What’s New
Indoor Youth Competitions 2016-2017
Playing on Sundays
For the 2016-2017 season there will be up to three (3) weekends during the regular season with
tournaments scheduled for Sundays. Various age categories will not have more than one (1) Sunday
Tournament.
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This change is a reflection of growth of the sport and the constraints of our
competition calendar
http://www.ontariovolleyball.org/articles/2016-17-indoor-youth-competitionscalendar
Fees
Due to the increasing cost associated with administering tournaments the following increases will be
implemented:
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Tournament Entry Fees
o 12U - $225
o 13U, 14U, 15U - $310
o 16U, 17U, 18U - $ 320
o Grand Prix & Ontario Quebec Series - $525
Club Fees - $125
Volleyball Canada has increased their individual membership fee by $1.00 to $27.00. Total
individual membership fees for the 2016-2017 season will be $80.11 (including HST).
Coaching Certification
Volleyball Canada will be releasing a new Coaching Certification Policy to be adopted by all
provinces for their respective Provincial Championships. Changes include completion of
mandatory online modules by both the head coaches AND assistant coaches or any team staff
sitting on the bench. The new policy will be progressive and rolled out over 3 years. The new
policy will be communicated to all coaches before the beginning of the season.
Playing Regulations
All teams will be required to line and score as indicated on the tournament schedule. Parents
are NOT permitted to line games. Parents are permitted to sit at the scorer’s table to assist
with scoring duties.
Triple ball: An over pass on a tossed ball is not a re-toss. If a player passes the ball directly
over the net, the play continues.
All tournaments for the 12U Girls age category will be Tripleball format. The first two events
will be round-robin type formats. The last tournament will introduce a play off format.
o Court size will remain 9mx8m
Fair play rules: No substitutions are permitted (except for injury) in the first and second set.
There are no restrictions on who can play the third set. Twelve (12) sub limited (one entry
and one exit per player) rule will be in effect.
o Fair play rules will be in effect for the following age divisions
o 12U Girls
o 13U and 14U Boys and Girls
o 15U Boys and Girls for all pool play matches only*
The first event for the 14U Boys and Girls will be an all positions event: No specialization is
allowed so all players must play all positions. Switching to a different position from your
service order during a rally is NOT ALLOWED. One position on the court needs to be
identified as the Setting Position. Coaches will designate their Setting Position on the
scoresheet at the beginning of each set.
The 16U Girl’s net height will be moved up to 2.24m*
Serve receive rule*: Receiving a serve with an overhand motion using the fingers
(volleying/setting the serve) will now be permitted at the 16U boys and girls age divisions.
This call is at the discretion of the referee and must be respected, and cannot be protested.
This rule change applies to OVA competitions only. Volleyball Canada National
Championships will not allow the overhead pass for 16U and younger. Therefore, OVA
coaches must prepare 16U teams attending Nationals to receive serve without the option of
an overhead finger pass.
Rationale: The purpose of this change is to help players develop the cue reading and decision
making skills necessary to perform in the skill of serve reception as seen at the higher levels.
Below are some sample benefits and drawbacks of using an overhead pass at 16U that are
being considered during the pilot. Additional feedback will be requested from the membership.
Benefits:
It follows the FIVB rules and CIS/CCAA rules that athletes will need to use in the future
Many believe 16 year olds typically have the strength and dexterity to execute the skill
properly and without injury
Gives athletes the option of using a more accurate skill than the 'double axe handle'
that some athletes currently use
Gives referees the opportunity to practice judgement calls on overhead serve reception
Drawbacks:
The overhead pass may not be developmentally/physically suitable for young players,
and referees will be forced to whistle down these attempts regularly, making the rule
pointless
May encourage deficiencies in movement habits, when athletes always have the option
to take the ball with the hands and not move their feet to the ball
Coaches may require athletes to abandon the forearm pass on all float serves, thus
creating skill deficiencies in athletes
In 2009, referees had a difficult time applying the rule, especially with new referees
(common at this age group), thus creating confusion on the part of referees, athletes
and coaches
Please note: the goal is not to have forearm passing replaced by over head passing. Coaches
should encourage the use of both forearm and over head passing from their players.
*These rule changes apply to the OVA competition rules only. Rules at Volleyball Canada National
Championships may differ. Volleyball Canada often works with single provinces to pilot rule changes.
Volleyball Canada is aware of the changes being made to the OVA rules and will be evaluating the
pertinence of adopting those rules for the whole country at the end of the season. Please see the
Volleyball Canada rulebook for more information on National Championships regulations.
Pilot – Let on jump serve attempts
At select 14U-15U events the OVA will be piloting a let-serve rule when a jump serve is used.
Teams will be notified well in advance if their event has been chosen. Additional regulations
will be forwarded once events have been selected and an OVA representative will be on site
for each of these pilot events.
Rationale: Serving is probably the single biggest weakness of Canada internationally. The
OVA would like Ontario to become the leader in developing the skill of serving in Canada.
The purpose of this pilot is to find out if we can encourage young players to use the jump
float or the spike serve in competition at a younger age by giving them a chance to miss with
no impact on the score. A lot of players are afraid to try the more complicated serves
because they don’t want to cost their team a point. Since they never use it in competition,
they don’t develop that skill which impacts their abilities at an older age.
