FIVB issues new rules for the future of volleyball

 Luxembourg, March 20, 2008. The FIVB Board of Administration, which gathered last week in Lausanne, discussed a series of major changes in volleyball for the years to come.

Suitable dispositions were carefully evaluated in order to increase the current number of local players in each club and protect the identity and culture of each country. The FIVB Board aims at having in the future no less than 9 local players plus three more from other National Federations within the final roster of each club; moreover, no more than two players from other National Federations are going to be allowed to play simultaneously on court.

The Board agreed to gradually increase the number of local players to be enrolled by any club worldwide.

For the next 2008/09 season, a maximum of two players coming from other National Federations will be allowed to play simultaneously on court, whereas no restrictions have been established for the maximum number of foreign players potentially enrolled by a single club.

As for the 2009/10 season, clubs will be granted the right to register maximum four players coming from other National Federations but only two will be able to play on court at the same time.

From the 2010/11 season on any club worldwide will have to register no less than nine local players plus three more coming from other National Federations, but still two foreigner players maximum will be allowed to play simultaneously on court.

After this first step was made and as a result of an effective and sincere cooperation between FIVB and CEV, the Board approved the decision to add an amendment to the above mentioned provisions and granted for 2 years some special regulations for the National Federations who belong to the European Union and are obliged to abide by the rules of the Union (1). For the 2008/09 and 2009/10 seasons all clubs based within the boundaries of the European Union will enjoy the right to consider as a local player any player coming from another Federation which belongs to the EU.

This addendum, which fulfils the need to make even more specific the decision previously made by the FIVB Board, represents a key point for ensuring the future perspectives of the European Cups, the several competitions staged under the CEV banner as well as the national competitions.

This FIVB Board of Administration’s decision will be forwarded for definitive approval to the 31^rst World Congress which is going to be held in Dubai (UAE) next June.  

The CEV would like to recall that, with a view to comply with the general framework established by the new FIVB regulations, National Federations are free to arrange local agreements along with their respective National Leagues in order to implement and respect the FIVB Board decisions. National Federations may establish restricted rules concerning the participation of players coming from other National Federations. 

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(1) This amendment therefore applies to the 27 EU Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom plus 4 more Western European countries which are partly committed to the EU’s economy and regulations or enjoy bilateral agreements with the European Union, namely Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.