The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) intends to revolutionise volleyball in 2017 by introducing several new rules to the game.
The plans were first proposed back in February, but arenโt going to be tested until the end of August at both U23 World Championships in Slovenia and Egypt. But, while the rules of the game may be changing, the way you should be betting on it isnโt โ make sure youโre aware of the matchedbets.com method if you want to make money watching volleyball.
If all goes to plan โ the idea is to make the sport more attractive to fans and to meet demands of television networks who want shorter games โ then theyโll be adopted in senior competitions around the world by the end of the year. So, without further ado, here are the proposed plans:
Points Reduction
When several coaches, including Brazilian Josรฉ Roberto Guimaraes and Americans Karch Kiraly and Hugh McCutcheon, met in Switzerland back in February to discuss the plans, one of the most important rule changes was points reduction. Instead of playing to 25 points, they proposed best-of-seven set matches using a rally scoring system to 15 points. It didnโt go down well with Australia national team coach Mark Lebedew, however, who said on Twitter; โVolleyball is already attractive. This will not make volleyball more attractive. Only shorter.โ The change clearly split opinions on social media, with some people lauding the idea of faster-paced games, whilst others suggested that it didnโt allow time for sets to truly develop.
No Coach Area
Another rule to be implemented in the two summer tournaments โ and one which Lebedew might be more pleased with – is the scrapping of marked areas for coaches. It isnโt entirely fixed how this will work in practise, but this may allow coaches more freedom to analyse the game from different positions on the court.
Substitute Changes
Whilst this rule isnโt to be enforced in the upcoming summer tournaments, by the end of the year the FIVB is intending to increase the limit to eight substitutions without needing to stop the match. This will help quicken game time by preventing substitutions used to hinder match progress.
On top of these, the FIVB is also looking into improving the video challenge system, having less rigorous double contact rules and ending technical time outs. It isnโt known when these are to be implemented, but it certainly seems that 2017 is to be a drastic year of change for volleyball!
