ACT OPEN | LYNEHAM BEACH FACILITY | 8 - 9 MARCH 2025
Held at Lyneham Beach Facility on the Canberra Day long weekend, we welcome teams from all around Australia to participate in the ACT Open.
Matches will commence from 8am both days. Saturday, 8 March 2025 games will run into the evening and be played under lights as required. The last scheduled game will be 8:30pm. On Sunday, 9 March 2025 the last scheduled timeslot will be 3:30pm.
Please be aware that due to the court limitations at this venue we are only able to accommodate a maximum number of 40 entries per gender. If the maximum number of entries is reached, the lowest ranked teams will be placed on a waitlist.
All players are required to be registered with their state association. Confirmation of interstate registrations much be emailed through to admin@volleyballact.com.au prior to entries closing.
SEEDINGS:
Men
Women
DRAWS:
Division 1 Men
Division 1 Women
Division 2 Men
Division 2 Women
UNIFORMS
Playing tops will be provided to all teams at this tournament. All athletes must wear the official crop/singlet provided by VACT at all times during the match, during warm up & during the medal presentation. Teams must provide their own shorts/bikini bottoms/leggings. All bottoms must have matching colours/patterns (but are not required to match in style).
Additional Rules and Regulations
1. At the ACT Open the Tournament Director and/or Referee Delegate will have the final say in any disputes that arise. They may rely upon information and advice from other individuals they determine in their sole discretion are able to assist.
2. The ACT Open will be using the current FIVB Beach Volleyball Official Rules unless where specifically amended here or at the technical meeting.
3. There are no age restrictions for players entering into the ACT Open, however this is a senior event and all participants must be prepared to play against adults. There are no junior divisions available. Any underage players must have parent/guardian consent. There is a junior championship the following weekend that may be more suitable for younger athletes.
4. All displayed match times are the Guaranteed Earliest Start Time of the match (not the warm-up). Where the previous match has run over the allocated time, only 10 minutes will be allowed between matches. Any team not ready to play at the completion of that 10 minutes will forfeit the first set. After an additional 5 minutes set two will also be forfeit.
5. In some instances, such as poor weather, the Tournament Director may choose to amend the competition format to complete the tournament. Any matches already commenced at the time of the decision will continue in the original match format. If there is a break in play of more than 4 hours, commenced matches will be replayed from the start of the match. If the break in play is more than 2 hours, but less than 4 hours, then the set that is currently in play will restart, but completed sets will stand. If the break in play is less than 2 hours then the scoreline at the stoppage in play will be maintained when the game recommences.
Format:
Division 1 will be capped at 16 teams made up of the top 12 teams ranked teams. Up to 4 wild cards may be offered. In the event not all wild cards are used, the next best ranked teams will be promoted to Division 1.
There will be 4 pools of 4 teams seeded, with progression in the following format:
Full Pool Play > Round of 12 > Quarter Finals > Semi Finals > Medal Matches
(Playoff games for minor placings will also be played such that all teams will have a minimum of 5 games, all teams will play both days)
Division 2 will be capped at 24 teams. All 24 teams will be seeded. If more than 24 entries are received the lowest ranked teams will be added to the waitlist.
If the full 24 entries are received there will be 8 pools of 3 teams with progression in the following format:
Full Pool Play > Round of 16 > Quarter Finals > Semi Finals > Medal Matches
(Playoff games for minor placings will also be played such that all teams will have a minimum of 5 games, all teams will play both days. If the full 24 teams is not reached in any division the Tournament Director will amend the above format as appropriate, but will allow for a similar format where possible.)
Division 1 Wildcards
Any team wishing to apply for a wildcard must complete their entry online and submit an email to the Tournament Director (admin@volleyballact.com.au) at least 10 days prior to the competition outlining why they should be granted a wildcard and not be seeded as per their ABVSR ranking.
Withdrawal & Changing of Players:
Any player wishing to withdraw from the tournament after entries close must do so in writing to admin@volleyballact.com.au.
If withdrawing for medical reasons and a refund is required please provide a copy of the medical certificate.
Change of players in a team is only allowed in exceptional circumstances once entries have closed. No player changes will be allowed within 48 hours of the Tournament start time.
Seedings:
Seeding for the tournament will be based on your top 5 results (ABVSR) in the previous 365 days as of 5pm on Monday, 3 March 2025.
Duty Requirements:
Teams will be required to perform duty during the tournament. A duty team will fulfill the roles of 1st referee and 2nd referee/scorer. It is expected that the 1st referee and 2nd referee/scorer are on opposite sides of the court, that both players be appropriately attired and the referee be standing.
The following pre-match protocol is to be followed:
T-10 minutes: previous match finish time.
T-8 minutes: players to commence warm up on court
T-5 minutes: toss of the coin (duty team required at the court)
T-4 minutes: Official warm-up at the net
T-1 minute: Warm up ends
T-0 minutes: Beginning of match
End of match: Players shake hands with their opponents and duty team. Captains to sign the scoresheet. All participants collect their belongings and vacate the court to allow the next match to warm up.
