Netball is a non contact sport.

Dublin League Rules

• Teams may have a maximum of three males on the court at one time, spread evenly across the court
• Each team should have a minimum of eight players for 7-A-Side and seven players for 6-A-Side (i.e. one reserve player per team)
• Players must have one foot on the ground while shooting (i.e. no Lay ups )
• Players are not allowed to run behind the goal posts Northside (it's too dangerous)
• If someone in your team is unable to play one week, your team is still liable for the full game fee prior to the start of the game. We prefer players to find their own replacements rather than relying on the captain. However, we also recommend captains are aware of which players will be turning up each week by emailing or texting the team a few days before the game. If you need extra players you can try the Fill-ins List to help find someone.
• If a team is unable to play, we must be given at least two weeks notice to arrange another team to fill-in. The captain should check the fill-in list on the website or call or text 087 6677737, and fill in players will be arranged. The team will still be liable to pay game fee.
• There must be three members from the same team on court at all times. If you cannot have three members of the same team on court you must arrange fill-ins, forfeit the game and pay the game fee.(i.e. a team cannot have more than 4 fill in players)
• Fill in players for semis and finals must have played 1/3 of the season games to qualify
• If no players qualified, fill in players for the semis and finals must come from a team in a lower grade or if there is no lower grade from a team which didn't make the semis.
• All fill in players for semis and finals AND for three weeks prior to semis and finals must be approved by the Netball Dublin Management.
• All Fill in players must be registered players.
• All players must remove jewellery and ensure nails are cut short before taking the court or wear gloves (nail clippers are available if needed) Plasters are not appropriate to cover nails
• We recommend teams arrive to the court 15 minutes in advance to maximise time on court
• There will be a one minute change over period allowed at half time
• For every minute a team is late on court the other team will be awarded one point.( you can start the game with five players 7 a-side, four players 6 a-side.
• Teams will be penalised one point for every member, who isn’t wearing a Netball Dublin tee-shirt (try to remember your tee-shirts!!)
• If the team does not have sufficient players, they may still play, but must cover the FULL cost of the game prior to the start
• If the team has MORE than the required number of players, the cost of the game can be split amongst the players. We recommend the guideline - if you play half a game, you pay half a game.

Substitutes

7-a side: If a team is short players for the start of the game they may put on a substitute until there player arrives. But they cannot change positions when the player arrives. Changes can only be made after a goal is scored.

6-a side: If a team is short players for the start of the game they may put on a substitute but changes can only be made at half time. Otherwise leave the bibs outside the hall so players can jump on when they arrive. Players can only go on after a goal is scored and positions cannot be changed.

Positions can only be changed if a players come off the court injured.

Fill-ins

We appreciate that as the season progresses; some people travel or go home. During the league, we are not very strict on who can fill in for a team, except that if someone plays three or more games for a team, they must register with that team. Also, if a team has more than two fill-in players on any one night, the captain should, out of courtesy, inform the captain of the opposition. Good sportsmanship is appreciated in this situation, whereby teams should not ask for players, who are significantly better than those they are replacing.

To ensure our rules are consistent with those of other netball centres within the UK and Ireland, we are adapting and clarifying some of our netball rules as follows:

ADVANTAGE RULE
For both 6 a-side and 7 a-side netball matches.
When an infringement has taken place the umpire will blow the whistle, call the foul/ infringement and award the penalty pass/shot (for obstructions and contact calls) or free pass (for stepping/offside/replayed ball etc). Once the pass or shot has been taken the play is continued.

The umpire will only call ADVANTAGE when the umpire decides there is a CLEAR advantage to the team.

Shooting - The umpires will be quicker on the whistle now for all contacts/obstructions in the circle in doing so making the players stand down - they will call less Advantage calls.

When a player is impeded when they are in the motion of shooting -the ball has left the hands - and the shot is made that is an advantage goal. Should the shot be missed then the penalty pass or shot is awarded. However, if a penalty pass is awarded to an attacking player and they then decide to shoot - they have taken their advantage and should the shot miss the goal they WILL NOT receive a second chance. Therefore for attacking players when a penalty pass is awarded it would most beneficial to wait for the defender to stand down and take the penalty.
Mid Court & Defence - When a player receives a free or penalty pass and the umpire has decided there is more advantage to the team to let them continue the play and not bring the ball back then the umpire will call out (for example) 'advantage for obstruction' and should the next pass go astray and the advantage lost the play will NOT be brought back to the original infringement.

This means that the play will not be brought back and that attackers will not have extra free shots on goal.

TOSS UP - NEW RULE CHANGE

For 6 a-side the rule stays as it was. When doing a toss up the players involved must attempt to take the ball cleanly once the umpire has blown his/her whistle. If neither player successfully manages this the process will be repeated.

For 7 a-side, players involved in a toss-up do not have to take the ball cleanly (although this is recommended), the two players involved may 'bat' the ball to the direction of another player nearby. A 'bat' is using the palm of one open hand - NEVER A CLOSED FIST! Warning though, umpires will not appreciate a batting of the ball towards them.

REPLAYED BALL – Rule CLARIFICATION

As 6-a-side and 7-a-side are significantly different games with different objectives in terms of game flow and speed, the rules are quite different for replayed ball.

For 7-a-side netball, a replayed ball penalty applies on the THIRD consecutive touch of the ball by one player. This means that a player is allowed to bat the ball deliberately to themselves using one hand. However, a player may not have possession of the ball in two hands, drop the ball and regain possession, whether it was a controlled drop or an uncontrolled drop.

For 6-a-side netball, a replayed ball penalty applies on the SECOND consecutive controlled touch of the ball by one player. This means that a player may not touch the ball twice consecutively, whether or not they are in control of the ball. Effectively, the player must gain possession on their first touch of the ball. This rule applies to batting the ball to the ground, onto the wall OR into the air.

For both 6-a-side and 7-a-side, passing the ball from one hand to the other and letting go completely of the ball as it moves between the hands constitutes replayed ball. Moving the ball from one hand to the other while maintaining contact with the ball at all times, does not constitute replayed ball.

SHORT PASS – Rule CLARIFICATION

A short pass is a pass between two players on the same team, where it is impossible for another player to intercept the pass. The short pass is determined by the distance between the hands (not feet) of the ball Passer and the Receiver. If two players are standing very close to each other, and one player lobs the ball to the other (i.e. with the opportunity for the opposition to intercept), this would not constitute a short pass. From the same distance though, if the players pass the ball directly to each other, whereby the hands of each player are so close, a defender would have no chance to intercept the pass, this would constitute a short pass.

This rule also applies to bounce passes; if the hands of the Passer are close to those of the Receiver when the ball is bounce passed, this would constitute a short pass.

OBSTRUCTION – Rule CLARIFICATION

If a defending player, who is falling towards a player with the ball, lands away and to the side of the player with the ball and obviously intends to avoid obstructing the player with the ball, this would not constitute an obstruction penalty.

When a player in possession of the ball shortens their distance (“steps in”), the defending player must defend at three feet from the grounded foot, from where the player with the ball moved. However, the defender does not have to be in place before the attacking player steps in. The defender may also defend from the side, as long as the defender is the required three feet from the point of the original grounded foot of the player with the ball.

INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR ON COURT

A player, who questions an umpire’s decision during the game, may be penalised with a handover of possession to the opposing team. The offending player does not have to stand down, and the penalty is “pass only” (i.e. no shot if the offence occurred in the circle).

Positions