Age Categories
Updates have been made to the Youth Competition Handbook to better explain the
application and restrictions with respect to the 16-month age categories implemented in the
2016 season.
Athletes can participate in the Age Category associated with either the Chronological Age
Class or the Extended Age Class per the below:
Age Category
Chronological Age Class
12 & Under
Born 2005 or later
13 & Under
Born 2004 or later
14 & Under
Born 2003 or later
15 & Under
Born 2002 or later
16 & Under
Born 2001 or later
17 & Under
Born 2000 or later
18 & Under
Born 1999 or later
Age Category
Extended Age Class
12 & Under
Born between September 1st 2004 and December 31st 2004
13 & Under
Born between September 1st 2003 and December 31st 2003
14 & Under
Born between September 1st 2002 and December 31st 2002
15 & Under
Born between September 1st 2001 and December 31st 2001
16 & Under
Born between September 1st 2000 and December 31st 2000
17 & Under
Born between September 1st 1999 and December 31st 1999
18 & Under
Born between January 1st 1998 and December 31st 1998
Playing Restrictions for Athletes with Birthdates in the Extended Age Classes
Athletes who are registered in an age category based on the Extended Age Class can only be
registered and listed on a team roster for that single age category. They are not permitted to
move up or down an age category as an individual. They are permitted to move laterally
within the age category that they are registered in or they can play up an age category if their
entire team is playing up.
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Example: Linda was born September 5, 2001. She plays for the 15U Girls Blue
Spikers team. Linda is permitted to move laterally within the age category and play
for the 15UG Red Spikers. She is not permitted to play on the 16U Spikers or 14U
Spikers.
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Example: Steve was born November 10, 2000. He plays for the 16U Boys Jammers.
The 16U boys Jammers registers for the 17U McGregor Cup. Steve is permitted to
play in the 17U event as part of the 16U Jammers. Steve is not permitted to play in
the 17U event as part of a 17U Jammers.
Athletes with birthdates in the Extended Age Class but who are registered with a team based
on the Chronological Age Class are not permitted to move down an age category.
o Example: John was born November 25, 2000. He plays for the 17U Boys Vikings.
John is permitted to move laterally within the age category and play for the 17UG Red
Vikings and play up on the 18U Vikings. He is not permitted to play on the 16U
Vikings.
Recommendations for Athletes Registering on a Team Above their Chronological Age
Athletes registered in an age category above their Chronological Age Class should compete at
that age group only if that category is more appropriate for their skill level.
o Example: Eric was born in February 15th, 2004. He plays for the 14U Boys Falcons
because his skill level allows him to compete with the older players. This age group is
more appropriate for his skill level so he should only play for the 14U team this year
and avoid playing down with the 13U team.
This recommendation from the OVA is based on the principles of the Canadian Long Term Athlete
Development model (LTAD), which clearly states: “Training, competition and recovery programs
should be based on the stage of the participant’s capability, rather than chronological age.”
In selecting athletes for their teams, coaches and clubs should look at the skill level of players rather
than simply looking at chronological age and place them on teams with athletes of matching skills.
The problem that arises with these athletes also playing down in their Chronological Age category is
over-competition, which results in a lack of basic skills and fitness. The Volleyball Canada LTAD
guidelines recommend a ratio of training to competition of 70% to 30% for athletes between 12 and
16 years old. This ratio should be achieved within the OVA competition calendar by playing for a single
team at a single age category.
19U Eligibility
All athletes born in 1998 are eligible to compete in 18U OVA tournaments including Ontario
Championships if the following conditions are met:
The athlete is not part of any OCAA, OUA, CCAA or CIS team for the 2016-17 season, whether
they are part of the roster or not.
There are no more than two (2) 19U athletes on the team roster
NEW Ontario Quebec Series – 17U Age Division
The OVA and Volleyball Quebec will be working towards developing an Ontario/Quebec Series for the
17U Boys and Girls age category.
Event#1 (Ontario)
o This event will be scheduled for January 28th, 2017.
o The top 4 placing teams in the OVA Challenge Cup (December 17, 2016) will be
scheduled to play in Event#1 of the Ontario Quebec Invitational Series instead of the
McGregor Cup. All remaining teams will be scheduled as per the Youth Competitions
Manual.
o Event #1 will consist of 9 teams and take place over 2 days. Each team will play 2
matches per day, best 3 of 5.
o The OVA teams who participate in this event will be assigned Premier points based
on their finish in relation to the other Ontario teams participating.
o Because the top Ontario teams in the 17U age category will be playing in Event #1,
any Premier points assigned to those teams will not be assigned at the McGregor
Cup. For Example: 1st through 4th place Premier points are assigned to Ontario teams
in Event #1, therefore top place team in McGregor cup will receive 5th place Premier
points.
o Additional teams from outside Ontario and Quebec may be invited to attend Event#1.
o Teams who participate in Event#1 are not mandated to play in Event#2.
o This will be an OVA administered and hosted event.
o Teams may be required to pay an additional fee to participate in this event.
Event#2 (Quebec)
o This event will be scheduled for March 2017 and will take place in Quebec.
Additional details regarding this event and the application process will be
communicated once they become available.