Bocce Ball Tournament

The rules governing this intramural sport activity derived from rules used by the sports governing body and rules unique to the UVM Intramural Sports Program. This rules sheet is not meant to be all-inclusive; rather it is a summary of the more common rules, policies, and procedures used by the Intramural Sports Program. Important policy information can be found in the Intramural Sports Handbook. All team managers and players are responsible for reading this document and understanding the rules, policies, and procedures prior to participating in this activity.

General/Eligibility
See the Intramural Sports Handbook for complete listing of eligibility.

Intramural Team Participation - Individuals may only play on one (1) team. This league is designated as OPEN - it has no gender restrictions.

UVM Identification - All players MUST present a UVM Cat Card to the IMS Supervisor prior to each game. Players who do not have their Cat Card will be subject to the terms of the Campus Recreation ID Policy.

Team Rosters - All participants must sign the online IMLeagues roster/waiver form in order to participate in Intramural Sports. It is the responsibility of the team captain to make sure that all players show up on the IMLeagues roster before the start of playoffs.

Players

  • Teams are comprised of two players. Teams must have a minimum of two (2) players to start a match. In the event that a player becomes injured or has to leave the game (other than ejection) the game shall continue until it is deemed a farce by the IMS Supervisor.
  • Each player gets 2 bocce balls.

Equipment - All playing equipment is provided. Participants should wear athletic attire with closed toed shoes appropriate for athletic activity.

Duration of Game & Scoring

Scoring
Each match will be a best of 3 games. Each team may earn up to (4) points for landing their Bocce ball closer to the Pallina than their opponent. The first team to 11 points wins that game (if a match series goes to 3 games, the winner will be declared after the 9th point is reached). Each match has a scheduled time limit of 20 minutes.

Gameplay

  • Teams will do a coinflip to decide who controls the Pallina throw.
  • The team controlling the Pallina first throws or rolls the Pallina onto the field to a distance of no less than 15 feet, but no more than 100 feet. All plays must be made from the same location that the Pallina was thrown from.
  • The Pallina controlling team throws or rolls their first Bocce ball attempting to land its final resting position as near to the pallina as possible.
  • The other team throws their Bocce balls until they have a ball closer to the Pallina than any other opponent ball so far played or they have used all their team’s Bocce balls.
  • Then the first team rolls again until they land a ball nearer to the Pallina than their opponent, or they have used all their team’s Bocce balls.
  • Play continues back and forth until each team has used all their Bocce balls.
  • The round is over once all the balls are played.
  • The next round begins from the location of the previous Pallina. The winning team starts.

Legal Plays

  • A player may throw, spin, toss, roll, bounce or otherwise propel their Bocce ball in any manner, as long as it is done with one hand and in a manner that will not be purposefully damaging to the equipment or playing field.
  • A player may use their Bocce to knock opponent’s Bocce balls out of place.
  • A player may use their Bocce to knock their own Bocce balls into a more advantageous position.
  • A player may use their Bocce to knock the Pallina to a new location.


Game Time is Forfeit Time! - All intramural events are tightly scheduled based on facility availability to allow for maximum participation, so keeping the games on schedule is very important. Please have your team at the field checked-in and ready to play at least ten (10) minutes before your scheduled game time. Game time is forfeit time! If one team is late/is not present, the team's captain that is present and has the minimum number of participants required ready to play will be given two options (once a decision is made it cannot be changed):

  • Take the forfeit immediately
  • Give the team five (5) minutes to show
  • If the team still does not show, it will be a forfeit. If the team shows, the game must be played with only the remaining amount of time left.

Reserve Clause: the IMS Staff reserves the right to make time adjustments during the tournament to accommodate scheduling conflicts and game play.