Various news anticipated in the press conference in view of the Final Four Del Monte® Coppa Italia: the event that will be held at the Unipol Arena in Bologna next weekend, that of 25 and 26 January, with the four teams qualified for the act final who will battle to raise the 47th Italian Cup to the skies.
The latest news announced in chronological order, and anticipated exclusively in the press conference, was that which will concern the change of court: instead of the traditional reversal at the end of each partial, the court will be changed only once, after the second set. In the event of a tie-break, however, the usual draw and change of field will be held at the 8th point.
Still regarding the changes compared to the championship standards, the game will be played with the benches in front of the TV: coaches, benches and warm-up areas will therefore be part of the show, with every celebration and reaction even more in favor of the camera.
In addition to these initiatives aimed at increasing the spectacle, the most discussed topic at the press conference was that of the “dead times” between one action and another: a 15-second timer between one action and another will be tested again . This will in fact allow us to speed up the resumption of the game and increase the emotion even more among the spectators at the Unipol Arena and among the television viewers. In addition to making the pace of the game more pressing, the timer will naturally reduce its total duration.
Finally, as is now common practice in the Italian Cup, and always with a view to shortening the matches and increasing involvement, it will be possible to call only one time out per set.
Only one field change
For all three matches scheduled in Bologna there will be a change of court only after the second set, and possibly in the fifth. In this way the teams will remain on their side of the field for the first two sets, switching as soon as the second set ends. At the beginning of the second set the teams will therefore remain on their court, as well as at the beginning of the possible fourth set. In the event of a possible tie-break, however, the draw will be carried out to choose the bench side, and then the classic change of court will be made at the eighth point.
A courtside stopwatch: 15″ for the serve
In order to reduce the “dead times” between one action and another, and at the same time increase the spectacle of the Final Four, the courtside stopwatch is confirmed which will mark the 15” between the end of the action and the subsequent service: as in recent editions of the Italian Cup, the speed of the game and the resumption of the same will be guaranteed, to reduce waste of time and always keep the attention of the spectators at the Unipol Arena and those who follow the Semi-finals and Finals high from televisions and devices. The regulation: 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.
Video Check Room
As is now standard practice in SuperLega events, the presence of the “Video Check Room” has been confirmed: a special dedicated area, away from the pitch, which will manage the 23 eyes of the Video Check System cameras, analyzing the images remotely with the third party referee who will thus monitor the calls requested during the matches, assisted by a technician from Genius Italy, technical partner of the system used by the Serie A Volleyball League.
Only one time out per set
In order to speed up the game, to make it more exciting and spectacular and less fragmented, there will only be one time out available to the coaches for each set played. A way to keep attention on the game high, guaranteeing emotions and twists for the fans present at the Unipol Arena and for those who will follow the event from home.
Entertainment also… on the bench
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.
Final Four Del Monte® Coppa Italia SuperLega
Unipol Arena di Bologna
Semifinal 1
Sabato 25 gennaio 2025, ore 16.15
Sir Susa Vim Perugia – Rana Verona
Diretta Rai Sport
Diretta VBTV
Semifinal 2
Sabato 25 gennaio 2025, ore 18.30
Itas Trentino – Cucine Lube Civitanova
Diretta Rai Sport
Diretta VBTV
Final
Domenica 26 gennaio 2025, ore 15.15
Vincente Semifinale 1 – Vincente Semifinale 2
Diretta Rai 2
Diretta VBTV
