RULES AND REGULATIONS

Foreword

These rules are based on the World Dodgeball Federation Official Rules. Our rules are intended to uphold the fun, spirit, and integrity of the sport for all participants regardless of skill level. Please keep in mind as you read, and as you play that Dodgeball at all levels is a sport that relies on both honesty and good sportsmanship. Each player is responsible for ensuring that they have read and fully understand the rules and regulations before playing dodgeball with Adelaide Dodgeball. In the event that there is any confusion or controversy concerning the rules during a match, the Referee has the right to make a final ruling concerning the matter. If players still have concerns, they are encouraged to approach Referees either between sets or after games, not during play as this disrupts the game for everyone. These rules are subject to change. In the event that a rule does change, all players, referees, and officials will be notified and the rulebook will be updated. We aim to create a fun, exciting and competitive environment in our league. We look forward to the opportunity for all of us to make some new lifelong friends in our dodgeball community. Complaints: If you have a concern about a particular rule or have a complaint about any of Adelaide Dodgeball Referees please let an organiser or manager know, as we’d love to have the input and feedback from players! You can also submit feedback online at www.adelaidedodgeball.com.au/contact

Definitions

Catch: A catch is defined as a live player having complete control of a ball (See: Catch) thrown by an opposing live player. The player must have at least one point of contact inside the court as well as control of the ball to be awarded the catch. Court: The area in which live players are considered an active part of the game. Dead Ball: A ball that is no longer a Live Ball for any reason described in “Live Ball” above. Note: a ball that is blocked (see “Blocking” below) is not a Dead Ball until it touches a Dead Object. Dead Objects: Anything that is not an active part of the match; i.e., the ground, walls, ceiling, permanent fixtures (e.g., the scoreboard, netting), dead players walking off the court, referees, spectators or supporters. Unused balls (i.e. untouched by players) that are on or off the court are also considered to be Dead Objects and Dead Balls (see “Dead Ball” below). Dead Player: A live player that has been eliminated by either (a) a catch of their throw, (b) a hit on their person, (c) a disarm of a ball in their possession or (d) has stepped out of bounds. Half: The 20-minute mark out of the 40-minute match, teams switch ends of the court at half time. Live Ball: A ball is considered a Live Ball after it has been thrown and remains a Live Ball until it (a) the ball touches a Dead Object; (b) collides with another live ball in mid-air, or (c) has been caught by an active player on the opposing team. Match: The full game of 40 minutes between 2 opposing teams. Out: A player is out (See: Dead Player) if the player (a) is hit by a live ball which subsequently touches a Dead Object (b) throws a Live Ball which is caught by a player on the opposing team; or (c) steps/touches the ground outside the designated boundaries for the match (see “Boundaries” below). Set: Also known as a round or point, and is completed when a full team is eliminated. Win: The team with most sets won in the 40-minute match is considered to have won the match.

The Team

Teams will generally consist of a roster 6-12 players. Only six active players team will compete during any given set, with a maximum of 4 and a minimum of 1 of either gender in active play. A team must have a minimum of 4 of their own players (external subs are included as part of a teams roster) to be classified as a valid team, otherwise, it will be an automatic forfeit. On court, substitutions are only allowed between Sets. If a team makes a catch, it may only bring back players who started in that particular set. Inactive players and supporters may assist in ball retrieval (See “Ball Retrievers”).

Subbing Regulations

Player Sourcing and subbing: At Adelaide Dodgeball you are only allowed to register with 1 team per league per season. For this reason we have developed our Subbing Regulations and how they work with each Division. If you are playing in League that currently has no divisions then the ruling for Division C will apply for the whole League. We encourage players to approach the Managers if they have issues with subbing, and to keep in mind that players pulled from lower divisions as substitutes cannot qualify for finals or votes on any team but their own registered team. Team must have at least 4 of their original team members (external Subs count as part of original team members) to begin a game, and will automatically forfeit (including fee) if they do not meet this requirement). You cannot seek a sub if you have a full team of 6 players. Division A ​For competitive players to improve as individuals and teams.

