Volleyball Court Dimensions

Regulation indoor volleyball court dimensions remain the same whether you are playing International, collegiate or club volleyball. The regulation court dimensions for high school are slightly different. Net heights are different for men’s, women’s volleyball, sitting, junior’s and recreation volleyball. Sports Imports has made it easy to determine what volleyball court dimensions and volleyball net heights are required to meet the regulations set by the FIVB, NCAA, NFHS, and USA Volleyball.

The official indoor volleyball court size in American measuring units is 29’6″ which is 29 feet and six inches for the half-court area. The full volleyball court area is 60 feet x 30 feet.

Court Dimensions

The game is played on a volleyball court 18 meters (59 feet) long and 9 meters (29.5 feet) wide, divided into two 9 m × 9 m halves by a one-meter (40-inch) wide net placed so that the top of the net is 2.43 meters (7 feet 11 5/8 inches) above the center of the court for men’s competition, and 2.24 meters (7 feet 4 1/8 inches) for women’s competition (these heights are varied for veterans and junior competitions).

• Boundary lines mark the perimeter of the court. The end lines mark the length of the court, and the sidelines to mark the width of the court.
• The Attack line is the line that separates the frontcourt(the area near the net) and the backcourt(the area between the attack line and the end line.
• The Service area is the area beyond the service line where players serve the ball.

Sand Volleyball Court Dimensions

Net Height: Net height is 7′ 11 5/8″ for men and 7′ 4 1/8″ for women. Co-ed competition is played on a men’s height net. The official height measurement is made in the center of the net. The height of the net at the sidelines can be no more than 3/4″ higher than the official height. If you’re playing on the sand, the measurements are made with the sand raked level, and no accommodation is made for your feet sinking in the sand. If you’re playing on grass, the measurements are made to the ground and not the top of the grass.

The Site: The dimensions of a volleyball court are 29′-6″ wide by 59′-0″ long, measured from the outside edges of the boundary lines. In addition, you should have 10′ (more is even better) clear around the boundaries. The result is a complete playing area of 49′-6″ wide by 79′-0″ long.

Court-Court Dimensions: The pole may need to be longer in the northern climates. In northern climates, the footing should be located below the frost line. Locating the footing of the pole below the frost line will prevent the “frost heave” of the footing. Check with the local building code for the frost depth.

Beach Volleyball Court Dimensions

The required beach volleyball court dimensions for USA Volleyball and NCAA doubles competition is 16m by 8m (52’6” by 26’3”). Posts should be placed 1m (3’-4”) from each sideline, 10m (30’-7”) from each other(not shown). Adjacent courts built side by side are recommended to have a free space of 5-6m (16’-20’) and may share free space. If adjacent courts are situated end line to end line, 9m(29’-6”) of free space is recommended.

For FIVB World and Official Competitions, the free zone is a minimum of 5m (16’) and a maximum of 6m (20’) from the end lines/sidelines. The free playing space shall measure a minimum of 12.5m (41’) in height from the playing surface.

The recommended beach volleyball court dimensions for Recreational play is 60’ by 30’. This allows for four on four or six on six play. Posts should be placed 1m (3’-4”) from each sideline, 36’-8” from each other. A recommended free or clearance zone of at least 10 ft is recommended.

Indoor And Beach Volleyball Net Heights

Men’s Volleyball Net Heights

While the standard regulation volleyball net height for men is 7 feet, 11 ⅝ inches or 2.43 meters (this is the same for standing disabled men’s volleyball teams), men’s teams that fall into older age brackets (55-70+) are allowed to lower their nets to certain heights.

• Standard Men’s Volleyball Net Height: 7 feet, 11 ⅝  inches or 2.43 meters
• Men’s Volleyball Net Height Ages 55-69: 7 feet, 9 ⅝ inches or 2.38 meters
• Men’s Volleyball Net Height Ages 70+: 7 feet, 6 inches or 2.29 meters

Women’s Volleyball Net Heights

Similar to men’s volleyball, the official regulation volleyball net height for women’s volleyball is allowed to be lowered for certain age groups. The net height for women’s disabled standing volleyball teams follows the same height regulations as a standard women’s volleyball net.

• Standard Women’s Volleyball Net Height: 7 feet, 4 ⅛ inches or 2.24 meters
• Women’s Volleyball Net Height Ages 45+: 7 feet, 2 ⅛ inches or 2.19 meters

Build A Volleyball Court In Your Backyard

Make sure you have enough space in your backyard or garden for a volleyball court. A full-sized court should be 9-by-19 meters (29.6-by-59 feet) in area. That’s only if you’re a hardcore team player and a stickler for the rules. If you plan on setting up a beach volleyball court, you won’t need as much space.

A beach court should be 8-by-16 meters in size, which is roughly 26-by-52.5 feet for those folks who have trouble with the metric system. Make sure you have some extra space around the court in addition to the minimum space you’ll need to play. Once you verify that you have enough room for your court, you’ll need to start thinking about the borders and the playing surface.