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Sports Cockpit · Ball & Team Games · FIVB Official Volleyball Rules 2025–2028

Volleyball — FIVB rules, net heights & India's national ladder

Governed by FIVB · Volleyball Federation of India (VFI) ·Official rule books & government schemes only ·Last checked 16 Oct 2026

Education Margdarshan's volleyball map for India: the court, net and ball standards and the game rules in FIVB's Official Volleyball Rules 2025–2028, who runs Indian volleyball after FIVB withdrew the VFI interim body's recognition in April 2026, the age-group nationals and their strict age screening, the SAI and FIVB centres, the Prime Volleyball League, who pays, and the awards and jobs after a medal.

📍 See The Journey / Full Roadmap FIVB Official Volleyball Rules 2025–2028 (PDF) (opens in a new tab) FIVB statement on VFI (21 Apr 2026) (opens in a new tab)
Net height
2.43 m men · 2.24 m women [1]
Court
18 m × 9 m, free zone at least 3 m [1]
Ball pressure
0.30–0.325 kg/cm² (4.26–4.61 psi) [1]
Who runs Indian volleyball
FIVB–IOA Steering Committee since 21 Apr 2026 [2]
01 Core rules & equipment standards

Court, net, ball and the 2025–2028 game rules

FIVB's Official Volleyball Rules 2025–2028, approved by the 39th FIVB World Congress in 2024, apply to competitions from 1 January 2025. [1]

Court, net and ball (FIVB 2025–2028) [1]

Court, net and ball (FIVB 2025–2028)
ItemStandard
Court18 m × 9 m, free zone at least 3 m on all sides and at least 7 m clear height (FIVB world events: 5 m beside, 6.5 m behind, 12.5 m height)
Net height2.43 m for men, 2.24 m for women, measured at the centre of the court
Net1 m wide (± 3 cm), 9.50–10 m long
BallCircumference 65–67 cm, weight 260–280 g
Ball pressure0.30–0.325 kg/cm² (4.26–4.61 psi; 294.3–318.82 mbar)
  • A team may have up to 12 players (up to 14 at FIVB, world and official senior events), with up to two liberos — two are compulsory when more than 12 are listed. Only one libero may be on court.
  • A set goes to 25 points with a 2-point lead; the match is won with three sets; a deciding 5th set goes to 15.
  • The server must hit the ball within 8 seconds of the first referee's whistle.
  • New in 2025–2028: the receiving team must be in rotation order at the service hit, but players of the serving team may stand anywhere. [1]
02 Institutional & global recognition

World Championship, Asian Championship — and the Prime Volleyball League

  • Volleyball medals count for the government cash award at the Olympic Games, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, and at the World Championship (every four years) and the Asian Championship (every two years).
  • In team events each player — including bench and reserves — gets 75% of the individual award; outside the Olympics, Asian and Commonwealth Games a team gets the full amount only if at least 12 countries take part (half for 6–11). [11]

Individual cash award base (₹ lakh) — a team player gets 75% of this [11]

Individual cash award base (₹ lakh) — a team player gets 75% of this
EventGoldSilverBronze
Olympic Games755030
Asian Games / Commonwealth Games302010
World Championship (every 4 years)402515
Asian Championship (every 2 years)7.552.5

India's professional league is the Prime Volleyball League: in the 2025 final in Hyderabad (26 October 2025) Bengaluru Torpedoes beat Mumbai Meteors 3–0 for their first title. [5]

In May 2026 the Steering Committee named the immediate priority as the AVC Men's Cup 2026 in Ahmedabad; the men's squad was picked through a process involving coaches, former national-team players and technical staff. [3]

03 Physical benchmarks & NADA clearance

Age groups, age screening and medical checks

VFI age categories (selection policy, January 2026) [6]

VFI age categories (selection policy, January 2026)
CategoryIndoorBeach
SeniorMen & womenMen & women
YouthUnder 21—
JuniorUnder 18Under 18
Sub-JuniorUnder 16Under 16
  • An athlete must be an Indian citizen, meet the age rule (VFI runs date-of-birth verification and random checks for every category except senior), be medically fit at pre-camp and pre-event checks, follow NADA/WADA rules and be free of any suspension. [6]
  • Age screening at the 26th Youth Nationals (Bhubaneswar, March 2026): players born on or after 1 January 2005; bring the original birth certificate (issued at least 2 years earlier), passport, Aadhaar or a Government-hospital medical certificate. Affidavits are not accepted.
  • No player plays without screening; a rejected player gets no ID card, no medal and no certificate, and the screening committee's decision is final. [8]
  • SAI's Age Verification Test (boys up to 17, girls up to 15) uses a doctor's, a dentist's and a TW3 X-ray opinion; appeals go to the Medical Appellate Board at AIIMS New Delhi. [10]
  • You must be available for doping tests in and out of competition and check every medicine against the Prohibited List; if no permitted treatment exists, apply to NADA for a TUE. [12]
04 Grassroots-to-elite residential pipeline

