OFFICIAL NCDA RULE PACKET 

 

 

ver 1.01

RELEASE DATE 7/12/2007

 

GAME FORMAT

 

TEAMS: Dodgeball is a game played by two teams of 15-20 players.  15 players may be on the court at a time, with up to five players that may be substituted in as the rules allow.
LENGTH: A match shall consist of two (2) twenty-five (25) minute halves.  A five (5) minute halftime is suggested but may be waived if both teams agree.
SCORING: A point is scored when a team eliminates all of their opponents from the field of play.   If there are opponents in the field of play at the end of a half, no point is scored.
CLOCK:  The clock shall both start and stop upon the referee’s whistle and the beginning or ending of a point.
HALFTIME RULE:  If a point is scored with less than 4:00 remaining in the first half, the half immediately ends and the remaining time is added to the second half. (3:25 + 25:00 = 28:25) This applies to the first half only.
OVERTIME: If both teams have a tied score at the end of regulation play, a 10:00 overtime phase will begin. Each team begins with 15 players, less any removed for penalties.  If a team scores a point during overtime, the match immediately ends.  If no point is scored, the team with the greater number of active players wins.  If no point has been scored at the end of overtime and both teams have the same number of active players in play, begin a second (third, fourth, nth) overtime phase.

           

  

EQUIPMENT

 

15-20 8.5” rubber playground balls: For cost and availability reasons, suggested brand is Champion Sports (see dickssportinggoods.com)
4-6 whistles  

6 referee shirts

  

2 sets of yellow and red cards

  

1 stopwatch

  
GLOVES/PADDING: Gloves or padding may be used so long as it does not leave a sticky residue on the ball.  All clothing is considered part of the uniform and is treated as an extension of the body.

    

  

THE COURT

 

COURT SIZE: The court should be a 94’ x 50’ NCAA basketball court.  Smaller courts are permissible, within reason and as circumstances dictate.
MARKINGS: The following chalk or tape markings shall be made in addition to the court boundaries:
HALFCOURT:  One line down the middle of the court
NEUTRAL ZONE: Two lines 30’ from each team’s baseline (On an NCAA basketball court, this will be 17’ on either side of halfcourt)
NEUTRAL ZONE: The neutral zone is the area between both neutral zone lines, including the lines themselves.  Both teams may enter this area at any time.
OUT LINE: Each team shall have a clearly designated area to return to when eliminated.  This area should allow players to line up in chronological order (first out, first back in) and should be 10’ away from the field of play.
BENCH: Each team shall have a clearly designated area for inactive players.  This area should be 10’ away from the field of play and opposite the out line.
BALL RETRIEVAL: Often during a match dodgeballs will leave the field of play.  It is the responsibility of the host team to provide sufficient manpower to return the balls to the field of play.  These players should be wearing attire sufficiently different from the team uniform (ex.: Michigan State University staff should not wear green and white).  Balls should not be passed, rolled or thrown, but placed into the field of play at aboutthe point they left play.

    

 

 

 

THE TEAM

 

ROSTER: Rosters shall consist of 20 players.  All players must be registered students at the institution represented and must currently be enrolled in at least one class.  Institutions may not merge to form one team.  Dual-enrolled students may only play for one team per academic year.  Players may be forced to provide a college ID card or other proof of enrollment upon request.
LOW NUMBERS: A team may begin a match with no fewer than 10 players.  This does not affect the opposing team in any way.
CAPTAINS:  All teams shall have one (1) captain and two (2) alternate captains.  These designations must be clearly marked on their uniforms.
ACTIVE PLAYERS: Players that are participating in the current point and are in the field of play.
JAILED PLAYERS: Players that are participating in the current point and have been eliminated from the field of play.  These players form the out line in chronological order (first out, first in).  A player brought back into play must immediately enter through the back line before they may touch a ball.
BENCH:  Players not participating in the current point.  They may be used to help retrieve balls that have left the field of play.  Bench players not retrieveing balls shall remain on the bench, away from play.
UNIFORM: All members of a team shall wear clothing of the same color and style.  Colors chosen should comprise of school colors, black, white and gray (NOTE: all colors do not have to be used).  These uniforms must be free of hard and unyielding items (zippers, buttons, fasteners, etc).  No exposed metal on the hands, fingers or neck is allowed.  Piercings are acceptable but discouraged due to risk of injury.
NUMBERING: All players shall have a clearly visible number on the front and back of their uniform.  No player should be wearing a duplicate number.  Numbers must be 0, 00 or 1-99.
LOGOS: School logos and school names are permitted on the uniform, please check with your school’s club sport or licensing department to ensure fair use.
NAMES: Last names are optional and may be placed on the back of the jersey.  Nicknames are not acceptable.
CAPTAIN/ALT CAPTAIN: Captains and Alternate Captains are to have a “C” or “A” on their jerseys, respectively.

