High School trained.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Schedules are posted 2 weeks before the season begin. Links will be e-mailed to all team captains and can be
found through our website.
CARE OF FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT:
1) Water only is allowed in all gyms, and no glass bottles are permitted. No food or other beverages. Please
let the gyms cleaner than you found them!
2) If children must be taken to the game, they are to remain seated in the gym. any disturbances caused by
children ie, screaming, rolling balls on court, bouncing balls, running around etch, will cause that team to be
penalized a point. players may be asked to leave the game to take care of their child.
3) Chewing tobacco and alcohol will not be allowed in any facility.
4) These policies apply to all facilities including Boise School District gyms & Fort Boise Community Center.
EQUIPMENT:
1. Some volleyballs are provided but you are encouraged to bring your own.
2. Uniforms are not required.
3. Players must wear court approved shoes with non- marking soles. No socks or bare feet.
4. Hats, headbands or bandanas are allowed during play, unless they cause a delay in the game.
Players must wear shirts, sweatshirts, or tank tops (no bra tops). Please dress appropriately since it is a
Community Center and other school/gym sites when young children are present. Players wearing
inappropriate attire may be asked to leave the game or change their attire.
PLAYER ELIGIBILITY/ROSTERS:
1. Players must be 16 years of age or older.
2. Each player must be on the roster prior to playing in a game. Players may sign up at the Fort Boise
Community Center or the City Recreation Office. It is the team captain’s responsibility to verify all their
players are registered.
3. Players or subs can play on more than one team, providing they have signed that teams roster:
a) They cannot play in the same division unless the divisions are combined and the player/manager has
received approval from the Program Coordinator. Players must register and pay any associated fees for
all teams to be legal.
b) Power players will not be allowed to play on a Recreational team and only one power player will be
allowed to be on the court for teams that are playing in any division below Comp 2. Men’s power players
will not be allowed to play on any league lower than Comp 1 (Unless approved by Program Coordinator).
Violation of this rule will result in the player being suspended from the next league game (this includes
all teams the player is registered on) and the team will forfeit the match. The match will be played out
and the Program Coordinator will address the validity of the player the next working day unless it is during
the league tournament.
c) Illegal players must be protested by the opposing team by 10:00 am the next working day (for
tournaments see page 5). Players must have a photo ID available. Illegal players will result in the team
forfeiting the match and the player being suspended from play for the remainder of the season.
d) Games will not be delayed, to wait for players playing in another game with another team.
e) SUBS - Substitutes are only allowed to play a maximum of 2 games and are not eligible to play in
tournaments unless they are placed on the team roster by Friday, November 1st and approved by program
director. Note: Substitutes cannot be on another team in the same division or above the classification of
your team. Substitute players will not have to pay the non-resident fee if they are only substituting the
2 games, more than that and they will need to be put on the roster and pay the fee.
4. The deadline to add to the roster is:
• Men’s & Women’s Fall league – First Friday in November
• Coed Winter league – Last Friday in January
• Men’s & Women’s Spring league - Second Friday in April
These deadlines are subject to change based on length of league play or facility issues.
5. If a team captain's name or address changes, notify the Parks & Recreation office. (The Parks & Recreation
Department will not be responsible for teams not receiving schedule changes, etc. if their captain's new name
and address was not called in).
TEAM CLASSIFICATION:
1. Teams are classified according to requests, previous league win/loss record, number of teams placed in a
division and rosters.
2. Teams may be moved up during the season if they are winning their matches by a large margin or have players
with a caliber higher than the level they play in.
LEAGUE GAMES:
1. Rally scoring to 25 points will be used for all games. The officials will start play when the clock hits 55 minutes
or earlier if both teams agree.
2. Teams will play three games a night to 25 points or a one-hour time limit, whichever comes first. Team must
win by 2 for the first 2 games and win by 1 for the third game.
3. One point will be awarded to a team for each game won, maximum of 3 points. No tie games. In the event
of a tie, games will be decided by sudden death. (1-point wins). Note: the official will inform teams when
time expires if clock fails or malfunctions.
