Open Netball Rules

These competition rules were last amended 18/01/2024

1 – Knowledge of Rules

1.1 Unless otherwise stated in these rules, Netball rules apply as outlined by the International Netball Federation.

1.2 All rules are open to interpretation of the umpire and their decision is final.

2 – Eligibility

2.1 Players must be at least 16 years of age, at the time of participating in the competition. It is the team’s responsibility to ensure all players are 16, including any fill-ins.

2.2 Players must be registered online, through Revolutionise, and on the team sheet on the iPad to be eligible to participate in a match.

2.3 Players must not be suspended to be eligible to play.

2.4 Players must only be registered in one team for each competition type.

2.5 Teams must follow appropriate fill-in policies as directed in section 4.

3 - Team Composition

3.1 A team must have a maximum of twelve (12) players registered.

3.2 Seven (7) players allowed on the court at one time.

3.3 Five (5) players minimum on the court for one team to avoid a forfeit.

3.4 There are no gender requirements, teams may have any ratio they desire.

4 – Fill Ins

4.1 Fill ins may only be used on the below provisions –

(a) The player is registered online.

(b) If the player plays in the same competition, they must play at a lower division level. Example – a division 2 player can fill in for a division 1 competition only. In the event of a competition having only one division, players may fill-in for another team, only with the approval of the opposition team, as well as provisions in section 3 being met.

(c) The player is added as a ‘fill in’ on the team sheet prior to the game commencing

(d) The referee is notified of any fill ins prior to the game commencing

4.2 Teams may only use a maximum of two (2) fill-ins per match.

4.3 The same fill-in may only be used four (4) times in the season.

4.4 A fill in may play over the game limit for a fill-in, providing they:

(a) Register as a member of the team

(b) Are not registered in another team in the same competition

(c) Do not exceed the team’s maximum registration numbers

4.5 Fill ins are not eligible for finals. To be eligible, they must meet the provisions set out in 4.4 as well as the finals eligibility provisions.

4.6 The team bears the responsibility of any fill-ins for their team. In the event of any incident involving the fill-in, the team are held liable as if it was one of their own registered players. It is important that teams are familiar with the fill-ins that they may use.

Game Timing

5.1 Games will consist of four (4) eight (8) minute quarters, with a one-minute break between quarters (two-minute break at half time).

5.2 Games will start at the designated time, even if teams are not ready to take the court.

5.3 Referees may stop the clock at their discretion, for instances such as injuries, time-wasting, or any other external factor. Outside of this, the clock will continuously run.

5.4 Penalties apply for teams not ready to start the game. Please see section 10 – Penalties for more information.

Uniform Requirements

6.1 Teams are to provide their own uniforms, with the below provisions:

(a) Netball bibs of the same colour, and all seven (7) positional titles (WA, WD etc.) All players to have the same colour top underneath the bib.

(b) Gloves are allowed to be worn.

(c) Any coloured shorts may be worn; however, this colour must be consistent with the team.

(d) Shorts with pockets or zips are not permitted.

(e) Undershirts may be worn, provided they are tight fitting and not baggy.

(f) No jewellery except for a medical alert bracelet or wedding ring to be worn at any time. Facial piercings must be taped.

(g) Nails must be short and smooth or taped using the approved material tape. Satisfactory taping method is one piece of tape over the top/end of the nail and one piece around the nail.

(h) Leggings can be worn under skirt/ shorts (colour must remain consistent with uniform)

6.2 Teams will face penalties for not meeting the uniform requirements.

(a) Teams will face a three (3) goal penalty, for every uniform item not in line with policy, capped at three (3) per team.
(b) In the event that a team has multiple uniform infringements (like another person not meeting the policy), they will not be able to take the court

In summary, each team is allowed one (1) uniform infringement, where that player is allowed to still take the court, as long as it is safe* to do so. Any further player in the team with a uniform infringement, will not be able to take the court.

*Safe means that the uniform infringement won’t be a safety hazard to anyone on the court. This may be of the discretion of management, but unsafe may include pockets with zips.

6.3 Teams who do not meet the minimum player requirements due to uniform infringements will face an automatic forfeit.

7 – Duties of Team Captain

7.1 The team captain is responsible for ensuring team payments are paid on time. In the event of any unpaid fees, the burden of the debt falls onto the team captain.

7.2 The team captain is responsible in aiding La Trobe Sport in the event of an incident review. This includes collating witness statements from teammates and responding to La Trobe Sport in a timely manner.

7.3 The team captain is responsible in ensuring all playing members are registered, and all players have signed into the match.