From sub-junior nationals to the national camp

  1. 1Grassroots & local entry 8–14 · 10–18
  2. 2State to national breakthrough U16 · U18 · U21
  3. 3National camp & elite trials Senior
  4. 4International orbit India team
The full Volleyball roadmap has its own page

Every stage from first club to the international level, the detailed route, the age-by-age ladder and what to eat from stage 1, with sources.

📍 See The Journey / Full Roadmap
05 Top elite academies & cities

Where India's volleyball players train

SAI and FIVB centres with volleyball [14][4]

SAI and FIVB centres with volleyball
CentreWhat it is
Thiruvananthapuram NCOE, KeralaVolleyball with athletics, cycling, football, taekwondo
Dharamshala NCOE, Himachal PradeshVolleyball for girls only, with athletics, kabaddi, kho-kho
SAI Training Centres & NSTC schoolsResidential STCs (12–18) and SAI-adopted schools
FIVB/KIIT/KISS Centre of Excellence, OdishaFIVB-recognised training hub (MoU December 2025) with coaching, medical support and performance resources
06 Equipment costs & who pays

Shoes, kit and who pays the bills

  • A player's own kit is court shoes and the team uniform; the libero wears a different-coloured uniform or jacket. All match balls must share the same circumference, weight, pressure and type. [1]

Education Margdarshan does not print shop prices — no governing body publishes them. At the 26th Youth Nationals, players and officials paid a ₹50 registration fee each for their ID cards. [8]

Who pays — volleyball ladder [14][16][2]

Who pays — volleyball ladder
StagePaid byWhat you get
NSTC school traineeSports Authority of IndiaCoaching while you study
SAI centre traineeSports Authority of IndiaCoaching, boarding, sports science, diet
Khelo India athleteMinistry of Youth Affairs & Sports₹6.28 lakh a year incl. ₹1.20 lakh cash
National teams (2026)FIVB Volleyball EmpowermentUSD 258,000 for athlete support and national-team development
Athlete in hardshipPDU National Welfare FundUp to ₹2.50 lakh
  • No supplement is 100% safe and strict liability applies — food first, with a certified nutritionist. [13]
07 Earning channels & central job quotas

League, awards and sports-quota jobs

  • Volleyball is one of the 65 sports in the central sports quota for Group C posts, with up to 5 years' age relaxation (10 for SC/ST).
  • These central instructions do not apply to Railways Services, the Department of Atomic Energy, the Department of Space and some DRDO technical services. [17]
  • State medallists (up to 3rd) at Senior or Junior Nationals or the National Games come right after India players in the order of preference; Khelo India Youth Games (above-18), Junior Nationals and SGFI medals also count. [18]
  • The Prime Volleyball League is the professional club route in India. [5]
  • Pension to Meritorious Sportspersons: ₹12,000–20,000 a month after retirement. [16]
08 Disqualification traps

Mistakes that end a player's championship

  • Dropping down an age group — a player who has played in an upper category may not play in a lower one.
  • Overstaying an age group — at most two consecutive years in the same age group, and only with an original school or board certificate.
  • Senior Nationals players at Youth Nationals — those who played the 72nd Senior Nationals (Varanasi) were barred from the 26th Youth Nationals. [9]
  • Affidavits as age proof — rejected by the screening committee, with no protest allowed. [8]
  • Ignoring the grievance window — selection complaints must be filed within 7 days. [6]
09 Official sources & verification

Where these facts come from

Every fact on this Education Margdarshan page is taken from the governing body's own rule book or a Government of India file below, read on 16 October 2026. Federations change rules, weight classes and scheme amounts — open the current file before you act on it.

