What Are the Duties of the Officials in Volleyball?
The duties of the officials in volleyball include keeping time, administering substitutions, whistling violations, giving sanctions and communicating effectively with players, coaches, the scoring table and line judges.
The officiating crew consists of the first referee, second referee, scorekeeper, libero tracker and line judges.
The first referee controls game play, holding authority over all members of the officiating crew. He is also responsible for equipment and player uniform inspection before the match.
The second referee assists the first referee throughout the match, with primary duties including managing substitutions, timeouts and actions of the scorekeeper. When the first referee cannot finish his duties, the second referee provides assistance.
The scorekeeper tracks scoring for the two teams throughout the match. Prior to the match, he notes the starting line up of each and notifies the referees. The scorekeeper is also responsible for informing the crew of substitution requests and scoring disputes or irregularities.
The libero tracker tracks each team’s lineup throughout the match, as the tracking sheet must reflect the players on the court at all times.
The line judges stand at the corners of the court, watching the lines to indicate whether the ball is in or out of play, while also reporting server foot faults to the referees.
