Prague - Beach Volleyball

Rules of the Beach Volleyball League in Prague

Vocode?
1. This is our unique beach volleyball league for mixed (or women’s) doubles teams.
2. If a mixed team plays against a women’s team, the women’s team designates which player will act as the male player, and the male player from the mixed team must serve to her. Likewise, this player must serve only to the male players.
3. The league is open only to club members. Payment of the required membership fee is a condition of participation.
4. Fill out the questionnaire, and we’ll place you at a level where you can play to the best of your ability.
5. We’ll match you with 4 evenly matched opponents every month.
6. You’ll arrange the matches yourselves whenever and wherever it’s convenient for you. We recommend using our scheduling interface.
7. Matches are played to the best of three sets, with each set played to 15 points without a loss. If the score is 14–14, you must win by 2 points.
8. What equipment is used? VAŠE LIGA does not have an official brand of beach volleyballs. If you and your opponent cannot agree, a coin toss will decide: the winner gets to choose whether to take the side or the serve—and with that, the choice of ball.
9. You’ll enter the match results on the website, and based on those results, you’ll be matched with stronger or weaker opponents the following month.
10. The league season consists of fall, spring, and summer seasons.
11. Each season consists of 4 rounds, which roughly correspond to the calendar months.
12. The membership fee is paid monthly in the amount specified in the Membership Fee Schedule. If you have an active recurring payment set up, the next payment will be automatically deducted 7 days before the start of the round.
13. We reward the best teams of the season, but we also raffle off plenty of prizes for players who participate all year.
14. If you start a season with different teammates, we’ll place your new team at the same level as your previous team, but you’ll start collecting ranking points from scratch.
15. Now that you know how it works, let’s get started, honey.
Scheduling and Excuses
1. At the start of each round, we’ll email both members of your team a list of opponents and a link to the group where you can immediately start scheduling matches. You and your opponent choose the date and venue yourselves.
2. It’s a good idea for your team to agree that one of you will handle scheduling the matches. That person will first check with their teammate to see when they’re available, and then suggest dates on the website. If a date is agreed upon with the opponent, they’ll let their teammate know the location and time. Or you can take turns arranging matches every month to keep things fair.
3. You can easily suggest dates within your group here on the website, by email, or by phone. Check out the list of partner sports facilities that offer discounts to VAŠE LIGA players for matches. You reserve a court just like any other customer, but be sure to mention that you’re playing in VAŠE LIGA. Be sure to mention VAŠE LIGA again when paying for the court. The receptionist will verify that all four of you are listed on the updated player roster for that month and will then apply the discounted court rate. Please be aware of the specific rules at certain sports facilities (see the list of partner facilities). Court discounts cannot be combined. If one of the players has a Multisport card, the VAŠE LIGA discount cannot be applied to that court. To ensure fairness, the player paying with a Multisport card must pay the difference between the discounted price and the regular price to the other player who could not use the VAŠE LIGA discount (if a discount is available during that time slot). Example: base price 200 Kč, vaše LIGA price 150 Kč. Multisport payment: 100 Kč. Additional payment: 100 Kč. A player with a Multisport card will pay the player without a Multisport card an additional 25 Kč. The player without a Multisport card pays 75 Kč, as if they were paying with the discount for VAŠE LIGA.
4. The 5-Day Rule and Minor Withdrawal: Ideally, matches should be played throughout the entire month. If you wish, you can, of course, play all your matches in the very last possible week, but it’s important to let your opponents know about this in advance. They will then schedule their own matches so that their game against you fits into a time slot that works for them based on your availability. Therefore, suggest match dates as soon as possible—no later than five days after the start of the round. If you can’t play at the start of the round, or if you’re coordinating by phone, please leave a message for your opponents in the Discussion section—thanks to the match scheduler, you can post an apology or suggest dates as early as a month before the start of a new round. Five days into the round, players who haven’t proposed a date, haven’t posted a message, haven’t recorded a match result, or aren’t active in response to their opponents’ proposed dates will automatically be assigned a “minor forfeit” with a score of s:3 or s:s.