8 – Scoring

8.1 Each team must have one (1) person, either a substituted player or spectator, to assist with the games scoring. Scoring instructions will be available at the score bench.

8.2 In the event that a team does not have a scorer, the team will need to play one player short, and use that player as a scorer.

8.3 If due to not having a scorer, that pulling this player off playing duties and reducing the team under minimum numbers to start a game, the team will forfeit.

8.4 If there are any scoring discrepancies or disputes, please notify the referee. The final decision is at the discretion of the referee.

9 – Interchange and substitutes

9.1 Teams may only make substitutions at an interval, or due to injury, illness, or blood.

9.2 There is no limit on the number of substitutions a team can make.

10 – Penalties

10.1 Penalties may apply for offences by team members or teams. These penalties will be applied to the score at half time by the referee.

10.2 A one (1) goal penalty will apply for every one (1) minute the game is delayed by a team. Teams who do not fulfil the requirements of starting a match will not be able to start the match.

10.3 A three (3) goal for every uniform item not in line with policy, capped at three (3) per team.

10.4 Teams absent, or who do not fulfil the minimum requirements to start the match after nine (9) minutes will automatically forfeit the game.

10.5 Teams who do not accurately sign in players at the start of the game will face a three (3) goal penalty.

• Not signing in all team members on the court, including both sheet and iPad
• Not adding in a fill-in to the team sheet, even if approved.
• Having an unregistered player play, and not signing them in (this may lead to more serious consequences as outlined in the suspension guidelines).

10.6 All penalties are at the discretion of the referee and are final.

11 – Points Allocation

11.1 Points allocation is as follows:

• Win: 4 points
• Loss: 0 points
• Draw: 2 points
• Bye: 4 points

11.2 In the case of a forfeit, the opposing team will receive four (4) points and a 15-0 result.

11.3 In the case of a game being cancelled, La Trobe Sport will endeavour to reschedule the fixture. If this cannot happen, a 15-15 result will occur, with each side receiving two (2) points.

11.4 In the result of a game being abandoned during the game (more than 50% of the game), a 15-15 result will occur. A game will finish in its current state if more than 50% of the game has been played.

Please see section 14 – Abandonment of Games for more information.

11.5 Teams should expect byes and an uneven number of matches played - this is offset by gaining four (4) points for a bye.

12 – Finals

12.1 Finals are played at the conclusion of the season.

12.2 Finals are played over two weeks, in a top 4 format:

Semi Finals: Semi Final A (1 vs 4), Semi Final B (2 vs 3)

Grand Finals: Winner of Semi Final A and Semi Final B.

12.3 Players must be registered into the team to be eligible for finals.

12.4 Players must have played at least five (5) games in the regular season to be eligible for finals.

12.5 Games do not count if a player has not been signed into a match, even if they played in it. It is the responsibility of the team captain to ensure all players have been signed into the game.

13– Forfeits

13.1 A game will be a forfeit if a team cannot fulfil the minimum player requirements to start a game.

13.2 The team captain must notify La Trobe League management as soon as possible about a forfeit to give adequate time to notify opposing teams and match officials.

13.3 The below process is to be followed if a team needs to forfeit a match:

(a) If outside of 24 hours (and not a weekend), an email needs to be sent to playsport@latrobe.edu.au from the team captain.

(b) If inside 24 hours, or post 3pm Friday for a weekend match, a phone call needs to be made to La Trobe Sport (9479 2973).

13.4 When a forfeit occurs, the opposition team will receive an automatic 15-0 win and four (4) points.

14 – Abandonment of Game

14.1 In the case of a game being cancelled by La Trobe Sport, La Trobe Sport will endeavour to reschedule the match. If La Trobe Sport cannot reschedule the match, a 15-15 result will occur with two (2) points allocated to each team.

14.2 If a game is abandoned during the game, the following provisions apply:

(a) If less than 50% of the game has been played (example, before half time), a 15-15 result will occur, with both teams receiving two (2) points.

(b) If 50% or more of the game has been played (example, half time or further), the game will finish in its current state, except for 14.3.

14.3 Teams may be found to be ‘at fault’ for an abandonment of match. Teams found ‘at fault’ will not receive any competition points, even if they were winning.

15 – Incident Review Process

15.1 All players should be aware of the Incident Review Process, and subsequently Suspension Guidelines that govern the incident management of La Trobe League.

16 – Mercy Rule

16.1 A mercy rule applies during H&A matches only. Once a team is 20 points ahead, the centre pass will always go to the opposition.