FULL BY-LAWS
All rules are as per the official World Netball (WN) – Rules of Netball 2024 Edition, with minor amendments intended to enhance the playing experience at Cockburn ARC. Please consult the Sports Management Team for specific rule clarification.
All participants play at their own risk. Teams are responsible for organising their own bibs with positions front and back.
Games consist of two eighteen-minute halves, with a one-minute half-time break and a two-minute changeover period.
Game start times are:
6:00pm, 6:40pm, 7:20pm, 8:00pm, 8:40pm, 9:20pm. All registered teams are expected to be available to play at these times.
Player and spectator behaviour
The moment you set foot in Cockburn ARC Sports Stadium, you have become a custodian of our sporting community. Players and spectators must understand that they are just as responsible for creating a positive and inclusive environment as administrators and referees.
Anti-social and aggressive behaviour will not be tolerated by your teammates, opposition players, spectators, officials and competition organisers alike. Individuals who fail to acknowledge their responsibility in maintaining a social environment will be making participation less enjoyable for all and risk their and/or their teams ongoing involvement with all Cockburn ARC facilities and programs.
Any on or off-court incidents deemed to be anti-social will be dealt with accordingly and at the discretion of the Sports Management Team and/or an authorised representative of the Cockburn ARC. This may include ejection from the playing arena, short- and long-term suspensions, and if necessary, permanent banning from the Cockburn ARC for the offending individuals and/or teams.
Spirit of the game
At Cockburn ARC, the focus will be seeing games go ahead so that all teams can enjoy the consistency of knowing they have an opposition to play each week. This will occasionally result in cross-division fixtures, scheduled byes being substituted for fixtured games or teams being asked to play twice in an evening. The allocating of competition points in such cases will be managed by the Team Sports Coordinator.
Fostering a social environment where everyone can feel welcome to participate is an integral aspect of our competition. Players from any team during the regular season (regardless of division) are welcome to fill-in for any other side. However, this is only permissible when a team is short of regular players.
Please respect the spirit of the game – attempting to headhunt players to achieve results won’t get your team anywhere in the long run. All players and substitutes must be at least registered within the Spawtz online portal to participate. If teams are utilising regular substitutes throughout the course of the season, we would suggest they be registered as a player of the team, allowing us to easily ascertain their eligibility for finals.
Players are welcome to feature in multiple sides during the regular season (including within the same division). However, if a player qualifies for finals for two sides in the same division, he or she may only represent one team during the entire finals' series (semi-finals and grand finals).
Officials and the Sports Management Team reserve the right to deny a player from playing within, or ‘filling in’, for another team. In other cases, a non-regular player may also be told that they can only play on a wing for that game. Such decisions will be based on a perception of fairness for the opposition team and will be a judgement call made the Sports Management Team.
Rule clarification
World Netball (WN) – Rules of Netball 2024 Edition applies unless stated otherwise or conflicted in the Cockburn ARC By-Laws.
- Participants may not wear jewellery, watches, pins, or other dangerous/sharp items. Fingernails may be short taped, cut or gloved at the discretion of the umpires/referees. Tape is not provided by The Cockburn ARC, and it is the responsibility of the player to ensure that they comply with the above.
To qualify for finals, individual players must have played at least 4 games within a regular season.
All players must be in same colour uniform shirts (under bibs) and bibs are to be the same colour.
Teams are required to provide their own bibs; umpires will only provide this in the event of a clash.
All players must be 16 years or older to play in the competitions.
A minimum of 5 players are required to start the game.
Out of court – the ball or player must be in contact with the area outside/over the line to be considered ‘out of court’. On the line is NOT out.
Tactical Change – Players can request a ‘tactical change’ immediately after a goal has been scored and at a stoppage for injury, illness, or blood ONLY.
Can only be made immediately after a goal has been scored.
Must be requested to the umpire/s and made without delay.
Unlimited number of tactical changes and substitutions permitted.
Players may switch with another player on the court, or from their bench.
Both the requesting and opposing teams may make simultaneous changes.
Umpires reserve the right to refuse any tactical changes should the number of changes become overly disruptive to play.
Teams will be penalised should the umpire decide play is being delayed.
**No tactical changes/substitutions to occur in the final 3 minutes until full-time**
Mixed Netball Rule Clarification:
A minimum of one male to always be on court.
There must be no more than three males on the court at any one time.
One male per transverse line at a centre pass.
No more than one male in each playing block at a centre pass - Shooting (GS, GA), Mid-Court (WA, C, WD) and Defence (GD, GK). If 3 males are playing, there should be only one in each playing block.
| No # Males | Acceptable Together | NOT Acceptable Together |
|---|
| 1 | Any position | Any position |
| 2 | One male per transverse line at a centre pass. | GS & GA GK & GD
WA & GA WD & GD |
| 3 | GS, WA, GD GS, WD, GK
GS, WA, GK GA, WD, GK GS, C, GD GA, C, GD GS, C, GK GA, C, GK | More than one male in a playing block or per
transverse line at a centre pass. |