 

 

OPENING RUSH/RESTART

 

SETUP: Ten balls shall be placed at midcourt.  All active players shall be on or behind their baselines.
OPENING RUSH: When the refs blow the whistle, players advance and retrieve the balls.  Balls must be passed, rolled or carried to a baseline before they may be used to eliminate a player.  Anyone sliding, tackling, throwing elbows or otherwise initiating rough physical contact shall be removed from play.  All balls are active ten seconds after the whistle has been blown and immediately be used to eliminate opponents.
FALSE START: If a player enters the field of play before the referee blows the whistle signaling the start of play, the offending player shall be removed from play.  The referee will then begin play as normal.
RESTART PROCEDURE: If play must stop for any reason, the referee shall blow their whistle.  Play immediately stops.  All active players report to their baselines.  Balls in the neutral zone remain where they are.  Balls possessed by a player or in their team’s zone may be brought back to their baseline.  The referee blows their whistle to resume play, all balls are immediately live.

                       

  

GETTING IN/OUT

 

CLOTHING COUNTS:  Clothing is an extension of the body.  If a ball strikes a hat or shirt, it is the same as if the ball struck the head or chest.
DIRECT HIT:

A player is out on a direct hit if any of the following occur:

·         A ball strikes the player and the ball touches the floor

·         A ball strikes the player and the ball touches another ball

·         A ball strikes the player and the ball touches an opponent
BLOCKING: A player may use a ball to block balls directly thrown by another team.  If a ball thrown by the other team dislodges the ball a player was blocking with, that player is out unless they regain control of the blocking ball before it touches the playing surface, another ball or another player.
DEAD BALLS: A ball is considered dead if it touches the playing surface, a wall, the ceiling, a playing fixure (hoop, light, etc), a teammate of the throwing player, or another ball.  No catches or hits can be made with    a dead ball.  All directly thrown balls are live until they are dead.
CATCHING: When a player’s ball is directly caught, the player is out.  The team whose player made the catch has one inactive placer re-enter play.
TEAM CATCH: If a player is struck with a ball, and a teammate catches that ball while it is live, one of their inactive teammates may re-enter play.  The thrower is not out.
STRIPPING:  If a player can effectively steal a ball from an opponent, retaining possession, it counts as a catch.  If a player attempts a strip and it ends in a jump ball situation, with no clear possessor, the player is out.
OUT OF BOUNDS: If a player has all points of contact them and the ground out of bounds, the player is out.  A point of contact is any part of their body that is touching the ground.  A player who is airborne is considered in bounds until they land.  All lines are considered inbounds.
NEUTRAL ZONE OB: A player advancing beyond the neutral zone line (ie, within 30’ of the opponent’s baseline) results in the player being out.  This does not come into effect unless they touch the ground.
REFEREE’S DISCRETION:  The officiating staff has final say on all rulings.  Captains and Alternate Captains are the only players who may question a call.  All other players must relay requests through a Captain or Alternate Captain.

 

 

SHOT CLOCK

 

SHOT CLOCK: During play, a 15-second shot clock is in effect for both teams.  To reset theirshot clock, a player must throw a live ball at the opposing team in a legitimate attempt to eliminate an opponent.  The shot clock is not in effect for a team if they do not have any dodgeballs in their zone or in their possession.  Failure to do so results in stoppage of play and forfeiture of all balls to the other team.
FIVE MAN RULE: If a team has five (5) or fewer active players, their shot clock will have a maximum of ten (10) seconds as opposed to fifteen (15).  This will take place upon the next resetting of the shot clock.  If the team regains enough active players to achieve a total of six or more, their shot clock is immediately extended to 15 seconds as normal.
INT. GROUNDING: Rolling a ball to the other team or throwing in a way that is clearly not an attempt to strike an opposing player will not reset the shot clock.  The referee will make it known that the attempt did not reset the shot clock.

 
 

TIME OUT/SUBSTITUTION

 

TIME OUT: Teams are allowed two (2) timeouts per half and one (1) for each overtime phase.  A timeout must be called by a Captain or Alternate Captain.  Timeouts do not transfer beyond the half or phase they were allotted.
STOPPAGE OF PLAY: Once a timeout has been called, the referee shall blow their whistle.  Play immediately stops and all balls are immediately dead (EXCEPTION: a player struck before the whistle may attempt to catch the ball they were struck with).  The clock also immediately stops.
PROCEDURE: Only active players, Captains and Alternate Captains may be on the court during a timeout.  All other players are to remain where they are.  Balls in the neutral zone remain where they are.  Balls in a players hand or in their zone may be moved to their baseline.
SUBSTITUTION: During a timeout, a player may substitute a player or players in the field of play with a player or players from the bench.  Substitutes must report to the head referee before joining play.

