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