Dimensions
The playing court is a 18 × 9 m rectangle, divided into two equal square halves of 9 × 9 m by the centre line, which passes under the net and whose axis is the reference point for all other measurements.
- Lines: 5 cm wide, of a light colour contrasting with the floor and the
free zone. They are drawn inside the court dimensions, so the 18 × 9 m includes the lines, and a ball touching a line is in.
- Attack line: its rear edge is **3 m from the axis of the centre
line**. Pay attention to the reference point: it is measured from the middle of the centre line, not from its edge. From the attack line to the end line, there are therefore 6 m remaining.
- Service zone: the 9 m wide area behind the end line, bounded
by two short lines drawn as extensions of the sidelines, just behind the end line. The server can move across this entire width.
- Free zone: the obstacle-free space around the court, at least 3 m
on each side (much wider in international competitions).
- Free playing space: the clearance height above the court, at least 7 m.
In FIVB competitions, the attack line is extended outwards with a dotted line to help referees judge back-row attacks.
Diagonals: how to check that the court is square
Just marking four sides of the correct length is not enough: a rectangle can have the correct sides and still be skewed. The check is done on the diagonals, which in a rectangle are equal to each other, and their length is calculated using Pythagoras' theorem:
| Rectangle | Diagonal |
|---|---|
| Full court 18 × 9 m | approx. 20,12 m |
| Half court 9 × 9 m | approx. 12,73 m |
| Attack zone 9 × 3 m | approx. 9,49 m |
The practical method, using two tape measures and two people:
- Mark the centre line where the net will go: this is the reference point for
everything.
- Measure the two 9 m segments perpendicular to the centre line, one on each
side, starting from its ends.
- Check the diagonals of each half: they must both measure 12,73 m.
If one is longer than the other, the court is a rhomboid: move a corner until they are equal.
- Only at the end, mark the attack lines, measuring 3 m from the axis of the
centre line at three different points, so they remain parallel.
If you are working alone, the three-rope trick works: a triangle with sides of 3, 4 and 5 units has a right angle: with three lengths of rope of 3, 4 and 5 metres you get a reliable 90-degree angle to set up the court.
What to mark with
- Adhesive tape for sports floors. The most common solution in multi-use
sports halls: it peels off without leaving residue, but must be bought for the right surface (packing tape on parquet is dangerous, as it slips underfoot).
- Marking paint, if the court is permanent and the floor
allows it. Requires a clean floor, careful masking and drying times.
- Lines with pegs for outdoor courts on grass or sand. In beach volleyball,
these are the official solution: 5-8 cm wide bands, tensioned and anchored.
- Chalk or temporary marking on concrete and asphalt, for a single day.
A common mistake: marking lines of a width other than the official 5 cm. It does not change the game dramatically, but it changes the usable surface area — the line is inside the court — and with 8 cm lines, the court feels perceptually different.
Multi-use sports halls
If volleyball, basketball, futsal and handball lines coexist on the floor, the rule to communicate at the start of the tournament is which colour counts. It is a misunderstanding that can cost a set halfway through the day, and can be resolved with a single sentence during the first briefing.
If you have to choose the colour of the volleyball lines for a new marking, pick the one with the most contrast against the floor and the other sports, and keep in mind that volleyball lines are the ones most often judged by eye during fast-paced action.
When space is tight
Common situations and reasonable compromises:
- Ceiling below 7 m. It cannot be raised, but you can decide what happens
when the ball touches it: many events allow the ball to touch the ceiling above one's own half and fall back into one's own half, considering everything else out. Write this down, along with the case of basketball hoops.
- Free zone under 3 m. The criterion is safety: declare that
play is stopped and the point replayed when a player risks colliding with a wall or structure.
- Insufficient space for 18 × 9 m. Mark a symmetrically reduced
court, keeping the 3-metre line proportional to the new length. A court that is openly shorter is much better than a crooked court.
- Two adjacent courts with a shared free zone. Define who has
priority on a ball that ends up in the adjacent court: normally, play is stopped and the point replayed.
Check before playing
Five minutes with a tape measure, before the first match of a tournament, prevents half of the day's arguments:
- Net height, at the centre and above the two sidelines.
- Court diagonals, if the court is marked with tape or bands.
- Antennae present, in position and projecting above the net.
- Obstacles in the free zone: benches, water bottles, chairs, sharp edges. Move them.
- Floor: dust, slippery spots, water. A damp cloth used beforehand
does more than half the job.
If you publish the tournament on a platform like VolleyFriends, the number of courts at the venue is a tournament detail used to build the schedule: it is worth declaring the courts that are actually usable, not the theoretical ones.