• ​Players: Can only play and register to a single team in Division A within that League and are unable to substitute to another team within that League.​
• Teams: Division A teams can source subs from Division B, C and Externally.
• ​Division B and C Substitutes are not able to gain votes and cannot qualify for Finals.
• External Subs are able to register to that team after their third game within the League and are eligible for votes and to qualify for finals if they meet the League requirements.​

The Court

In all court games, the court shall be a rectangle, divided into two equal sections by a centerline and attack-lines (3 Meters from and parallel to the centerline). A full-size Dodgeball court is 18 meters long and 9 meters wide, these are the same dimensions as a volleyball court. The court is divided into two major zones, with three key line types used in play, see the diagram below: Baseline: Enter back on court after catches or ball retrieving from the baseline only. See League Specifications. It also the starting point for every player before the start of a set and the opening rush. See: The Opening Rush Centre Line / Side Line: Separates both Team Zones from each other or the off court zone. Stepping on or over these lines eliminates the player. See: League Specific rulings. Activation Line (Rush Only): Balls must pass behind this line at start of Sets in order to be activated and used. See: The Opening Rush Rush Zone (Rush Only): At the start of set players rush for the 3 balls places in their zone ONLY to get the activated quickly. See: The Opening Rush

Equipment

The official ball of the World Dodgeball Federation, used in international tournament and league play is a 7” rubber-coated foam dodgeball between 120– 160 grams in weight. Any ball over 170 grams in weight is inappropriate for play, as it might inflict bodily harm to the participants of the sport. Although there is no official format for the acceptable dodgeball jersey, it is encouraged for the players on the same team to dress alike. To prevent injuries, it is recommended that players wear tennis/cross-training shoes for the match and kneepads.

The Match

A Match consists of 40 minutes of gameplay divided into halves with small amount of time reserved for warm up, and halftime. The game clock will run continuously during each 20-minute half of game play—the clock does not stop between each set. If there is less than 1 minute remaining on the game clock in either half of play, a new set cannot be started. Any set in progress when time expires shall go into Sudden Death Mode, whether it be at the end of either half, upon the expiry of time allotted for a tiebreaking match, or the end of a 1 v 1 (see “Sudden Death” below). Teams switch sides of the court after halftime. The referees shall maintain the official match time and have the discretion to stop the clock for any sudden break, injury, or shorten/forego a halftime break in the event the match begins late or if the first half overruns. Lateness penalty: A team will penalised for lateness. If a team is late more than 10 minutes of their scheduled time, their opposition will gain 1 point every 1 minute until half-time in which the opposing team will then win 10 – 0.

The Game

The object of the game is to score points by eliminating all 6 players on the opposing team. Eliminations of the opposition may be done by: Hitting an opposing player with a Live Ball anywhere on their person, including their clothing or hair, with such Live Ball subsequently hitting the ground or a Dead Object. A player that has been hit by a Live Ball is not Out until that Live Ball touches the ground or a Dead Object. Explanation:

1. If a Live Ball hits an opposing player and ricochets to strike another opposing player before hitting the ground or a Dead Object, then both players are Out.
2. If a Live Ball is blocked by an opposing player (see “Blocking” below) and strikes another opposing player before hitting the ground or a Dead Object, then that player will be Out. However, if a ball blocked by an opposing player hits a player on the throwing team while still a Live Ball, the hit player on the throwing team is not out, but the ball is still a Live Ball which may yet be caught by the opposing team until it hits the ground or a Dead Object.
3. If a Live Ball ricochets off a dead player exiting the court and hits another player, the ball is deemed a Dead Ball and the hit does not count.
4. Since a player that has been hit by a Live Ball is not Out until that Live Ball touches the ground or hits a Dead Object, any action that the player performs following the hit, but before the first ball touches the ground or a Dead Object, shall be deemed as “in play.”

