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LADDERS DETAILS & RULES
Welcome to The Ladders League! If you’re new to the league, you should read everything below. If you’re a veteran, take a quick look. Significant differences from the past are in blue.
USEFUL LINKS
Girls/Womens Registration & Waivers (including for subs)
Coed Registration & Waivers (including for subs)
GIrls/Womens Sub List NOT LIVE YET)
Coed Sub List (NOT LIVE YET)
COMMUNICATION
Nearly all communication with league participants and parents will be via the Band application. See above for the invite to join the Band group. Even if you have previously downloaded the Band phone app, you still need to accept this invite to be in the right group. Typical communications will include weather cancellations, results from the prior week and the schedule for the upcoming week. Expect two to three communications most weeks.
WHAT TO BRING EACH WEEK
Water/drink
Snack
Sunscreen
Sunglasses
Sand socks or regular socks, if the sand might be particularly hot or cold
Chairs for spectators
Canopy for shade since we do not have any natural shade during the afternoon. The League has a few canopies that spectators can use. Parents can bring their canopies and optionally store them in the shed, enabling their use all day, and saving effort to haul it from home. The League assumes no liability for loss or damage.
SCHEDULE
Times are likely to be as follows but are subject to change.
Girls’ League (Sundays)
Gold: 6 - 8
Silver: 4 - 6
Bronze: 2 - 4 (if sufficient demand)
Coed League (Fridays)
Gold 6 - 8
Bronze 4 - 6 (if sufficient demand)
I will provide a schedule by Wednesday (coed) and Friday (Girls) each week via Band. Your level/time can change from week to week (only if you are at the top of your level and win or at the bottom and lose.)
Please show up early enough to warm up and be ready to play promptly at the start time.
If you are running late, please call/text your teammate or the league director ASAP.
ABSENCES
A NO-SHOW (I.E., WITHOUT REASONABLE PRIOR WRITTEN NOTIFICATION) IS GROUNDS FOR REMOVAL FROM THE LEAGUE WITHOUT REFUND!
Fill out the Attendance Notification Page (link above).
Full team absence
Teams can utilize “free passes” to miss a day without standings penalty, assuming timely notice via the Attendance Notification Form (link at top of page.)
If after Wednesday (Coed) or Friday (Girls), please ALSO send a Band or text message and make sure I acknowledge it (781-454-6199 24/hours/day).
Any full team absences without sufficient notice or extenuating circumstances may result in forfeited games, at the league supervisor’s discretion.
Single-player absence
Teams are expected to find a suitable replacement (i.e. someone not significantly more/less skilled than the absent team member.) To assist in locating a sub, check the Sub List (link above). Once you find a sub, have them fill out a Registration/waiver form, if it is the first time they are subbing this year in this league).
PARENTS/SPECTATORS: This is a recreational league for the fun of the players. Parents are to be good role models for the players and provide POSITIVE input only, preferably for good play/sportsmanship on both sides of the net. No coaching or instructions from the sideline is allowed except during timeouts or between games. Only the league supervisor should get involved in scorekeeping/officiating issues. If a parent has a concern, promptly approach the supervisor, not the players.
WEATHER: Unless there is lightning, heavy rain, rain combined with cold/wind or other significant weather, we will play. For inclement weather, a decision will be made and communicated via Band at least 75 minutes before play is scheduled to start. If no announcement is communicated, play is on. Each time-slot is determined separately. A cancellation of Bronze does NOT mean Silver is canceled, etc.
SUPERVISION: I, or a designee, will be at the courts during play. A basic first aid kit is available in the shed, but no trained medical staff are present.
INITIAL SEEDING: The league director will use their discretion to set initial seeding. This is based on past performance in the league and assessment of other available information including indoor and outdoor experience level. Some years, there may be a first day of competition used to do initial seeding.
CALENDAR:
The Girls League runs from May 4th through June 29th (CORRECTION) (including Mothers & Father’s Day & Memorial Day Weekend).
The Coed League runs from June 6th through July 25th, except the 4th of July.
The final week will be playoffs for all teams.
Weather cancellations are generally not made up.
LEAGUE FORMAT: The league is in a ladder format with 6 to 12 total rungs as follows:
Girls League (Sundays)
Rung 1: Gold 1 (6 PM)
Rung 2: Gold 2 (6 PM)
Rune 3: Gold 3 (6 PM)
Rung 4: Silver 1 (4 PM)
Rung 5: Silver 2 (4 PM)
Rung 6: Silver 3 (4 PM)
Rung 7: Bronze 1 (2 PM, if needed)
Rung 8: Bronze 2 (2 PM, if needed)
Rung 9: Bronze 3 (2 PM, if needed)
Rung 10: Copper 1 (noon, if needed)
Rung 11: Copper 2 (noon, if needed)
Rung 12: Copper 3 (noon, if needed)
Coed League (Friday’s)
Rung 1: Gold 1 (6 PM)
Rung 2: Gold 2 (6 PM)
Rune 3: Gold 3 (6 PM)
Rung 4: Silver 1 (4 PM, if needed)
Rung 5: Silver 2 (4 PM, if needed)
Rung 6: Silver 3 (4 PM, if needed)
Typically, each rung (i.e. court) consists of three to five teams. The 1st place team in each rung moves up to the next higher rung for the next week; the last place team drops down a rung; the middle team(s) stay. Like indoor NERVA, this ladder format results in teams playing teams most similar in skills, yet playing different teams each week.