4. The clock will be started at game time and the teams will have at least 5 minutes to warm up. Note: If both
teams agree game can start earlier without warm up.
5. Each team will get one time out per game. No time outs with less than 5 minutes in the match.
6. Games will not be rescheduled unless they are canceled due to weather, power outage, or facility/gym
cancellation. “Be steward of the game and please call the other team if you cannot field a team for your
scheduled game/time!”
7. TIME REMAINING
a. The teams may use the court in any fashion they choose, (organized game, practice together
or separate) up to the end of time on their match.
b. The official will continue to call the game if requested.
RULES:
1. Jewelry and Braces:
Whenever the safety of a player is in question regarding jewelry, the official will ask the player to remove
it.
Braces must be soft and yielding or covered. All metal parts on any brace shall be padded.
2. Blood rule: If a player is bleeding, they have 30 seconds to control and cover the bleeding. The team can call
time out. If the bleeding has not been controlled, the player must exit the game until the bleeding has been
controlled and covered. If the player’s jersey has wet blood on it, they must change jerseys.
3. A team must have at least four players to begin play. (Coed Team Composition)-No more than 3 men on the
court at any time in any division. To play, a team must have a minimum of 4 people (example 2 men/2 women, 1 man/3 women). Team’s may play with 1 man/5 women, 2 men/4 women, 3 men/3 women. Teams may use
any line up. It need not alternate man/women.
4. Scheduled game time is for the first set. A team can use a 10-minute grace period for their 4th player to
arrive without forfeiting the first set. The opposing team will receive an automatic 5 points to start the first
set and the time limit will start from the time the actual game was scheduled. The team shall have their
4th player arrive in their allowed 10 minutes or forfeit the match. A team forfeiting a match (no one
showing up) without at least one day’s notification or forfeiting 3 matches in a season will be
disqualified from their next league game and tournament. Provided there are no extenuating
circumstances). The starting time for all matches shall be the scheduled starting time. 4 players must be
present at that time.
5. Forfeited games at Game Time: official will officiate two games or up until 15 minutes before the next game.
6. (COED ONLY)
Coed Team Composition:
1. A maximum of six players and a minimum of four players are required to play.
2. No more than three men may play at any time.
3. If only one man is present, up to five women may play at the same time.
4. If only one woman is present, only three men may play at one time.
Coed Play:
1. Rotation does not need to rotate man/woman.
2. The ball may be hit by three women in a row with no penalty.
3. If the ball is hit by three men in a row, to be legal, the third hit must be an underhanded
bump pass. (The hit may be forward, sideways or backward.) Penalty: Illegal Hit.
7. The ceiling is in play on your own side. If the ball should get caught in the ceiling or hit the basketball hoops
(on the ends of the court only) it will constitute a replay, cannot play the ball off the wall or the other courts
ceiling. If a ball comes on the court and rolls thru, is kicked off or does not interfere with play, there will be
no stopping of play. Any ball that distracts or has the potential to cause an injury will result in stopped
play/replay. However, if either captain feels a replay should have been called and was not, they may request
and receive a replay, no questions.
8. The boundary line between the two courts is out of play with no follow through allowed. (Exception: can
follow through if there is no game scheduled on the next court). Players can step ON the line but not over
when the ball is live. It is ruled the same as court center line. This applies to line extended to walls.
9. Serve: Player can serve anywhere from behind the back-court boundary line. One re-serve is allowed after
a toss that is dropped or caught with no attempt to hit. Teams must rotate the server on the first serve of
each game. Servers may not step on the serving line during the serve.
10. Blocking/spiking: Blocking or attacking the serve is illegal. A defensive player can block over the net if the
offensive teams attack is complete. A player cannot reach over the net in an offensive action under any
circumstances.
