Our mission
To give young volleyball players a properly run competition — qualified referees, insurance, recorded matches and a “Player of the Match” award in every game — and the social media exposure that helps them be seen.
Invitation Booklet
DOVA 2026
Girls & Boys · U12 to U19 · Division 1 & Division 2
Everything an academy needs to know before the first serve: format, calendar, age groups, game conditions, rules, venues and fees.
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About
What is DOVA?
Dubai Open for Volleyball Academies is a season-long volleyball series for youth academies, played in a league format with a championship structure — not a one-weekend event.
Teams play a round robin; the top four in each category qualify for the Playoffs. The championship follows FIVB rules with minor adjustments, refereed by officials of the UAE Volleyball Association and backed by Dubai Sports Council.
DOVA is built for development: competition experience, exposure and a pathway for young talent across the UAE.
Governance
Official endorsement & governance
The championship is organised by the Dubai Sports Council, in line with Dubai’s vision for long-term youth development, and operates under its supervision to ensure compliance with regulations and standards.
The UAE Volleyball Association is the technical partner of DOVA. It appoints all referees and supervises the technical regulations, ensuring fairness and professionalism on every court.
Talent Identification Program – Dubai Sports Council: with the aim of identifying and developing youth individual talents in the UAE, the Dubai Sports Council developed the talent identification program to focus on young sports talents for development. More to be announced during the season.
Sports Mania is the operational partner: match schedules, team communication, media posts, pictures, stats and interviews. Sports Mania has organised public and private sporting events in Lebanon and abroad since 2010 — corporate and youth championships across several sports, team-building programmes, sports trips and charity sports programmes.
Calendar
One season, one calendar
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Closes 22 September 2026
Registration
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28 September 2026
Technical meeting — Dubai Sports Council office
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3 October 2026
First serve
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5 – 6 December 2026
Finals weekend
Term One runs 3 October – 6 December 2026, with matches every Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 – 16:00. Term Two runs 9 January – 6 June 2027; its dates are announced during Term One.
Format
League structure
As event organisers, we are presently in the process of developing age and stage-appropriate playing guidelines for the age groups below, both boys and girls inclusive. The guidelines encompass playing rules, equipment recommendations and competition structure elements.
By establishing common playing standards, we aim to promote a fair and safe playing environment for all participants. Each age group runs a Division 1 and a Division 2, depending on the playing level of the teams registered.
2014 – 2015
U12
- Boys & Girls
2012 – 2013
U14
- Boys & Girls
2010 – 2011
U16
- Boys & Girls
2006 – 2008
U19
- Boys & Girls
Expected numbers
60+
Teams expected
250+
Players
4
Age groups
2
Divisions per group
Technical overview
Technical overview — game conditions
| Condition | U12 | U14 | U16 | U19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net height — boys | 2.00 m | 2.15 m | 2.30 m | 2.43 m |
| Net height — girls | 2.00 m | 2.15 m | 2.24 m | 2.24 m |
| Players on court | 6 × 6 | 6 × 6 | 6 × 6 | 6 × 6 |
| Minimum squad | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Maximum squad | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| Number of sets | 2 out of 3 | 2 out of 3 | 2 out of 3 | 2 out of 3 |
| Size of court | 18 × 9 m | 18 × 9 m | 18 × 9 m | 18 × 9 m |
| Time-outs (20 seconds) | 1 per set per team | 1 per set per team | 1 per set per team | 1 per set per team |
Regulations
Rules & regulations
FIVB rules and regulations apply throughout the league, with the adjustments below.
01General rules
- Referees are from the UAE Volleyball Association and are at an equal distance from all teams and players — FIVB rules and regulations apply in this league.
- All teams’ jerseys must be identical, including shorts; players in a different jersey will not be allowed to participate.
- Each participating academy submits a list of a maximum of 14 players per team before the league starts. No player may be added afterwards for any reason — even an academy that submitted fewer than 14 cannot add more.
- Any player not registered on the submitted list is ineligible to play.
- A waiver must be signed by the parents of every player, allowing the organisers to use their pictures and videos on social media.
02Match day & punctuality
- Match dates, times and full attendance are to be respected. Any team arriving more than 10 minutes late immediately loses the match.
- A team that fails to attend a match is considered a forfeit and recorded as a 15–0 loss.
- The match schedule is to be respected.
03Sets & scoring
- U12, U14, U16 and U19: best of 3 sets to 15 points. At 1–1 the deciding set is played to 15 points.
- U19 final only: best of 3 sets to 25 points. At 1–1 the deciding set is played to 15 points.
- To win a set a team must win by two clear points.
04League points
- A 2–0 win: 2 points to the winner, 0 to the loser.
- A 2–1 win: 2 points to the winner, 1 to the loser.
- An absent team or a late show is awarded no points; the opponent takes 2.
05Tie-breakers
- In case of a tie in the group stage, head-to-head points are taken into consideration between the tied teams only.
- Criteria 1 — head to head.
- Criteria 2 — sets’ difference: sets won minus sets lost across the league.
- Criteria 3 — points’ difference: points scored minus points conceded in all matches.
Where we play
Venue & match timings
Who plays
Participating clubs & academies
Term One brought together 70 teams from 25 academies and clubs across the UAE.
Participation fee
AED 2,250 + VAT
Payment terms
- 1Per team
What does the fee include
- Minimum of 4 guaranteed matches for each team, depending on registered teams per category
- Qualified & experienced referees
- Court supervisor
- Insurance coverage
- Every match recorded and published on YouTube
- Professional cameraman at each match
- Medics support for every game
- Social media exposure
- “Player of the Match” certificate per match
Faces of the league
Tournament ambassadors
Nikola Alokin Meljanac
@mad_mex014
Sami Jassim
@samijassimLet’s talk
Angel Angcao
Operation Manager — Sports Mania UAE