** NETBALL RULES
1. Tournament Format
• Registered teams shall be randomly drawn by lecturers and staff members of the Institute and are placed in groups for the qualifying round.
• Qualifiers from the round robin will advance to the knockout round where they will compete for the right to advance to the medal rounds.
• The final four teams will enter the medal round where one will be crowned as the tournament’s champion.
2. Duration
• 2 – 7 minute halves
3. Number of players
• No fewer than five (5) players and not more than seven (7) players shall be on the court at one time.
• Only when there are less than two (2) substitute players are the reserves allowed to play. Reserves are a stand-in for substitute players when they are not able to attend the match or are late for the match.
• If a player is registered in two (2) different teams then he belongs to the team that he plays in first.
• Only registered players are allowed to play. The Committee has the right to disqualify a team if it is found that any unregistered players are at play.
• Teams / players should be ready around 10 minutes prior to their games. Late registration or absence of team would result to a disqualification or walk-over.
4. Players’ Equipment and Dress Code
• All players must remove any jewellery items prior to start of match (watches, necklaces, bracelets, rings etc.) for the safety of themselves and other players.
• All players are required to cut or trim their nails, or are given a nail cutter to do so at once.
• Each team is to bring at least one (1) coloured bib.
• All players are demanded to wear proper attire. No shorts above the knees are allowed, sleeveless clothing are prohibited and barefooted are barred.
5. Fouls and Misconducts
• All complaints must be accompanied with a $100 objection fee.
• If a player uses foul or abusive language to anyone present whether playing or watching, a verbal warning is given and then if the same player persists, he will be sent off.
• If both teams are consistently using inappropriate language, the umpire should call the captains’ of each team together and inform that if the bad language continues, the match will be abandoned. In relation to this, excessive violence and fouls will also result in the game being abandoned.
• A player may appeal for a decision, however once the umpire has made the decision, he must not argue and get on with game.
“The umpire’s decision is final”.
• To ensure that sportsmanship is the forefront of the tournament, an etiquette rule is introduced; if a player is been confrontational with the umpire, the manager/captain should substitute the player for her to cool down, once cooled down the player can come back onto the court when the manager/captain decides. The manager/captain have a responsibility to ensure to be instilling positive attitudes to umpire & helping players to accept rules, even if they feel it was not right.
6. Point System
• Point accumulation will be as follows:
a. 3 points for a win
b. 1 point for a tie
c. 0 points for a loss.
• All goals scored for and against shall be used to determine final team standings during group and knock out stages.
7. Break System
• The following tie breaking procedures will be used during round robin and knockout round:
a. Total points awarded
b. Goal Difference
c. Goals For
d. Head-to-head
8. Teams tied after full time in medal rounds
• Extra-time- 5 minutes per half.
• As soon as the full-time whistle sounds, teams cannot make further substitutions.
9. Substitution
• To replace a player by a substitute, the following conditions must be observed:
a) Committees at work are informed before any proposed substitution is made
b) a substitute only enters the field of play after the player being replaced has left and after receiving a signal from the umpire
c) a substitution is completed when a substitute enters the field of play
d) a player who has been replaced takes no further part in the match
e) If a substitution is made during the half-time interval or before extra time, the process is to be completed before the second half or extra time.
• If a substitute enters the field of play without the umpire’s permission:
a) play is stopped
b) the substitute is cautioned and required to leave the field of play
10. Team Players
• If for instance a team member gets injured, no players of any teams are allowed to enter or interfere inside the field of play except when called upon. Only medics and member of the committees are allowed to enter the field of play.
• If a team player enters the field of play, the umpire shall stop play and have her removed from the field of the play.
11. The Umpire
• An umpire shall be appointed to officiate in each game. His authority shall commence as soon as she enters the field of play and shall extend to offences committed when the game is in progress or when the game is stopped. Her decision on all matters regarding facts, shall be final.
• The umpire may only change a decision on realising that it is incorrect or, at his discretion, on the advice of an assistant umpire, provided that she has not restarted play or terminated the match.