5. The purpose of a “minor forfeit” is to encourage non-communicative players to become active. When will you receive a “minor forfeit”? If, within five days of the start of the round, you fail to meet any of the following conditions:
  1. if you do not propose any dates to your opponents in the Match Scheduler
  2. if you do not post a message in the Discussion section on the My Overview page
  3. if you do not enter the match result
  4. if you do not respond to your opponents’ proposed dates when scheduling matches
  If you’re arranging matches by phone or email, be sure to note this within five days in the “Excuses and Discussion” tab.
6. You can very easily avoid minor no-shows—all it takes is good communication. If you do receive a minor no-show, pick up the phone and contact your opponents as soon as possible, or suggest as many possible dates as you can on the website to play the match. At the same time, we ask opponents not to take advantage of minor no-shows. If an opponent who has been marked as a minor no-show reaches out and wants to play the match, please try to agree on a time and play the match. If you are proactive, suggest enough dates, and your opponent shows no willingness to reach an agreement, the forfeit may be reconsidered. In that case, contact the league administrator. However, we believe that everyone in the league wants to play their matches and that forfeits will be kept to a minimum. If a match is played, simply enter the correct result in the usual way. If a match is not played, the minor forfeit at the end of the round will be changed to a major forfeit.
7. Arranging Matches by Phone or Email. If you’re arranging matches by phone or email, you must either contact your opponent within five days of the start of the round to set match dates or leave them a message in the Discussion section on the My Overview page stating that you’ll contact them soon by phone or email. Arranging matches is currently your responsibility. You must contact your opponent first. If you do not contact your opponent, they are entitled to have a 3:S forfeit recorded from their perspective.
8. Option to delete a minor forfeit. If a team has received a minor forfeit and makes a binding agreement with their opponent in the system regarding a match date (or enters a date agreed upon by phone), this action will delete the minor forfeit.
9. Can’t make it to the scheduled match? Be considerate and call or text your opponents as soon as possible so they don’t make the trip to the court for nothing. If you are required to pay a cancellation fee for a court reservation canceled too late, please be fair and pay the fee. If you cannot agree on an alternative date with your opponents, they are entitled to a 3:S (forfeit) victory.
10. Running late? Let your opponents know—send a text message or give them a call.
11. If a player on a team is unable to play a match or matches in a given month due to illness or injury, a teammate may invite a substitute to play. The substitute must be of the same or lower skill level and the same gender as the injured player. Notify the other team about the substitute well in advance of the match. In the event of a long-term absence of one of the players, it is necessary to create a new team and contact the administrator to have the original team removed from the league and the new team registered free of charge.
12. Can’t play at all this month? Please let your opponents know as soon as you find out! Then enter the result as S:3 from your perspective.
13. If you know you won’t be able to play at all next month or in the coming months, set the desired break by clicking “Withdraw from the League” on the “My Overview” page.
14. No matter how hard we try, the league is all about people. Please be more proactive in communicating than your opponents. You don’t know what kind of childhood they had.
How many points do I take home?
1. Immediately after the match, please agree on who will enter the result. Usually, the winning team enjoys this pleasant task and enters the result by set ratio on the website right after the match (e.g., 3:1). If you lost, make sure your opponent has recorded the result correctly, and if they haven’t done so immediately, do it for them. Always enter your own number of sets won first. Points scored in individual sets are not recorded. Enter the result no later than 24 hours after the match.