Throwing

Valid and Invalid Throws: A live player throws a ball that is intended to contribute to that player’s team hitting an opposing live player and is thrown in the general direction of an opposing live player. Invalid throw warnings are scaled to the player’s experience. A player that throws an invalid throw (Rolling of the ball, a lob over the opposition, throws not intending to hit opposition, etc) will accrue one warning at the discretion of the referee. Invalid warnings may be scaled based on the players' experience and intention (I.e. A player of 2 years rolls the ball and is rendered immediately out). If that live player accrues more than one warning, they may be rendered out at the discretion of the referee. A live player’s accrual of warnings is reset to zero at the end of each Half. Compressing/Squeezing the Balls: Compression of the balls is illegal and will be seen as player misconduct. This is defined as compressing the balls with two hands or one hand against the body and then throwing it. A strong grip with one hand on the ball is not defined as compressing the ball. If damage to the balls is causing them to appear compressed, please let the refs know so that they can replace balls. Headshots: Headshots are legal in all adult leagues, but we ask that any players that headshot an opponent apologise to that player, in order to keep in line with player conduct. Repeated intentional headshots can be defined as aggressive and dangerous play and a violation of player conduct. Suicides: Taking the ‘Suicide Throw’ or ‘Leap of Faith’ Throw, is illegal at Adelaide Dodgeball. This is where a player intentionally jumps the Centre line and throws before landing on the opposite side. Any attempt to do so will immediately render the player out and their thrown ball Dead.

Catching

All catches need to have valid control of the ball. This is defined as the ball being stopped in motion whilst the player has at least one point of contact with the court. A catch can be on any part of their body as long as the ball does not touch a dead object. Fumbling of the ball is allowed until a valid catch is made, as long as the ball does not touch a dead object. If any Live Player on a team makes a catch, it may only bring back Dead Players who started in that particular set.

Blocking

Players may use the ball(s) in their hands to block an incoming ball. A successful block is one where the player retains control over the ball that is used to deflect the oncoming ball. Disarm: If the player drops the ball used to block, the player is deemed Out even if the Live Ball did not otherwise hit that player. In instances where a player is using more than one ball to block and in doing so drops one or more balls used to block a Live Ball, the blocking player may still be out even if he/she drops a ball that was not used to block if that ball was dislodged directly or indirectly by the impact of the Live Ball. The referees have the final say on whether a ball was dislodged on account of a block. Examples:

1. Player A is holding three balls, one in each hand and a third trapped between the other two. Player A attempts to block an incoming Live Ball with the ball in their right hand, but in doing so drops the third ball that was trapped. Even though the third/middle ball was not apparently hit by the Live Ball, the ball was dropped concurrently with and due to the impact of the Live Ball and Player A is Out.
2. Player A is holding three balls when opposing Player B throws a Live Ball. Player A clearly drops one ball before using the other two balls to block Player B’s Live Ball. Since Player A did not drop the ball due to the impact of the Live Ball.
3. Player A is holding two balls and uses one ball to block an incoming Live Ball. The ball used to block the Live Ball was held out in front of Player A’s face while Player A dropped the ball they were holding at their side at the time of impact. Since the dropped ball was not clearly a result of the impact of the Live Ball which was blocked, Player A is still alive.
4. A blocked or deflected ball is still a Live Ball until it either touches the ground or a Dead Object, so a deflected ball that hits another player may still result in an Out if it hits another player, or considered a catch if it is caught.

