16. Player Transfers

16.1 A Club Registered Player, as defined by these By-Laws, wishing to transfer to another Club in the following Victorian Volleyball League Season will require a:

• Victorian Volleyball League Inter-Club Transfer, which can only be applied for during the Victorian Volleyball League transfer period; and
• Financial Clearance from the club they are wishing to depart from
• Meet the definition of a Club Registered player outlined in the definitions.
   

16.1.1 A Free Agent, as defined by these By-Laws, wishing to transfer to another Club in the following Victorian Volleyball League Season will require a:

• Financial Clearance from the club they are wishing to depart from
• Meet the definition of free agency outlined in the definitions.
   

16.2 The transfer period shall:

• open on the date the VV office opens on 8th January 2024; and
• close midday AEST on the Friday 17 May for-Inter-Club Transfers; or
• close at the end of the regular season for Financial Clearances.
   

16.3 A player must not compete in Victorian Volleyball League for a new Club until their transfer has been finalised through the Transfer Request form and the following steps are completed:
 

16.3.1 A transfer is completed for a Club Registered Player when all the following are complete:

• the ‘To Club’, which is the club a player is transferring to, ‘Requests a Clearance’. 
• the ‘From Club’, which is the club the player is transferring from, approves the clearance.
• the player is a ‘Current 2024 Member of VV’ for the calendar year the Victorian Volleyball League season is operating.
• VV approves the transfer clearance.
• VV notifies all relevant parties via a ‘Clearance finalised’ email.
   

16.3.2 A transfer is completed for a Free Agent when all the following are complete:

• the ‘To Club’, which is the club a player is transferring to, ‘Requests a Clearance’. 
• the ‘From Club’, which is the club the player is transferring from, approves the clearance. 
• the player is a ‘Current 2024 Member of VV’ for the calendar year the Victorian Volleyball League season is operating.
• VV approves the financial clearance.
• the ‘To Club’ approves the clearance. 
• VV notifies all relevant parties via a ‘Clearance finalised’ email.

16.4 Where a player competes in a match for their new Club before their transfer has been finalised under By-Law 16, the team shall be deemed incomplete and forfeit the match. The team's Club shall also receive the Abuse of Transfer Penalty in Appendix B.

16.5 Any dispute arising from a transfer shall be dealt with by the VVL dispute resolution process.

16.6 A Club that is entered into the Victorian Volleyball League competition must not receive more than two (2) transferred Club Registered Players, as defined by these By-Laws, per team, per gender, per competition entered, excluding Youth State League, and capped at six (6) senior teams (maximum 12 transfers in total per gender per club) onto their squad list.
 

16.6.1 In addition to By-Laws 16.6, a Club may receive up to two (2) club Registered Junior Players, as defined by these By-Laws, per gender.
 

16.6.2 A Club may receive an unlimited number of transferred Free Agent players, as defined by these By-Laws, in each Victorian Volleyball League season. The players still require a Financial Clearance as per 16.3.1 and 16.3.2.

16.7 There is a limit to the number of Club Registered Transfers permitted on the score sheet each round, these limits are:
 

16.7.1 No more than two (2) transferred Club Registered Players, as defined by these By-Laws, on the scoresheet of any Premier League match.
 

16.7.2 A Club must not list more than three (3) transferred Club Registered Players, as defined by these By-Laws, on the scoresheet of any State League match.
 

16.7.3 For new clubs, no more than four (4) transferred Club Registered Players as defined by these By-Laws, on the scoresheet of any VVL match.
 

16.7.4 A Club may list on the scoresheet of any given match an unlimited number of transferred Free Agent players, as defined by these By-Laws. The players still require a Financial Clearance as per 16.3.1 and 16.3.2.

16.7.5 Teams that don’t adhere to the transfer limits will forfeit the match and also receive the Abuse of Transfer Penalty in Appendix B.
 

16.8 A player competing in the current season may transfer during the Victorian Volleyball League season during the first four weeks providing they have participated in three or less games during the current season.

16.9 Where a player’s Club ceases to enter a team in a Victorian Volleyball League competition that the player was on the team list for, the player shall be considered a Free Agent subject to:

• If the transfer is during the Victorian Volleyball League season and the player has played in the majority of their matches in that competition that the Club is ceasing to enter at the time of submitting the Financial Clearance to VV; OR 
• If the transfer is outside of the competition season the Victorian Volleyball League season and the player had in the season prior played a majority of his or her matches in the competition that the club is ceasing to enter a team in
   

16.9.1 Where the player has not played a majority of their games in the competition from which that player’s Club ceases to participate in or the Club the player is transferring to has not entered a team in the competition from which that player’s Club ceased to participate in, the player shall be considered a Club Registered Player and may transfer to another Club subject to By-Law 16.  

16.10 Subject to 16.8 and 16.9 a Victorian Volleyball League Inter-Club Transfer during the Victorian Volleyball League season is prohibited.
 

16.11 A player, that competes in Premier One League competition, who played their first registered Volleyball game outside Australia requires an ‘International Transfer Certificate’ before competing in each Victorian Volleyball League season.
 

16.11.1 The International Transfer process must be initiated by the relevant player, prior to each Victorian Volleyball League season, via the online International Transfer Register on the Victorian Volleyball League website.
 

16.11.2 The International Transfer is completed when VV receives the International Transfer Certificate. Clubs should ensure all players that require an ITC have completed one. If a player competes in a match prior to VV receiving the certificate, there will be a loss of competition points and a fine for every time that player participates in a match,
 

16.11.3 VV will not be liable for any International Transfer fee or fine required from the Country of Origin.