2. Matches are scored as follows: 2 points for a win (including 3:S) and 0 points for a loss (including S:3). A match not played (S:S) results in 0 points for both teams. Additionally, both teams are assigned a set score of 0:3. The number of sets won may be a deciding factor in the event that two or more teams in a group have the same number of points.
3. In exceptional cases where a group consists of 4 (or 6) teams, the teams in that group receive points for matches played, calculated as if the group consisted of 5 teams. Specifically, according to the formula “points earned multiplied by 4/(x-1), where x is the number of teams in the group.” The total sum of points from all matches is rounded to whole numbers. This rule is in place so that teams are not at a disadvantage (or have an advantage) in the number of points earned for the standings compared to teams playing in 5-team groups.
4. If you enter a result incorrectly, you can correct it yourself directly in the results table within 10 minutes of entering it. After 10 minutes have passed, you can report the incorrect result to the administrator by filling out the form in the results table. Simply click on the incorrect result. If the result was entered by your opponent, please verify that it is correct. After the round ends, you have up to 12 hours the following day to dispute the results.
5. What happens if we don’t enter a result? At the end of the round, a result of S:S is automatically recorded, and both players receive 0 points. So be careful not to forget to enter your result and lose points unnecessarily. After the round ends, you can dispute results within 12 hours of the following day.
6. The points you earn from all matches in a given round are added together. These points determine the team standings within the group. Points from matches are added to points for group standings and points for skill level (see Section 5 below). Together, these points also form the overall league standings for all teams in that round. The standings are recalculated in real time after each result is entered.
7. Please play fair—we’re here mainly for fun, not for points.
What if we can’t agree? Disputes and Forfeits
1. If your opponents fail to show up for an agreed-upon match without an excuse, this results in a 3:S victory for you (forfeit).
2. If your opponents apologize for missing the scheduled match, try to work it out together and find a new date. If you can’t find one, your team is awarded a 3:S victory. However, we believe that, just like us, you want to play as many matches as possible. That’s the main purpose of the league.
3. If a “minor forfeit” has been recorded for you (see rules 2.3 and 2.4), your opponents are under no obligation to respond to any subsequent proposals you make to play the match. Whether the match is played is therefore up to their discretion. However, we believe that most matches will be played despite a recorded minor forfeit, and the results will change. Playing matches is the main purpose of the league.
4. If a match cannot be completed and you cannot agree with your opponent on a rescheduled date, the result is determined in the following order:
  1. If one of the teams arrived late, it loses the unplayed sets by forfeit.
  2. If both teams arrived on time, the completed sets determine the result (e.g., 2:1 is recorded as 3:2). If the set score is 2:2, the deciding set is won by the team with more points at the end of regulation time in the set currently in progress (recorded as 3:2).
  3. If the teams did not even manage to start the deciding set, the team with the better point differential from the previous sets wins.
  4. If points 1 through 3 cannot determine the winner, the teams will decide the result by a coin toss.
5. If the match is not completed due to an injury to one of the players caused by a dangerous act by an opponent, the remaining sets are awarded to the injured player’s team.
6. If the match is not completed due to an injury to one of the players through no fault of the opponent, the unplayed sets will be recorded as losses for the injured player’s team. The “team of the uninjured player” wins the match by a score of 3 to the number of sets won by the “team of the injured player.” If the injury is not serious, the teams may agree to finish the match on the remaining days of the round and record the result only after the remaining sets have been completed or a new match has been played. However, playing a replacement match is purely voluntary.
7. The wiser party will yield. Are you the wiser one?