Boundaries

Active players must remain within the boundaries, and should an active player step, fall or otherwise touch with any part of their body on or beyond the boundary lines into out-of-bounds, that player would be deemed as Out the instant they touch out of bounds. The forward boundary in a full-court game is the centerline. Exception: A player may legally step over the centerline only during the opening rush. Analysis:

1. A thrown ball released BEFORE a player steps on or beyond one of the boundary lines will be deemed as a Live Ball and all action from the ball counts even though the throwing player is Out regardless.
2. A thrown ball released AFTER a player steps on or beyond one of the boundary lines will be deemed as a Dead Ball as the player is Out the instant they step on the line.
3. Taking the ‘Suicide Throw’ or ‘Leap of Faith’ Throw, is illegal at Adelaide Dodgeball. Any attempt to do one will immediately render the player out and their thrown ball Dead.
4. If a player trying to catch a Live Ball loses balance and falls out of bounds, walks out of bounds or is hit by a Live Ball which hits the ground or a dead Object before that player has complete control of the Ball, then it is not deemed a catch and that player is Out.
5. Balancing on the Balls in Out-of-Bounds: On the rare occasion a player may need to retrieve a ball from the out of the bounds near the centreline, but needs to ‘balance on the ball’ in their hand in order to reach the second. This is allowable, as long no part of the player touches the area designated as out of bounds.
6. Use of net: Some court types will have a netting system surrounding the whole court. It is illegal to use the net to support your body weight, or to step on the net at the base (treating that net boundary as a line boundary). Brushing or sweeping the net with your body is allowed, as long as you are not using it support your body weight.

The Opening Rush

A game begins by placing 6 dodgeballs along the centerline - 3 on one side of the center hash and 3 on the other. Players take a position in front of the baseline, with at least one foot touching the baseline. Teams may only retrieve the 3 balls to the right side of the center on the opening rush in their Rush Zone (see “The Court” above). Once a ball is retrieved it must be taken behind the activation line before it can be legally thrown. All 3 balls from your side must be activated before you can go for any remaining opposing balls on the centre line. Only the ball has to travel back behind the activation line, not the player. So a ball can be reached or passed back behind the activation line and thrown as a Live Ball immediately, as long as the ball itself travels behind the activation line. Any ball thrown before it crosses the activation line is considered a Dead Ball and not activated, and would not count towards a kill, but will still count if caught. Note: All players must have at least one foot touching the baseline when the referee blows the whistle at the start of each set. At the discretion of the referees, teams may be penalized for false starting or if they are deemed to have blatantly cheated by not having at least one foot on the baseline. Teams shall receive one warning for false starting per half and any subsequent violation may result in a yellow card violation.

Timing and Winning a Game

The team with more points at the end of the full 40 minutes time frame will be deemed the winner of the match. A point is won by completely eliminating the opposition. The game is run as two 20 minute halves with 5-minute break in between halves. A Special 4-minute tie-breaker set is awarded in FINALS GAMES only, which if no team eliminated it will go into Sudden Death (See: Sudden Death) In the case of only 1 player remaining in active play on both teams, the clock will automatically be called to 1 minute remaining for that set. If neither opponent is knocked out the game will go into 1 v 1 Sudden Death (See: Sudden Death).

Advantage

The advantage call is used to ensure the game is fast-paced. In a situation when neither team is apparently preparing to throw, Advantage will be called by the referee. The order in which team is in Advantage will be based on the following: ‘BALL ADVANTAGE’: The team with more balls on their side of the court is obliged to throw first. Even if some balls are on the ground or held outside the boundary, the team is obliged to throw as long as more balls are on their half of the court. ‘PLAYER ADVANTAGE’: If each team has 3 balls, then the side with more players on the court is obliged to throw first. ‘LAST RECEIVED’: If there is even number of balls and players on each side, then the team that did NOT throw last is now in advantage. ‘YOUR TEAM WON LAST’: If both teams have an equal number of players and each team has three balls after the opening rush, the team that won the last set is obliged to throw first. ‘ADVANTAGE’: A special called made by the referee in the very first set of the game, where both teams are at equal balls and players after the rush. The team in advantage is at the referee’s discretion. Once the referee has indicated which team is in Advantage and begun countdown, the team that in Advantage has 5 (FIVE) SECONDS to make a valid throw. In order for Advantage to be reset or passed to the opposition, the team in advantage must make a valid throw over the centreline. This means that balls cannot be ‘placed’ or ‘rolled’ over the centreline within reach of in order to reset the Advantage clock or ‘bait’ opposition. The advantage countdown will also be reset if any player on any team makes a valid throw, or a ball happens to roll onto a different side swaying the Advantage Call. The penalty of not throwing the ball within the referee’s countdown to 0, will be the forfeiture of all balls to the opposing team.

