VOLLEYBALL
EDITORS: BRAD TITTRINGTON
btittrington@referee.com
RULES, MECHANICS, PHILOSOPHY
A LOT MORE COLORFUL NFHS Allows Officials More Uniform Options
By Brad Tittrington
D
One of the major rule changes for NFHS volleyball this year allows officials to wear blue or gray shirts. Camille Valenzuela, Commerce, Calif., works a match while wearing the blue shirt.
Officials’ Uniform 5-3-1a; 5-3-1 NOTE The committee amended rule 5-31a, which now allows officials to wear a white, blue (cyan) or gray collared shirt, as determined by each state association. Previously, a white shirt was required. Officials must dress in like colors in order to maintain uniformity and states may choose to have white as the default color for officials. The rule change, however, gives state associations, and therefore officials, more color options. “Several states were already allowing some combination of the colors available to NCAA officials,” Atkinson said. “The decision to allow state associations to determine the color options was an important
HESTON QUAN
ue to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NFHS Volleyball Rules Committee conducted its annual meeting Jan. 10-12 in a virtual setting and recommended three rules changes that were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors. Those rule changes specifically address officials’ uniforms, religious headwear and the penalty for late submission of lineups. “The changes that were made this year really reflect the state of the sport,” said Lindsey Atkinson, NFHS director of sports and liaison to the volleyball rules committee. “Volleyball participation continues to grow and the annual questionnaire continually reflects the satisfaction coaches, officials and administrators feel with the decisions made by the NFHS Volleyball Rules Committee. The three changes passed by the committee were important changes to reflect both societal and sport specific trends.” Below are the rule changes in perceived order of importance.
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