Bench Personnel / Player
 

Under FED rules, when does a team member become a Player, and vice-versa.

Play 1) As the teams are changing sides after the first set, H1 taunts V1. H1 was a Player (on the court) at the end of the frist set.

Play 2) H1 enters the sub zone to replace H2. (a) Before, or (b) After, or (c) some other time (if it's relevant to the answer) R2 signals for a sub, H2 tells R2 "You suck."

In any of the above, does the coach have to sit?

In Play 1, a yellow card for unsportsmanship/taunting is issued to H1. The coach does not lose their right to stand.

In play 2, a sanction is issued to H2. The level (yellow/red) is up to the R2, and the coach does not lose their right to stand. Because play 2 is a different player, the previous action is not relevant, but if H1 would have made the comment, the sanction is worthy of disqualification in cases b/c. In case a, this would have changed the sanction for play 1.

Thanks. Can you provide some general guidance on when an individual is a "player" and when s/he is "bench personnel" (or whatever the specific VB term is )?

The term player would cover any person currently active on the playing court. Everyone else would be bench personal. This would include all coaches, managers, and trainers as well as anyone not currently authorized to be on the playing surface. In your OP, H1 was a player at the end of the set, and a substitute for H2 in the second situation. Because the second situation had H2 committing the offense, it did not matter what had happened before with H1. If the offending person was on the bench --i.e a player, coach, manager, or trainer, the resulting sanction would have caused the Head Coach to lose their privilege to stand as they did not control the actions of the bench personnel.

In play 2, H1 is bench personnel until the R2 authorizes entry (not when the R2 whistles). Before the authorization to enter, H2 is on the court, card does not require coach to sit. After the authorization, H2 is bench personnel, card requires coach to sit.

Thank you. That's helpful.

In the "between sets" play -- the Players from set 1 remain Players until ...? When the Players for set 2 enter the court?