Lega Volley Serie A events are always fertile territory for technological progress: even in the Final Four Del Monte® Coppa Italia in Bologna some innovations will continue to be tested in different areas of the event, from the layout of the pitch to the regulations. First of all, as announced in the press conference, he will continue to test the “15 second serve” rule between one action and another to increase the pace of the game and reconcile the television timing. The benches in “front of the TV”, therefore behind the first referee, will be part of the show, and the Video Check Room, with the Video Check system consulted away from the pitch, will continue to be an integral part of the latest events signed by the Lega Pallavolo Serie A; the music will always be “Soundtrack Volley”, the soundtrack for the exclusive use of Serie A clubs, which will resonate at the Unipol Arena for both days. There will be no shortage of news from a television point of view, with some new experimental cameras in volleyball and some virtual graphics that will accompany viewers throughout the event.
Below are some extracts from the regulation and technological innovations. Below is some useful information about the event.
https://www.legavolley.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Cartella-Stampa-2.pdf
https://www.vivaticket.com/it/Ticket/final-four-del-monte-coppa-italia-2024/226866
https://www.legavolley.it/photos/7853/Del%20Monte%C2%AE%20Coppa%20Italia%20%7C%20Conferenza%20Stampa
VIDEO CHECK ROOM
The experimental project of the “Video Check Room” continues: the 23 eyes of the Video Check System cameras will be managed by a special Video Check Room, far from the field. The analysis of the images will be remote, and the third referee will analyze the requested calls assisted by a technician from Genius Italy (technical-commercial arm of the Volleyball League system).
15 SECONDS IN THE BATCH
15 seconds to serve after the end of the previous action to reduce downtime and increase the spectacle. 4 LEDs at the corners of the pitch, visible to all players, will mark the time. The 1st referee will authorize the service after verifying that the two teams are ready to play and that the player who must serve is in possession of the ball. Provided that there are no regular interruptions in play (substitutions and rest times) or exceptional situations (injury, request for clarification from the referee, disciplinary measures, Video Check request, drying of the pitch only if extended or in the service area, etc. .), the server must hit the ball within 15 seconds of the end of the previous action, regardless of how many seconds have passed since the service was authorized.
However, if at the end of the game a situation occurs, such as, for example but not limited to, those previously listed, which prolongs the interruption between the two actions, the service must be performed within 8 seconds following the authorization from the 1st referee. Only in this second case does rule 12.4.4 (“The player serving must hit the ball within 8″ following the authorization whistle of the 1st referee”) remains valid.
The time elapsed since the end of the previous action is displayed on a monitor visible to both teams.
The management of the timer for the maximum execution time of the service (and in particular its interruption in the previously identified cases) is entrusted to the 3rd referee (also responsible for evaluating the VC images). In the event that the service is performed beyond the time limit of 15 seconds (obviously in the absence of situations that prolong the interruption between two consecutive actions) for the first time in the set, the team will be warned at the end of the action (not cumulative with no other type of recall); for the second and subsequent times, always during each single set, the team will be sanctioned with the loss of serve. The idea was born from a study carried out by the League Championships Office on the so-called “dead times” of volleyball.
SOUNDTRACK VOLLEY
The Del Monte® Coppa Italia will make the official music of the Serie A Volleyball League resonate. The project, presented at the beginning of 2023, consists of a royalty-free music library specifically created to be the soundtrack of Serie A matches, and which will uplift the Club and athletes from the increasingly pressing issues of copyright related to music in sports halls. Composed and produced by professional musicians and under the supervision of artistic director Marco Caronna, “Soundtrack Volley” is a true soundtrack of Serie A men’s volleyball.
BENCHES IN FRONT OF THE TV
The benches and first referee will be on the same side of the pitch, in front of the cameras, as is now permanently the case in SuperLega Events. Coaches and players on the bench will therefore be part of the show, increasing the level of involvement and the transmission of the emotions of the match in progress. The Volleyball League adapts its court design to the suggestions of Volleyball World and the FIVB.
TELEVISION SHOW
Volleyball TV (VBTV), Volleyball World’s OTT platform, is in its third year of partnership with Serie A, and will test some new cameras at the Unipol Arena in Bologna which could become, like the other tests listed, real standards of volleyball of the future, starting from VNL 2024. Director Angelo Carosi will have more than 10 cameras available to narrate the three matches, as well as enhanced graphics with some virtual integrations, for an even better streaming experience for players spectators from all over the world.