What are these points for? The league system.

One round of VAŠE LIGA lasts approximately one calendar month; see Section 6 below.
There are 5 teams in each group in every round, including yours (exceptionally 4 or 6), and you play a round-robin format.
Based on your results in this round, you move up or down in the standings, and in the next round you’ll face stronger or weaker opponents.
A league year consists of 3 seasons, and each season consists of 4 rounds. At the end of each season, we announce the best teams of the season.
Newly registered teams start playing immediately in the group corresponding to their skill level at the beginning of any new round, even during the season. The administrator will try to place you as accurately as possible based on the questionnaire you fill out, a personal consultation, or other information available to the administrator.
If, during your first few rounds in the league, you find that your placement does not match your skill level, please contact the administrator, who will try to correct it.
As you can see in the image, the league structure has three possible configurations depending on the number of teams.
For up to 38 teams, the groups are arranged one below the other.
With 39–93 teams, the groups in the middle are arranged in two parallel rows next to each other, which allows for greater variety in opponents and faster movement up and down the league.
With 94 or more teams, there are even three parallel groups side by side in the middle of the diagram, which makes rotation and movement even easier.

League level	Number of Teams: Up to 38	Number of teams: 39–93	94 or more teams
Pro/Beginner

In levels with parallel groups, teams are randomly assigned to one of the groups each round. This ensures sufficient variety in opponents.
Opponents in your group for the new round are determined based on your points in the previous round’s standings. You earn points for match results (Section 3), your group ranking (5.13), and your group level (5.15) in the league.
Group rankings are awarded the following points:
1. 1st place: 30 points
2. 2nd place: 25 points
3. 3rd place: 12 points
4. 4th place: 4 points (10 points in the exceptional case of a 6-team group)
5. 5th place: 0 points (in exceptional cases, 4 points for a 6-member group)
6. 6th place: 0 points
In the event of a tie in points among two or more teams, the following criteria determine the group standings:
1. head-to-head match (if two teams have the same number of points). If three or more teams are tied on points, a mini-table consisting solely of the results between these teams is used, and the following criteria are applied in order:
  1. points from head-to-head matches in the mini-table
  2. difference between sets won and lost in head-to-head matches within the mini-table
  3. number of sets won in head-to-head matches within the mini-table
2. difference between sets won and lost in the entire group
3. number of sets won in the entire group
4. Ranking in the previous round (for that round only)
5. earlier registration on the website
Points for group level are determined such that the lowest level receives 20 points, and each higher level receives 20 more points.
At the start of a new round, we take the standings from the previous round and divide them into groups of 5 teams (with some exceptions), starting from the top.
Your group in the new round may not always correspond exactly to the standings at the end of the previous round. This is because new teams join the league, teams that had suspended their participation return, or teams leave the league. So you may not find yourself in the group you expected; however, if you were supposed to move up, you’ll face better opponents even if you’re playing in a lower group. At the same time, it’s in the league’s best interest to place these new teams in the league in a way that keeps the competition as balanced as possible.
At the start of each new round (including the start of a new season), the administrator performs a seeding process, which is semi-automatic and proceeds roughly as follows:
1. We start with the teams’ rankings from the previous round.
2. The administrator removes teams that have suspended their participation in the league or have disbanded.
3. The administrator adds new teams based on their level as indicated in the completed questionnaire. We place new teams slightly below their estimated level.
4. The administrator adds teams returning to the league after a hiatus slightly below their previous level.
5. The team rankings compiled in this way are divided into groups of 5 teams.
6. If the number of teams in the league is not divisible by 5, groups of 4 or 6 teams may be formed in the lowest levels.
7. Points from the round standings are immediately added to the season standings, where they are totaled across all 4 rounds of the season.
In the event of a tie in the standings (round/season/year), the following criteria are used in order:
1. difference between wins and losses (per round/season/year)
2. number of matches won (per round/season/year)
3. difference between sets won and lost (per round/season/year)
4. Number of sets won (per round/season/year)
5. earlier registration on the website
At the end of the summer season (late September), the year-long standings will be finalized (based on the total points earned across all three seasons of the year), the overall winners of that league season will be officially announced, and a drawing for valuable prizes will be held among all teams that participated throughout the year.
Anyone who has played in the league for the entire year is eligible to win in the drawing. The higher a team ranks in the standings in each of the three seasons, the more tickets it receives for the drawing. A team can earn a maximum of 30 tickets—10 per season (the top 10% receive 10 tickets, the next 10% receive 9 tickets, …, and the bottom 10% receive 1 ticket). Each player on the team receives half of the tickets, for a maximum of 5 per season.
Points are great, but please don’t kill your opponents just for them. After all, we’re playing for the fun of the game.

Legal Fine Print
1. By registering for the league, you agree to these rules and to the publication of results on www.vaseliga.cz.
2. To ensure the smooth running of the competition, we reserve the right to amend these rules during the competition.
3. If you fail to play any matches for two consecutive rounds without an excuse, you will be removed from the league without a refund of your membership fee.
4. If the league does not deliver what it promises, we will refund your membership fee in full upon receipt of a justified complaint.
5. You play at your own risk. We recommend that you wear protective clothing, glasses (or contact lenses), and, in the summer, sunscreen with an appropriate SPF :)
6. If you suffer any damage as a result of participating in this competition, you cannot hold us, the league organizers, liable for it.
7. Any rules not mentioned here are governed by the Official Rules of Beach Volleyball.
8. Hopefully, you’ll never need this legal jargon.
VAŠE LIGA’S PLAYER CODE
You don’t have to sign a blood pact with the devil—just sign our code with your sweat.