11. Players may rotate into the game in any position and officials must be notified.
12. Hits:
a. Multiple contacts are legal on any first team hit (if the ball is touched by the block), unless there is
prolonged contact i.e.: it rolls, is lifted, pushed or thrown. It is legal to hit the ball with two fists provided
it is one attempt to play the ball and the contact is SIMULTANEOUS.
b. To keep up with the fast pace of the game and provide more exciting rallies, Rule 9-4-5 allows any part
of the body to be considered legal contact with the ball.
c. A back-row player/setter CANNOT attack a ball that is above the height of the net when positioned on
or in front of the attack line. A back-row player may legally attempt to block but the action will become
illegal if it is successful. (Exception: see #6 above, coed only)
13. A player’s foot or hand may extend past the center line if part of that foot or hand is touching the center
line. Any other body part extending over the center line is illegal.
14. Continue play in any circumstance until the whistle is blown. It is the official’s discretion as to whether it
affects play or not.
15. Only the team captain/manager may speak to the official or request a time out or a replay.
16. Yellow and red cards will be used by the officials. If a yellow card is held up, the player/team is being warned.
If a red card is held up, a point or side out is awarded to the opponents. Players receiving two (2) red cards
in a season will be suspended from the next league/ tournament game
17. Teams warming up or playing a practice game need to keep the balls from going into the next court. If it
becomes a problem the teams will be asked to remove themselves from the court.
18. Net Play: ANY contact with the net is a FAULT.
LEAGUE TOURNAMENT & AWARDS
League standings and notice will be posted in the gym on the bulletin board.
1. Awards will be given for tournament play only.
2. Only the top 50% of the teams in each division automatically make it into the tournament, according to the
final league standings. Teams finishing in the top 50% will be notified by phone and/or e-mail. Some divisions
will be combined.
3. Tie breakers will be determined:
a. By head to head play
b. Record vs Common opponents
c. Least points allowed over season
d. Least points scored over season
e. Coin flip
4. Tournament play consists of the best two out of three games, no time limit, one time out per team/per game.
First 2 games to 25 points and 3rd game to 15 points National Federation Rules.
5. Tournament format consists of a single elimination tournament.
6. During tournament, a coin will be flipped before the third game for the serve and the court choice. The
team that did not win the flip for the first game will call the flip for the third game. Team must play with the
players on their team roster only. It is the team’s responsibility to protest an illegal player by notifying the
official of the player they are protesting before the end of the match. All players must have their photo ID available.
7. Once the match is completed teams will not be allowed to continue to play to avoid interfering with the
other court.
8. All tournament games will be scheduled 50 minutes apart with no time limit.
Player Conduct
The following penalties will be assessed by the officials or Boise Parks & Recreation for each specific act that
occurs before, during or after the game. Automatic penalties may be increased based on severity.
Level One Violation
1. Minimal swearing directed at another player, official, spectator or Recreation staff.
2. Taunting or using language or gestures to provoke another player or official.
• Minimum automatic penalty: yellow card (warning from the official)
Level Two Violation
1. Abusive language or continued swearing directed at another player, official, spectator or Recreation
staff.
2. Participating in a game as an ineligible player.
3. Attempting to arouse spectators against an official.
4. Not leaving the gym when asked to by the official or Recreation staff.
5. Unsportsmanlike conduct.
6. Harassing players, spectators or Recreation staff.
• Minimum automatic penalty: Red card from the official, point awarded opponent. Red &
yellow card by the official will result in ejection from the game, suspension by Parks &
Recreation from the following league game, probation for the remainder of the year.
Level Three Violation (Police may be called)
1. Verbal or physical threats to a player, official, spectator or Recreation staff
2. Fighting whether initiated or done in retaliation.
3. Making physical contact with the intent to do harm to a player, official, spectator or Recreation staff.
4. Throwing or kicking an object at a player, official, spectator or Recreation staff with intent to do harm.
5. Causing, aiding, or assisting to the damage or destruction of property of Boise Parks & Recreation or
individuals associated with the program.
. Approaching or following an official or staff member off the field after the game is complete with the
intent of verbal harassment or physical harm.
• Minimum Automatic Penalty: official forfeits match to opponent, ejection from that game
and suspension by BP&R from the next four league games and probation for two years from
the date of the incident. If there are less that four league games remaining in the season the
suspension will be extended to the league tournament and/or the next volleyball season