  1. FIVB — Official Volleyball Rules 2025–2028 (English, v05) (opens in a new tab) Court, free zone, net, ball and pressure, team size, liberos, scoring, 8-second serve, serving-team positions · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  2. FIVB — Statement on the Volleyball Federation of India (21 Apr 2026) (opens in a new tab) Revocation of VFI interim body's recognition, FIVB–IOA Steering Committee and its mandate, USD 258,000 in 2026 · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  3. FIVB — Indian volleyball moves forward with purpose and momentum (14 May 2026) (opens in a new tab) Steering Committee visit, AVC Men's Cup 2026 in Ahmedabad, squad selection process · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  4. FIVB — Athletes take centre stage as KIIT-KISS Centre of Excellence is formalised in India (14 Dec 2025) (opens in a new tab) FIVB/KIIT/KISS Centre of Excellence, Odisha · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  5. FIVB — Leagues in Australia, India and USA crown their winners (4 Nov 2025) (opens in a new tab) Prime Volleyball League 2025 final, Bengaluru Torpedoes · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  6. Volleyball Federation of India — Selection Policy for National Teams & National Coaching Camps (5 Jan 2026) (opens in a new tab) Age categories, athlete eligibility, selection criteria, video-recorded trials, 7-day grievance window · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  7. Volleyball Federation of India — Calendar of National Championships 2026-2027 (2 Feb 2026) (opens in a new tab) Senior, Junior, Sub-Junior, Youth Nationals and Federation Cup venues and months · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  8. Volleyball Federation of India — Rules & Regulations, 26th Youth National Volleyball Championship, Bhubaneswar (7 Feb 2026) (opens in a new tab) Birth-date eligibility, age-proof documents, screening, team size, ₹50 registration · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  9. Volleyball Federation of India — Clarification on player participation & eligibility (13 Feb 2026) (opens in a new tab) No playing down an age group, two-year limit, Senior Nationals players barred from Youth Nationals · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  10. SAI Khelo India Talent Identification Division — Circular on Age Verification Test (24 Aug 2022; copy on the IWLF website) (opens in a new tab) AVT ages, clinical/dental/TW3 X-ray method, AIIMS appeal · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  11. MYAS — Scheme of Cash Incentive to Medal Winners (amended 1 Feb 2025) (opens in a new tab) Award amounts, volleyball World and Asian Championship listing, team 75% rule · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  12. NADA India — Athlete's Rights & Responsibilities (opens in a new tab) Testing availability, Prohibited List, TUE · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  13. NADA India — Managing the Risk of Nutritional Supplements (opens in a new tab) Supplement risk, strict liability, food-first approach · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  14. SAI — Brief on Sports Promotional Schemes 2024-25 (opens in a new tab) Volleyball NCOEs, STC team-sport entry, NSTC schools · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  15. Khelo India — How to become a Khelo India Athlete (opens in a new tab) Scouting, assessment camps, NSRS registration · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  16. PIB — Financial Support to Athletes (5 Aug 2024) (opens in a new tab) Khelo India, welfare fund, pension · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  17. DoPT — Instructions on Recruitment/Promotion for Sportspersons (18 Nov 2022) (opens in a new tab) Volleyball in the 65-sport list, Group C, Railways exclusion · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  18. DoPT Office Memorandum, 4 March 2024 — Incentive for Sportspersons (opens in a new tab) Order of preference, Khelo India Games, Junior Nationals and SGFI medallists added · Last checked 16 Oct 2026
  19. SAI NSNIS Patiala — Six Week Certificate Course in Sports Coaching (opens in a new tab) 6 weeks (4 online, 2 offline), ₹14,800, Class 12 + district-level top 3 or state / inter-university / SGFI / national participation · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
  20. SAI NSNIS Patiala — Diploma in Sports Coaching (course page, 2026-27) (opens in a new tab) 1 year, ₹63,800, 785 + 104 seats in 26 disciplines at Patiala, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram; Category A (Class 12 + international record), B (graduation + national record) · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
  21. Western Railway RRC — Employment Notice RRC/WR/01/2026 (Sports Quota), 27 Aug 2026 (opens in a new tab) Age 18–25 on 1 Jan 2027, Level 5/4, 3/2 and 1 sports norms, MoYAS-recognition rule, fees · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  22. CRPF — Recruitment of Meritorious Sportspersons, HC & Constable (GD), Sports Quota 2026 (Advt. R.II-21/2026-Sports, 17 Sep 2026) (opens in a new tab) 521 posts, age 18–23 on 1 Aug 2026 with sportsperson relaxation (+5 UR, +8 OBC, +10 SC/ST), qualifications, fee, ₹1 lakh bond · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
  23. Khelo India Youth Games 2026 (Telangana) — Sports (opens in a new tab) The 25 disciplines listed for KIYG 2026 · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
  24. ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition — Dietary Guidelines for Indians (booklet), Guideline 8 (opens in a new tab) Cereal-pulse 3:1 protein quality, vegetarian and non-vegetarian protein sources; most athletes meet protein needs from food, protein powders unnecessary · Last checked 19 Oct 2026

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