Uniform rules to be enforced for 2008

Beginning March 1, 2008: In adults' tournaments, if a team is found to have one or more illegal uniforms, a 2-point penalty will be assessed at the start of each set in the match.

The following rules apply, with no exceptions: Shorts must be of identical color. If any of the shorts have pinstripes, piping, or trim (which includes visible pockets), all shorts for the entire team must have the same pinstripes, piping, or trim. Shorts must be identical, including any pinstripes or colored trim. Jewelry is not permitted, except for a flat wedding band. If a ring other than a flat band cannot be removed, it must be taped or covered. Piercings are never permitted, even if covered.

Letter from Michelle Fox, OVR Adults' Tournament Director, February 9, 2008

As you know, "uniform issues" tend to haunt us! As players, we experience varying levels of tolerance by officials, tournament directors and even OVR staff, when determining uniform legality. This is due, in part, to past leniency that the OVR has extended to adult teams in order to allow our members to participate freely. Consequently, we have reached the point that uniform concerns are more widespread than in the past. There are many teams that adhere to USAV uniforms standards without any problem, but we also have teams that still struggle. The OVR needs to take responsibility for that because of the ambiguous verbiage that was chosen to describe uniform requirements here in the OVR.

In an effort to bring resolution to uniform issues, at its January meeting,the OVR Board voted to enforce the USAV uniform rules as written in the Domestic Competition Regulations. This applies to both adult and junior competitions. Specifically, the rule reads:

Rule 4.3.1: "The color and design for the jerseys and shorts must be uniform for the team, except for the Libero."

In this statement, the phrase "uniform for the team," means "the SAME for the team" according to the USAV interpretation. For example, if there is a design (trim, stripes, color swatches, etc) on the shorts or jerseys, ALL team members must have that same design on their uniform pieces -- except for the Libero, who may wear different shorts and MUST wear a different jersey of a contrasting color. For convenience in the OVR, we have modified this to allow women's teams to wear a mixture of spandex and boxer style shorts on the same team, as long as the color and design is the same and the length of the shorts is similar.

Also, USAV 4.3.5 allows for variance with the manufacturer logos on the shorts. In other words, provided the color and design are the same for all shorts, we don't care if some have Nike, Adidas or Asics logos as long as those logos aren't larger than 2-1/2" X 2-1/4".

To ensure compliance and consistency with the USAV rules regarding uniforms,the OVR Board voted to institute a penalty for illegal uniforms in Adult Tournaments beginning March 1, 2008. Keep in mind that the USAV rules state that a player may not play in an illegal uniform. The OVR does not want to prevent people from playing, therefore our modification is, "If a team is found to have an illegal uniform(s), a 2-point penalty will be assessed at the start of each game in each match". If an illegal uniform is found, the match official (1st referee), who has the authority to enforce all playing rules,will penalize the offending team by awarding two points to the opposing team before the whistle for the first service of the game. This penalty will not result in awarding the serve to the opponent; ONLY the two-point penalty will be assessed. For example, if the serving team has illegal uniforms,they will still serve first at the start of Game 1, but the score will be 0-2 in favor of the receiving team. For the start of Game 2, the receiving team earns the right to serve first, and they will start serving with a score of 2-0.

The two-point penalty will apply to any uniform violation. In the OVR, our biggest issue is with shorts and jewelry. Shorts must be of identical color. If ANY of the shorts have pinstripes, piping or trim (which includes visible pockets such as velcro), the shorts have to be the same for the entire team. Either they have pinstripes or colored trim, or they don't.

And remember, jewelry is not permitted except for a flat wedding band. If a ring, other than a flat band, cannot be removed, it must be taped/covered - no exceptions. Piercings (ear, nose, eyebrow, etc) are never permitted,even if covered, and must be removed before warm-ups. This is a strict rule imposed by USAV risk management based upon insurance requirements.

We know that this will mean that some teams will need purchase new uniform pieces. Teams don't need to spend big dollars to accomplish this! We want everyone to enjoy playing in USAV-OVR events, and part of that experience is the "team pride" concept! We understand that many teams "just wanna play,"and we want to offer everyone that opportunity within reasonable guidelines that are clear, understandable and acceptable.

We appreciate your cooperation, and please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Michelle Fox
OVR Men's & Women's Tournament Director
fox@ovr.org
330-666-8709