Sudden Death

In Sudden Death, blocking is no longer available. Players using a ball to block a Live Ball will be deemed Out as soon as the blocked ball hits a Dead Object just as though the Live Ball had hit the player’s body. Deflected Live Balls may still be caught however. The procedure for sudden death is as follows:

1. At the buzzer denoting the end of regulation play, the game shall stop. Any Live Balls released prior to the expiration of time in either half shall remain Live Balls (i.e., these balls may still kill players or be caught with the normal consequences until such Live Ball becomes dead), however, any ball thrown after time expires shall be deemed Dead.
2. After the game has been stopped, the referees shall redistribute the balls to the remaining players on each side so that each side has three balls, and the players reset to the baseline of the court.
3. Upon the referee’s whistle, Sudden Death commences and runs until all the opposition is eliminated.

Tie Breakers

In the event that the match is tied at the end of regulation play, a special 4-minute tie-breaking set shall be played. Tiebreaker sets shall commence like a normal set upon the referee’s whistle and the time for the tie-breaking set shall be kept on the official game clock. If the set has not been completed as the allotted time expires, the tie-breaking set shall go into Sudden Death as described above.

Exiting the Court When Out

Once a player is deemed to be Out, they must leave the court in a timely manner from the nearest point of exit. It is best practice to put up your hand if you are out, in order for you to leave the court without being hit with more balls from the opposition. If the player is still in possession of one or more balls when they are Out, the player is allowed to pass those balls onto teammates. If a player is not in possession of a ball at the instant when they get Out, then that player is not allowed to touch any balls that may be on the court. At the discretion of the referees, a team may have a ball forfeited from them and given to the opposing side. If the player is intentionally using themselves as ‘shields’ when they are out or exiting the court, this is a violation and defined as cheating, and they may be yellow carded.

Entering the Court When Out

Only Dead Players that have completely exited the court may be caught back in. For any catches, the first players out will enter first (and follow that order) from the baseline only. If a player enters from the sideline, they will automatically be eliminated. At no other time should a dead player re-enter the court. See: League Specifics for more detail on entering and exiting the courts for different leagues.

Ball Retrievers (AKA Shaggers)

Players who are out of play or subbed out for the set are encouraged to act as ball retrievers for players still in play, teams may also bring non-dodgeballers or players from other teams to assist with ball retrieval, but are accountable for the conduct of anyone they choose. Ball retrievers are only allowed to pick up balls that are off the court and on their team's side of the center line, they may hold balls as long as they choose. Ball retrievers can be issued warnings and yellow cards if they are hiding balls from the referee or using balls in their possession to intentionally interrupt play (via direct contact with live or dead balls, or by clearing advantage from their team or putting the opposition off). Ball retrievers should NEVER enter the dodgeball court to retrieve or give balls to a player. This includes ball retrievers reaching on to the court to retrieve a ball from the active playing area or to stop a rolling ball from rolling across the center line. Ball retrievers entering the active playing area will be considered off-court interference and shall be penalized accordingly. Further, if an inactive player reaches on to the court to prevent a ball from rolling across the center line to the opposing team, that ball must be forfeited to the other team. Once a dodgeball leaves the court’s boundary lines, a team’s ball retriever can collect the ball and pass it to an on-court player. If a ball passes over the half court line, a ball retriever CANNOT crossover to the other team’s side of the court to retrieve the ball. If a ball retriever retrieves a ball from the other team’s side, that ball must be forfeited to the opposing team. If a ball comes to rest ON the half-court line, then either team’s ball retrievers can take the ball. Ball retrievers are advised to act fairly and reasonably to avoid any unnecessary altercations. If there are any disputes, the referees have the final say on which team gets the ball. Further Clarification:

1. Shagger vs Player collecting ball off court - Live player must have clear intent and be within reach of the ball, otherwise no priority to live player, and the shagger may collect the ball.
2. All players to enter and exit from the back when they are retrieving the balls. We encourage dead players / Shaggers to collect balls down the sideline.
3. For specific League requirements for Ball Retrieving see our most updated addendums.