      

  

INJURIES

 

INJURY: If at any time a player has blood on their clothes or person, or is otherwise unable to remove themselves from the field of play.  Play shall immediately stop.  They will receive any necessary treatment and will be ineligible for the remainder of the point and may not return until any traces of blood have been removed.  If a player is in the out line or bench and requires medical assistance they may do so at any time, but may not return to play for the remainder of that point.  A substitute may be brought in for the injured player if and only if they are not currently in the out line and a timeout has been called.

          

 

 

CONDUCT

 

 

No profane or offensive language or gestures (This is a family show)

 

No removing part of your uniform (see above)
 

No kicking or spiking of balls (Equipment costs $)

 

No unnecessary or intentional contact with opponents or referees (This is dodgeball, not football)

 

Once the ref’s made a decision, that’s it.  Only C's and A's should be talking with them anyway

 

Players in the out line STAY in the out line, players on the bench STAY on the bench, except for C's and A's.

 

Play stops immediately upon administering a yellow/red card.

 

Refs are in charge for the duration of the game.

 

In short, don’t be a jerk.

 

PENALTIES

 

The referees set the tone for the match and are responsible for preventing/stopping unruly behavior.  They are able to stop/end the game for any reason, and may give out yellow/red cards for the following reasons: 

 

YELLOW (Removed from the remainder of the point)

 

Unsportsmanlike conduct
Intentionally delaying the game
Unnecessary roughness

Persistently disobeying rules/directives from the refs
Spiking or kicking a ball
Removing parts of the uniform
Loitering on the court after being eliminated from play
Disrupting the game from the out line or bench

 

If a player receives a yellow card during a point, they are removed from the game from the duration of that point and may not be substituted back in and may not have someone else take their place.  If the yellow card is received between points, the player shall be removed from play as above for the point about to take place.

 

 

RED (Removed for the duration of the game)

 

Intentionally striking a player or ref
Spitting at a player or ref
Using offensive or insulting language or gestures (throat slashing, flipping off the opponent, etc etc)
Intentionally ignoring the decision of a ref
Receiving two yellow cards

 

If a player receives a red card during a match, they are ejected from the game.  The team with the ejected player must play at a one man disadvantage for the rest of that game.  Any team that receives three red cards in one match must forfeit.

 

REFEREES

 

 

Each game should be monitored by a 6-man staff.  The head ref and assistant head ref should be on either side of the halfcourt line.  The other four refs should position themselves at each of the four corners of the court.  They may move back and forth with the flow of the game, but should stay in these general areas.  All referees have the ability to see players commit penalties, but it must be the head or asst. head referees who physically announce the penalty and card the player.

 

Head Ref: The guy in charge, the head ref is the ultimate authority on the court.  Like all refs, it’s his job to make sure the game stays safe and under control.  It is also his job to signal hits/catches, hand out red/yellow cards, talk with captains before/during the match to lay out the ground rules, announce when a throw does not reset the shot clock, mediate disputes, make sure refs are on the same page, start and stop play, etc.  The head ref should also be the ref near both out lines.
Asst. Head Ref:  Same responsibilities as the head ref, his other main job is to back up the head ref.
Shot Clock Refs: Two referees whose main jobs are to indicate hits/catches and to be the shot clock for the team they are next to.  To signal the shot clock, silently count from one to fifteen, stretching out your arm with each count (if you watch basketball, do it like the five second rule).  When you get to 10, begin counting LOUDLY in addition to the hand motion.  “TEN…ELEVEN…TWELVE…”  If you reach “FIFTEEN” and the team has not thrown a ball, stop play, announce “shot clock violation” and give all balls to the other team.  Remember that a legit attempt to strike another player resets the shot clock to zero, and that if a team has no dodgeballs they do not have a shot clock.
NEW FOR 2007-2008!  Once a team is down to five players or less, their shot clock is reduced to 10 instead of 15.  If in the middle of a shot clock, that clock remains unchanged, begin the 10-second clock with the next reset.  Announce “SHOT CLOCK 10” to let the team know of the change.  If a team catches enough players in to have more than five on the court, the shot clock is immediately extended to fifteen seconds.  Announce “SHOT CLOCK 15” to let the team know of this change.
CONSISTENCY IN SHOT CLOCK!  To avoid the question of bias by shot clock refs, the shot clock is to be in time with the game clock ie counting to 15 should be 15 seconds, counting to 10 should be 10 seconds.
Remaining refs:  Watches for false starts, hits/catches, makes sure players stay inbounds
Ball retrieval staff: Dodgeball will inevitably go out of play.  The home team should make sure they have enough people to surround the court and bring dodgeballs back into play.  They should PLACE the ball on the side/baseline at approximately the point where it exited play.
Uniforms: All game staff should be wearing clothing different from the teams playing.  Ref jerseys are advisable for referees.  If unavailable, just make sure the clothing is different from the players (eg, in an MSU v OSU game, staff should not wear green or red).  This helps eliminate confusion as to who is staff, who is playing, etc

          

 

REMAINDER OF REFEREE INSTRUCTIONS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT NCDADODGEBALL.COM

NO LATER THAN 9/1/2007.