Physical Demands of Volleyball Officiating
Volleyball officiating has very light physical demands. As the players’ ages and skill levels increase, the speed of competition becomes more challenging. Your concentration level and ability to anticipate must increase as well.
Training
Expect lectures, role playing, demonstration and exercises on the basic rules and on-court reviews.
Equipment (NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA) and USA Volleyball:
- Black slacks.
- Black shorts when high temperatures exist.
- Black leather belt.
- Solid black athletic shoes.
- Black socks.
- Referee tools: A watch, rulebook, whistle, net measuring device, coin, red & yellow sanction cards, lineup cards.
Estimated cost: $200 if you have shoes. Sometimes, veteran referees have “hand-me-downs” that help new referees get started.
Registration and Fees
Talk with referees at a match, contact the athletic department of a local high school or contact your local recreation department. They will be able to give you the name of the state governing body for high school athletics. You will be expected to complete a registration form for affiliation with a national, statewide or local association. Often there will be a fee that must be paid with this registration that goes toward additional officiating training and insurance. Often, with your state association fee, you will be provided rulebooks and other materials. The fees range from $10-$80.
Match Fees
You can expect to be paid in the range of $25 for youth matches to $50 for competitive high school varsity matches. Many programs offer no pay. Once you are experienced enough to referee college matches, the pay ranges from $100 to $300 per match.
Help and Assistance
Ask a respected veteran referee to be your mentor. That mentor will help answer your questions and provide crucial support. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about situations and rules. The more you talk about officiating, the more you will learn about it.
Certification
Climbing the ladder: Here’s the path for starting and continuing your officiating career:
Youth Level
Many referees start at the youth level. Contact your local recreation department leaders. Your local association should also help you make contacts to get games.
USA Volleyball
One Olympic Plaza
Colorado Springs, CO 80910
719-637-8300
Upgrading to High School
After working some games, you may feel you have the skills and confidence to work higher level competition. Contact your state association for registration information.
The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) is the nation’s governing body for high school athletics. Contact the NFHS for rulebooks, rule changes and information on your state association.
NFHS
PO Box 690
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-972-6900
In most cases, state associations can put you in contact with a local officials association. NASO has more than 4,000 local officials associations in our database. Local officials associations assign games, many times offer mentoring programs and assist in training.
High school athletic directors, association assigners and other officials will help you get games. Attend local officiating camps and clinics. They are focused on helping umpires learn and improve.
Annual Recertification
The various organizations have different requirements for annual certification, but most require at least meeting attendance to review any current rule or technique changes. Additional requirements may be a written test with a minimum passing score, payment of fees for the upcoming season and a classroom session for additional in-service training. For more information on volleyball officiating, contact the Professional Association of Volleyball Officials (PAVO). PAVO is a nationwide organization with approximately 100 local chapters, and is involved with training and certification of high school and collegiate referees.
Still have questions? Contact us at HERE to receive additional information on becoming a volleyball official.