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PURPLE CARD POLICY


SUMMARY

The rules of volleyball allow officials to address on-court behavior from players or coaches by issuing sanctions and point penalties (yellow cards, red cards).  The purpose of the Purple Card Policy is to give officials another tool to address behavior from spectators.  The goal of this policy is to help preserve a respectful, positive, and fun playing environment and keep the focus on the student-athletes.  This is in addition to all other tournament- and facility-specific policies in place at CEVA-sanctioned events, including the Parent/Spectator Code of Conduct.

PROHIBITED BEHAVIOR

  • Comments made or actions displayed that are deemed by others as rude, profane, disrespectful, disruptive, or aggressive, which interferes with the normal progress of a tournament match.
  • Inappropriate actions or comments directed at members of an officiating crew.  This includes comments directed at the score table ("Score! Score!"), line judges, R1, or R2.  Remember - it is the playing team's coach who is responsible for monitoring the score and bringing any discrepancies to the attention of the work team.
  • Behavior prohibited by USAV and/or CEVA codes of conduct.
  • Misconduct deemed contrary to normally accepted behavior, resulting in the unnecessary interruption of a match. 

APPLICABILITY

This policy applies to the below-listed groups at CEVA-owned events.  Club-hosted events will also have this policy in place.  Larger, multi-day events run by independent promotors (e.g., Willamette Classic, MHM) may choose to enforce this policy. 

  • Any member of the CEVA region (e.g., club director, coach, rostered adult, player, chaperone) not currently participating in a match who has assumed the role of a spectator.
  • Any non-region member, such as parents or relatives of a region member.
  • Any attendee or spectator at any CEVA-sanctioned event.

Yellow & red card sanctions may still be used for match participants, in accordance with the USAV Rules Book.

The Purple Card is applied to any situation during a match where spectator misconduct occurs, and the on-court official deems the misconduct serious enough to be addressed.  A CEVA official may issue a Purple Card either from the stand or while overseeing the court. 

Misconduct occurring before or after a match is handled through applicable policies, such as the Parent/Spectator Code of Conduct.

discretion of official

Depending on the seriousness of the offense, an official may ask for a spectator to be removed from the facility, with or without a warning.

  • The referee stops the match and secures the safety of the match participants.
  • The referee consults the tournament director, facility staff, and head coach of the team to ask the spectator to vacate the facility. 
    • If the spectator refuses to leave the facility in a timely manner, law enforcement is notified immediately.

SANCTIONS - STAGE 1

It is the duty of the on-court officials, the CEVA officials on site, team coaches, and the tournament staff to attempt to prevent spectators from reaching the sanctioning level.  This is done first through a verbal warning, then through the issuance of a Purple Card.

After a verbal warning is issued, if the behavior does not improve, the following happens:

  • Purple Card & Yellow Card are displayed in one hand, as a warning to the team with which the spectator is affiliated.
    • Both team captains are summoned to the referee stand and will then notify their head coach that a spectator potentially affiliated with their team has been sanctioned. 
    • Once the affiliation of the spectator is determined, the head coach will inform the offender of the warning. 
    • If the offender refuses to identify their team affiliation, they may be subject to more serious sanctions, including expulsion from the facility.  Expulsion also carries a fine to the club.
  • A Purple Card/Yellow Card warning is assessed to the team and is in force for the entire match.  A team may only receive one such warning per match.
  • Warnings are recorded on the scoresheet but have no immediate consequences.

SANCTIONS - STAGE 2

Further misconduct by spectators affiliated with the same team may be sanctioned as follows:

  • Purple Card & Red Card are displayed in one hand by the official.  Sanction is penalized with a point and service to the opponent.
    • Both team captains are summoned to the referee stand and will then notify their head coach that a spectator potentially affiliated with their team has been sanctioned. 
    • Once the affiliation of the spectator is determined, the head coach will inform the offender of the warning. 
    • If the offender refuses to identify their team affiliation, they may be subject to more serious sanctions, including expulsion from the facility.  Expulsion also carries a fine to the club.

RECORDING OF SANCTIONS

  • Purple Card & Yellow Card (Warning)
    • Record “PC” in the “W Warn” column, along with the team identifier, set number, and score at which the sanction was issued.
  • Purple Card & Red Card (Penalty)
    • Record “PC” in the “P Penlty” column, along with the team identifier, set number, and score at which the sanction was issued.
    • If the penalty is against the serving team, record the serving team’s exit score
    • Record the awarded penalty point.  Slash and circle the opposing team’s next point in the “Points” column.

THRESHOLDS

  • Clubs who receive a second Purple Card in the same season are subject to a $250.00 fine.  The offending individual must also complete the Elevate Respect course from Officially Human and submit a certificate of completion to the CEVA office.
  • Clubs who receive a third Purple Card in the same season are subject to a $500.00 fine and will be fined $500.00 for each subsequent Purple Card they receive.  The offending individual must also complete the Elevate Respect course from Officially Human and submit a certificate of completion to the CEVA office. 
  • Fines will appear on the club’s next monthly invoice and will be subject to same payment requirements as regular invoices.

REPORTING

Officials will be asked to complete the “Behavior Reporting Form” on the CEVA website for instances where a Purple Card is issued.

When a Behavior Reporting Form is submitted to the office, a formal notice will be sent to the club who was reported.  Club will have the option to respond to this notice via a standard form and the information submitted may be used to determine the validity of the sanction.