Conduct During Games

Even though the nature of the sport of dodgeball is fast-paced and competitive, it is expected that each and every player act with sportsmanship and conduct that upholds the integrity of the game. A blatant case of poor conduct or sportsmanship will result in a player’s expulsion from a match after which their team must carry out the rest of the sets in the match one player down. It is the referee’s discretion when this conduct is violated. Behavior constituting misconduct includes (The full Code of Conduct can be found online at: www.adelaidedodgeball.com.au/code-of-conduct) the following:

• Being dishonest with any hits on their own person and team and not call themselves out - irrespective if anyone observed the hit or not.
• ‘Self-reffing’ - Aggressively calling out opposition and questioning referee calls, and disrupting the play.
• Not acting within the rules and spirit of the sport.
• Not promote fair play over winning at any cost.
• Not approaching referee between sets with any complaints or observations, and purposely disrupting their focus during play.
• Disrespecting the decisions of Referees and Managers.
• Disrespecting players based on their age, race, gender, body, ability, cultural background, sexuality or religion.
• Displaying inappropriate and irresponsible behaviour.
• Playing in an unsafe way.
• Demonstrate abusive, bullying or threatening behaviour.
• Any physical contact with the opposition.

Conduct for Team Supporters

As this a social league, Adelaide Dodgeball wants to secure and friendly environment at our leagues. A team is accountable for the actions of their team supporters, ball retrievers, and spectators. Off-court players, coaches, ball retrievers/helpers, and supporters should not interfere with the match. Interference includes, but is not limited to:

• Unnecessarily loud or abrupt sounds and actions aimed to distract
• Rude gestures
• Verbal insults to players
• Physical contact with the other team’s players, supporters
• Inactive players entering the court
• Providing unfair or undue assistance to active players by supporting active players’ balance inordinately or pushing players off during the opening rush

Rule Enforcement

Rules will be enforced primarily by the "honour system". Players will be expected to act honestly and rule whether or not a hit was legal or whether they were legally eliminated. However, because of the fast-paced nature of the sport, sometimes a player would not feel a ball skim their clothing, kneepads or hair. There will be at least 1 referee per court, whose responsibility will be to rule on any situation in which teams cannot agree. THE REFEREE’S DECISION IS FINAL – NO EXCEPTIONS. Blatant dishonesty or failing to adhere to the referees’ decision may result in penalties either during or after the match upon review.

League Specific Rules

Stepney Leagues Sidelines: Live players cannot go step off to the sides of court or walk up the sides from the back, they must reach off court to collect a ball from the sidelines, but can still exit the back of court to collect from behind the baseline. Windsor Garden Leagues Dead player crossing the court: Dead Players must exit the court to the closest side to them, they must not then cross the back of the court to get to the other side. You may be yellow carded if you are seen doing this. Shagging: If a team has advantage, live players from that team may step off the at back of the court and collect balls down the sidelines. If a players steps off without having advantage they are automatically out.

Balls from other courts: If an external Ball comes onto court, time and play will stop ON REF WHISTLE only. If a ball leaves the field the game clock does not stop and game may continue, but the advantage is not called until all 6 balls are in field.

Netting: With the back Net, Referes are looking for centre of gravity and balance in court, falling into the Net is Out, grazing the net is not Out. Stepping on the base of the back net is out. Stepping on or touching the side black netting is not out if it’s hanging onto court, but stepping on line is still out.