Follow tournament schedules, live scores, standings, and playoff brackets throughout the weekend at: https://scores.nystrangers.org/ We encourage players, coaches, family members, and spectators to use this site to stay up to date throughout the tournament. Bookmark it!

38th Annual NYMini Returns July 18–19!

Presented by NYSSO with longstanding support from CCBA, this year’s tournament brings 68 teams and 1,100+ athletes from NYC, Boston, Philly, D.C., and San Francisco to 17 courts across Chinatown and the Lower East Side. Free and open to the public—come celebrate 38 years of community and volleyball!

The New York Mini Tournament abides by the NACIVT tournament rules. Review the following for details on player eligibility and protest procedures for 9-man volleyball.

Content Policy

General Guideline: Of the 9 players on the court at any given time, at least 6 of those players must be of 100% Chinese descent. Of the 6 players 1 of them may be 50% Chinese descent. The remaining 3 players must be of Asian descent accepted by the tournament committee.

i.e. 4 full Chinese players and 3 players half Chinese do not count as meeting the content requirement of 5 100% Chinese and 1 50% Chinese player.

Process of protesting Player Eligibility:

  1. Protest Timing: Protest requests to confirm player eligibility can only be made before the start of a match. This is not the same as challenging roster content during the match.
  2. Player Line-Up: All players on the team roster must be lined up before the bow to qualify for participation in the match. 
  3. Absent Players: If a player is absent at the time of the bow, the team captain must inform the working team about the missing player. This declaration is required for the player to be eligible to participate in the match and they are considered ‘Declared Players’.
  4. Protesting Declared Players: Declared players can be protested after the match begins. If a player is protested, they cannot be substituted into the match until the protest is resolved.
    • Protest Limits: Teams are allowed to protest up to 2 times per match, but only if they win their first protest.
  5. Protest Penalty: If a team loses its first protest, it will forfeit one time-out. If a protest penalty is upheld, the protesting team will not lose a time-out.
  6. Finality of Protest Decisions: A player’s status following a protest decision will be upheld for the remainder of the tournament unless the player can provide additional evidence to the committee.

Challenging Roster Content

An opposing team is allowed to challenge the content of an opponent’s roster at any point during the game by making a suggestion to the Up-Ref.

During a game, if the opposing team or working team successfully finds an incorrect number of wristbands on the court after the Up-Ref has blown their whistle for a team to serve, the challenged team must correct their lineup/roster immediately (the next whistled play). They will also receive a warning and be reported to the Protest Committee as the first offense.

Second and Third Offenses:

  • If a team receives their second warning for Violating Content requirements, they must forfeit their next set or the set currently being played
  • If a team receives their third warning for Violating Content requirements, they immediately are removed from competing in the remainder of the NACIVT tournament and will not receive their security deposit back

Challenging an opponent for content violations after a game has already concluded will not change the outcome of games already played.

Stellar Therapy is excited to partner with Matter Rehabilitation this year to bring on-site physical therapy services to the tournament. Our team will be volunteering throughout the event to support athletes with injury assessment, treatment, performance support, and post-match recovery.

We’ll be on-site from 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM both days for extended coverage—so there’s always support nearby when you need it.

Stop by our tent and say hello. We look forward to seeing everyone there!

Keep up to date on tournament announcements on our New York Mini socials!

Between matches, dive into dumplings, sip on boba, and stroll through the heart of Chinatown. We’ve got your guide to the neighborhood’s best eats and hidden gems.