GENERAL REGULATIONS

The requirements for certified officials are established each year by the Officials Program Board, members of which are listed in the Region Directory on page 2.  Unless specifically stated, the term "official" refers to both referees and scorekeepers.  The Region certifies officials at the Junior, Provisional and Regional levels.  In addition, USAV and the FIVB certify officials at the National and International levels.  Unless specifically stated, the term "National" refers to all levels beyond Regional.  All officials, regardless of certification level, must register with the Region each season before they can officiate at any tournaments.

CLINICS

Separate clinics will be held for referees and scorekeepers.  Advanced clinics will be held for regional officials and above.  No clinics will be held after February 1.  Only a limited number of clinics will be held.  If you cannot attend any of the scheduled clinics, contact the Region Office as soon as possible.  If an additional clinic needs to be scheduled after the February 1 deadline, a clinic fee of $5 per person is required, along with a minimum of ten people in attendance.  The clinic fee paid is non-refundable.

We can hold clinics during the daytime hours as well as on evenings and weekends.  If you would like to schedule a clinic in your area, contact the appropriate Officials’ Chair or the Region Office.  There will also be clinics scheduled for the raters and clinicians.

Scoresheets – Scoresheets for certification should have the box checked or be marked "For Certification" in the lower right corner of the Comments Section.  Provisional Candidates are required to turn in one deciding game scoresheet at some time before receiving their certification.

EXPLANATION OF TERMS

Observations: Observations are done by Regional or National officials to help candidates learn the basics of officiating.  The observers will be situated closely enough to the official to give immediate feedback during dead balls, time-outs, between games, etc.  There will be additional discussion following the conclusion of the match.  Observations are not evaluations or ratings in the sense that the official cannot fail.

Mentor: National or Regional Official observing and working with a team official to prepare them for refereeing at their desired level.

Ratings: Evaluations are done by National officials to determine whether a candidate is proficient enough to receive a Regional certification.

**ADULT TEAM REQUIREMENTS**

EACH REGISTERED TEAM IS REQUIRED TO:

¨      Have a minimum of two (2) certified referees

¨      Have a minimum of one (1) certified scorekeeper

¨      Those certified officials must be in attendance at every match and officiate all pool play matches and playoff matches.

¨      Teams that enter tournaments on or after April 1, including the Regional Championships that do not meet the officials’ requirements must pay a penalty of $35 to the tournament director.  This does not excuse the team from its officiating assignments.

TEAM PENALTIES

If teams do not have certified officials for matches they are supposed to officiate, they will pay a fee of $35 per official needed.  This fee is non-refundable.  This fee is paid to the Tournament Director, who will then ensure there are certified officials to officiate at that time.  It is recommended that each certified replacement official receive $10 per match.  This fee does not “buy” the rest of the officiating team.  The team that is scheduled to officiate at that time must continue to supply the other support officials: line judges, visual score operator, etc.  Teams that arrive late for officiating duties will be charged a $50 fine, payable to the Tournament Director.  In addition, the team will be penalized one point per minute late in the next game up to one game.  Teams that do not stay for officiating assignments will be fined $100 payable to the Great Plains Region.  Teams with outstanding fines may not participate in any sanctioned USAV event until all debts are paid.

RATINGS

Ratings can be done at any sanctioned tournament.  This includes sanctioned tournaments during the friendship season.  Any Regional Referee or Regional Scorekeeper can do ratings for the provisional level.  In order to move up to Regional status, ratings must be obtained from Jr National, National Official.

No ratings may be obtained without attending a clinic and completing the test.

If you need to have a rating done after the deadline of March 1, you may need to pay your rater $5 at the time the rating is given. 

If you encounter any unusual circumstances, contact the appropriate Official’s Chair as soon as possible.  This must be done before the March 1 deadline.

All candidates who need ratings should fill out the rating or observation form completely before giving the form to the rater.  These forms can be obtained from the rater.  After the rating or observation is complete, give the form to the rater or tournament director to be returned to the Region office.  To complete the process, a card indicating that you are certified will then be issued.

DEADLINES

All teams must have certified officials at all times during the sanctioned season.  Certification expires January 1 of the following year.  Officials that have attended a clinic and are in the process of getting ratings are considered certified until March 1 of the current season.  A candidate will have until March 1 to turn in paperwork for this year.  All ratings and paperwork should be turned in by March 1.  After March 1, a candidate may officiate only while being rated.