The last role the 1st referee has is calling a close to the match once one team is announced victorious. Once one of the teams has reached the required score to win the set the referee will finish the set, ask the teams to switch sides before recommencing for the following sets. The game will commence and throughout the match the 1st referee will be responsible for deciding which team is awarded the point and keeping an eye out for any faults during live play. Once the formalities and warmups are completed the 1st referee will ask the starting teams to take the floor, once all players and officials are in position the game can begin. This information will be reported back to the scorers to allow them to note down which team is which side and who is serving first. Once this is all agreed the 1st referee will initiate the coin toss or similar to determine which team will be serving and receiving. The 1st referee will then explain how the match will proceed and what to do in certain situations such as to question a call or raise any issues during the match. The 1st referee will meet and shake hands of both captains and ask the captains to greet each other.

Once all the officials have been briefed the 1st referee will ask for the captains from each team to come over to the referee stand. This also gives the other officials a chance to ask any questions or clarify anything they may be unclear on surrounding their duties. If you have the pleasure of being a 1st referee at your next game it might be nice to know what you should expect throughout the event of the match.īefore the match starts the 1st referee must gather in all other officials to run over the course of the match and what each official is expected to do, look out for or record as applicable. The 1st referee will often discuss with the 2nd referee before the start of the match which faults they would like the 2nd referee to watch out for. Just from the faults noted above you can see the 1st referee has a lot on their plate, not to mention the fact they are ultimately responsible for all the other members of the officiating crew. There are many other faults which the 1st referee is required to look at for however this is where the help of the 2nd referee comes into play. In general the 1st referee will be responsible for starting each rally and signalling the serving team to serve, watching for obvious faults during live play which include but are not limited to: double contact, carry, 4 hits, net touches, back court violations & Hand overs. Ultimately the 1st referee is responsible for making every decision that takes place and if they see fit they can overall or alter any call. This allows them to see all other officials to make decisions easier and quicker to ensure the game runs as efficiently as possible. The 1st referee is the official that you will often see standing at the top of the podium on the opposite side of the court to the scorers and 2nd referee.

Head over to Amazon by clicking here to get your volleyball essentials I touched on what each official’s role is above however this is just the tip of the iceberg so let’s take a better look at what each role involves. The roles of each official are actually quite involved and if one official lapses it could have a drastic effect on the decision, score and overall result of the match. The assistant scorer also keeps track of Libero rotations. Assistant Scorekeeper who helps the scorer keep on top of other factors related to scoring such as monitoring substitutions, monitoring service order and recording sanctions.Scorekeepers who are responsible for keeping score and ensuring the game is played in the correct order.Line Judges who are responsible for signalling whether a ball has landed in or out of bounds.2nd Referee who assists the 1st referee to ensure the game is played without faults.1st Referee who is responsible for making the final decision.In summary, the volleyball officials and their roles are as follows: Volleyball consists of multiple officials and each one has a different role or responsibility. Officials are the unsung heroes of all sports but this is especially true in Volleyball. Officials play multiple roles in volleyball, they are the overseers of the game, the peace keepers in tense situations and the deciders in close calls. This article however is going to look at just how vital officials are to the sport of volleyball and how without them the game would be a complete farce. Volleyball is no different especially when it comes to the 1st & 2nd referee’s and often the line judges. Officials are often seen as the villains or enemies of whichever sport they oversee.

Hand signals for volleyball referees