Rules and Regulations: Sitting Volleyball Festival (Schools)
Download a PDF of the Event Guidelines here: Sitting Volleyball Festival Event Info & Guidelines 2025
Full Event Guidelines
SVO 1 All skills and informal matches will be played to the World ParaVolley Rules.
SVO 1.1 Should any rules listed below contradict those outlined by World ParaVolley, these rules will supersede those.
SVO 1.2 It will be at the sole discretion of the Festival Director and LYG personnel as to the application of these rules, and any subsequent decision made as a result will be final.
SVO 1.3 The Festival Organisers reserve the right to alter or amend the playing schedule if necessary and may make decisions on any matters arising during the tournament, including any matter not covered by the tournament regulations. The Festival Director will be final on all disputed matters.
SVO 1.4 The Festival Director reserves the right to suspend/cancel the event where required by unsafe condition.
SVO 2 Age Category
SVO 2.1 The following age groups and respective minimum/maximum date of births will apply to the School Games Sitting Volleyball Year 5 & 6 Festival;
| Age Category | Oldest DOB | Youngest DOB | Likely School Year |
| 9 – 11-year-olds | 01/09/2013 | 31/08/2015 | Year 5 – 6 |
SVO 2.2 It is the responsibility of participants/teachers/School Games Organisers to ensure all participants details are entered correctly at the time of submission.
SVO 2.2.1 In the instance a participant is found to be ineligible, they will be disqualified from the participant.
SVO 3 Squad Size Schools are permitted to enter a minimum of 6 participants (minimum of 3 SEND participants) and a maximum of 15 participants (minimum of 7 SEND participants).
SVO 3.1 25% of your squad must be girls and there must be 2 girls playing it any given time.
SVO 4 Kit & Equipment
SVO 4.1 Court sizes will be approx. 6.2m x 3.9m.
SVO 4.2 The net will be set at 1m high.
SVO 4.3 The festival will use Official Volleyball England Sitting Volleyball Starter Balls.
SVO 5 Event Format
SVO 5.1 The festival will run across approx. 6 sitting volleyball courts and consist of station-based activities and friendly, informal match-play.
SVO 5.2 Each team rotates to take part in each activity across 10-15 minute rotations, team number dependent. The stations will include the following skills:
- Moving on the floor seated
- Spike
- Smash
- Dig
- Block
- Serve
SVO 5.3 The afternoon friendly matches will be played in accordance with World ParaVolley Rules in an introductory format and give an opportunity to practice the skills learnt during the morning session.
SVO 5.3.1 Matches will be 10 minutes. A hooter will signal the start and end of each 10-minute period.
If it is a draw at the end of the 10 minutes, a sudden death point will be played, to determine the winner.
SVO 5.3.2 Matches will be played to 1 set.
SVO 5.3.3 Group sizes and finalised draw format may change dependent upon entry numbers
SVO 6 Sports Specific Rules – if you wish to familiarise yourself ahead of the event.
SVO 6.1 Participants must keep a part of their body between the buttocks and shoulder in contact with the floor when playing the ball. Participants can play the ball with any part of their body.
SVO 6.2 There must be always six participants on court, with a minimum of 3 always SEND participants on court.
SVO 6.3 The following rules apply regarding serving;
SVO 6.3.1 Only the player at the back right hand side of court (position 1) can serve and must serve from behind the base line on the right hand side of the court.
SVO 6.3.2 Whilst serving, the server’s buttocks must be touching the floor behind the baseline but must not touch the court, but their feet, legs or hands may touch the court.
SVO 6.3.3 Participants can serve underarm, overarm or throw the ball in to play.
SVO 6.3.4 Participants have two attempts to serve.
SVO 6.3.5 A point is scored at every serve.
SVO 6.3.6 Teams rotate their position clockwise when they regain the serve or when one of their participants has scored 3 consecutive points on their serve.
SVO 6.4 The team that wins the rally, wins the point. They then serve the next point. If they lose that point, the opposing team rotates positions and then serves.
SVO 6.5 The ball must go over the net on the third touch at the latest.
SVO 6.5.1 Participants cannot make consecutive touches unless their first touch is a block. A block is not counted as a touch, so the team still has three more touches after the block.
SVO 6.5.2 If the ball hits the boundary line it counts as in.
SVO 6.5.3 Play will continue if a ball hits the net and goes over, including the serve.
SVO 6.5.4 Participants are not allowed to pull the net nor to touch the top band of the net at any time during play. Such actions shall result in the point being awarded immediately to the opposing team.
SVO 7 Scoring : The festival is non-scoring. Schools are encouraged to record individual participants scores, during stations in order to highlight their improvement throughout the day and keep track of their progress.