RUNG FORMAT:
5-Team Pools: One game to 21 against each of the other four teams. Switch sides when the first team reaches 11 points.
4-Team Pools: One game to 25 against each of three teams. Switch sides when the first team reaches 13 points.
3-Team Pools: Two games to 21 against each of two teams. Switch sides when the first team reaches 11 points. Depending on timing, games may be extended to 25 points.
If a pool is running behind or ahead, the supervisor may shorten or lengthen games.
When teams are absent, the supervisor occasionally needs to combine pools or slide a team to an adjacent pool. Decisions are always based on balancing fairness, maximizing competition and optimizing the playing experience.
SCOREKEEPERS: In each rung, a team not playing will be scorekeeper. The scorekeepers’ duties are:
record results on the score sheet; flip the flipper for players and spectators.
assist with serving order
settle a dispute if the playing teams cannot resolve an issue themselves
The goal is for the playing teams to call their own violations, but the scorekeeper should call a clear violation if it wasn’t called by the offending team. Scorekeepers do not need whistles and do not initiate the serve.
PLAYOFFS: All teams play in the playoffs. There will be separate playoffs for Gold, Silver and any other brackets used during the regular season.. Teams are seeded based on their average rank each week starting after the second week of the season (so that teams have time to settle into their appropriate rung.) Trophies are awarded to the top three finishing teams in each playoff bracket. The director must approve all playoff subs.
SAND: During play, the sand tends to hollow out in the middle of each side of each court and pile up under the net and near the boundary lines. Parents and players are asked to assist with raking between games/matches to help bring the sand back to the middle of each side of the court (if the courts are not being used.)
TIME OUTS: Teams are allotted two time-outs per game, though not typically used. If a player needs additional time-outs due to heat or other safety concerns, please take them.
SPRINKLERS: The courts are equipped with sprinklers. They are sometimes used during play to keep the sand and players cool. Only the league supervisor should turn them on or off.
OUTDOOR RULES: Differences compared with indoor volleyball:
1. SERVE-RECEIVE: When receiving a serve overhead, players must play the ball without finger action (finger action is like an indoor setting motion, or any finger movement while in contact with the ball). Hands can be separated (e.g. hitting the heel of the hand or fists). A ball hitting stiff, inflexible, fingers is acceptable.
2. HARD-DRIVEN BALLS: A non-serve “hard-driven ball” may be received as a double contact without a violation. A hard-driven ball can be identified by a downward or flat trajectory with speed.
3. SETTING: The ball must come out of the hands cleanly and should have minimal spin. Unlike indoor setting, the ball can be “deep-dished.” When overhead setting over the net, a player must face parallel to the flight of the ball - i.e. a player may set a ball forward or backward, but may not set a ball over the shoulder to the other side of the net. If wind redirects the ball, this is not a violation.
4. TIPPING: When attacking, players may NOT tip with finger or wrist action. The hand must be closed or the fingers/wrist must be stiff. Use of knuckles, fist, backhand or a “roll shot” IS permitted.
5. CENTERLINE: There is no centerline. Players can go under the net, as long as they do not interfere with or provide a safety risk to players on the other side.
6. NET: No touching of the net is allowed.
7. BLOCKING: If a blocker contacts the ball, it counts as the first contact. The team then has two more contacts to put the ball over the net. The blocking player may play the ball up after blocking (i.e. take both first and second contacts like indoor volleyball.)
8. ANTENNA: Even if there are no antennas present, the ball should pass over the net completely between the sidelines, as if the antennae were present (the same as indoors). Only obvious or flagrant violations should be called.
NET HEIGHT AND COURT SIZE
Girls League: The net height is 7'4" - same as indoors. U12 teams can agree to a 7’ net and to use a lighter Volley-Lite volleyball, provided one is present.
Co-ed League: “Reverse coed” or RCO play will be used, defined as follows:
Reverse Co-ed Play
Net is women’s height (7’4 ⅝ “)
A string or line in the sand is drawn at 3 meters (~10 foot).
Stated most simply, males can’t attack in the front court if the ball is entirely above the net. More specifically, males must jump from behind the 3-meter line if they attack a ball that is fully above the plane of the net. If they last touched the ground on or in front of the 3-meter line, they must contact the ball with at least some part of it below the top of the net.
Males cannot block
Females can hit from anywhere and can block.
Co-ed Play (for contrast):
Net is men’s height (7’11 ⅜”)
All players can hit at the net and block
In Co-ed play, It is customary, but not required, that males serve at their male counterparts, given the more challenging hitting situation for women hitting on a men’s height net.
The league will provide game balls, however teams can mutually agree on a different ball. The standard court for doubles is 8 x 8 meters (26.5 by 26.5 feet). This is about 3.5 feet shorter in each direction on each side of the net compared with indoor courts.