•• Rules For All Sports: To be eligible for playoffs, participants must play in at least 3 regular season games for their team. The purpose of the League Rep(s) are not to referee the games. Team captains and their teams are expected to referee their own games accordingly and responsibly. League Rep(s) will step-in to make important calls and clarify rules at their own discretion. If issues arise, team captains are asked to speak with the League Rep(s). No players except for captains should approach the League Rep(s) with issues. ••
A. GENERAL
- Teams are advised to be at the courts 10 minutes before the game.
- A match will consist of two 25-minute halves with a 5-minute break between halves.
- Teams are comprised of 6 players (minimum 2 females) on the court at one time. Each game begins with 5 players on their side of the court and one player standing on a bench located at the back of the opponent’s court.
- At minimum, a team must field at least 4 players. If only 1 female player is present, the team must play with one less player; if NO female players are present, the team will automatically forfeit the game.
- The object of the game is to throw the ball through the air to the teammate on the opposing bench. If the teammate is able to catch the ball while remaining on the bench, then the player who threw the ball will join the teammate on the bench — and can then also catch balls from the remaining teammates not yet on the bench. Once all of the players on a team make it onto the bench, the team wins the game.
- Teams will play as many games as allowed within the time period (50 minutes). Each win equals one point in the overall match. The final score after 50 minutes indicates how many games each team has won.
- Every player on the team MUST have at least one turn on the bench. After every player has begun a game on the bench, players are then allowed to start on the bench as often as they prefer.
B. GAME PLAY – START
- Each game starts with 3 balls on each end of the centre line.
- One player from each team must start the game by standing on the bench in their opponent’s end. The remaining five players on each team start by touching the back wall in their respective ends.
- A whistle is blown to start each game. The five players who are not on the bench can then rush to the centre line to grab the 3 balls located to their right. (Note: Players can not retrieve the 3 balls located to their left, as it belongs to the opposing team).
- After retrieving the balls from the centre line, players can immediately attempt to throw the ball(s) to their teammate on the far bench. Players do not need to bring the ball back to the bench or the wall first.
C. GAME PLAY – FINISH
- If a team has only 1 player remaining on the court (i.e. the rest of the players have made it onto the bench), the game is won once that final player throws a ball and is caught legally by one of their teammates. The remaining player does NOT have to run and stand on the bench.
- In the event that each team has only 1 player remaining on the court, whichever players’ throw is caught by their teammates first will determine the winner. In the event that the catches are simultaneous (or too close to determine), the game will be declared a draw and no points will be given out.
- All players, not including the final ball thrower, have to be standing on the bench at the moment the final ball is caught for the win to be valid.
- In the event where multiple balls are caught resulting in all remaining players to be eligible to reach the bench, the last player to have their ball caught must remain on the court and throw another ball to validate the win. If multiple balls from the same team are caught at the same time to end the game, the team has the option to choose which player will go and who remains.
- At their discretion, the League Rep will announce the final game when time is almost at the 50-minute mark.
D. RULES / INFRACTIONS
- Players may only have 1 ball in their possession at a time. If a player picks up a second ball, that ball is considered dead and they must roll the ball to the opposing team.
- Players may not cross the centre line — except to make their way onto the bench after their ball is caught by a teammate. If a player steps on or crosses the line when in the motion of throwing a ball, the catch will not count.
- Once a player picks up a ball, they will only have 10 seconds to throw the ball. If a player takes longer than 10 seconds to throw, that ball is considered dead and they must roll the ball to the opposing team. Players may not repeatedly pick up and drop a ball in order to circumvent the 10-second rule.
- A player on the bench may only catch 1 ball at a time.
- A clean catch is one that is caught without the ball touching the bench, ceiling, wall, or floor.
- A player cannot touch the wall or floor in the process of catching the ball. If the ball is caught and a player touches either the wall or floor in the process, the catch will not count. However, players may catch a ball from a deflection off their own teammate or the opposing defending player — as long as it is not also deflected off the bench, ceiling, wall, or floor.
- A player on the bench may deflect the ball to another player on the bench; and if it is caught, this is a clean catch provided both players who touch the ball remain on the bench the entire time.
- Due to safety reasons, players may not be lifted up by another player(s) at any time while on the bench or on the court.
- Once a clean catch is made, the player on the bench may throw the ball back to their teammates. The player who threw the clean catch may not interfere with any players or balls while running across the court to join their teammate(s) on the bench.
- Players on the defending team cannot step on or go behind the taped line located in front of the bench on their end. If a defending player blocks a thrown ball but crosses the line in the process of doing so, the thrown ball will be deemed as a successful catch as called by the player(s) on the bench.
- Players on the bench can retrieve balls behind the taped-off area and throw it back to their teammates
- Teams cannot hoard the balls; players should make an effort to keep the balls in motion. If the League Rep notices that a team is hoarding the balls, they have the authority to roll some of those balls to the opposing team.
- A player may reach over the centre line or taped off area to grab a loose ball as long as no part of their body touches the line or the floor in the prohibited areas.
