Volleyball doesn't require much in the way of apparel. On the beach, you don't even need shoes or socks. When it comes to organized volleyball play, you may find restrictions on what you can wear. To make sure you know the basic regulations for volleyball uniforms beyond outfits being the same color, check with your league office.
Indoor
The International Volleyball Federation, also known as the FIVB, sets the rules for uniforms in international competition, including the Olympic Games. The FIVB sets uniform rules for indoor, or six-player volleyball, and beach, or sand, volleyball. A basic indoor uniform consists of shorts, a jersey, socks and sport shoes. The uniforms of teammates must be the same style and color and must be clean. Jerseys must be numbered from 1 to 18, be of contrasting colors to the jersey material and appear at the center of the front and back of the top. For FIVB, World and official competitions, players' uniforms must have their number on the front of their right leg. The captain of each team must have her number underlined. Players may wear warm-up suits in cold weather.
Beach
The FIVB originally required female players to wear bathing suits in international beach, or sand, volleyball competition. Some conservative countries balked at this rule, and the FIVB modified the rules, allowing women to wear shorts and other tops, such as T-shirts or tank tops, just like the men. Many beach players still wear bathing suits, even in Olympic competition. Players must have a number 1 or 2 on their top or shorts, with any clothing worn by teammates the same color and style. Numbers must be a contrasting color to the uniform. If both teams arrive wearing the same uniform, the referee will toss a coin to determine who must change.
Footwear
Shoes should be light and pliable, may not be predominantly black and not leave a mark on the playing floor. Beach volleyball players must play barefoot unless an official allows them to wear sand socks or other footwear. If the sand is too hot or the competition organizer cannot remove debris from the sand that may cut players' feet, an official may waive the barefoot rule.
Advertising
Some leagues limit or ban advertising on uniforms. For example, scholastic leagues may ban product advertising other than the clothing manufacturer's logo on uniforms. Other leagues may allow a local sponsor to advertise on the back or sleeve of a uniform. Even leagues that allow advertising may ban certain types of products, such as alcohol or tobacco.
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