General

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1. Totally Netball Leagues are all about allowing as many people to enjoy a game of netball as possible, so uniforms are not a requirement.  We will supply bibs to distinguish the teams, and only ask that all players wear suitable footwear, have short nail and no jewellery.

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Before Play

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1. Before play can commence, payments (where applicable) need to have been received by the Coordinators.

2. Captains will be responsible to ensure all team members are ready to take the court by checking nails are short and smooth and all jewellery has been removed.  Wedding rings will be allowed, however, need to be securely taped.  If the umpires see any jewellery or long nails, the player will be asked to leave the court to rectify the situation by either removing the jewellery or cutting the nails.  This is to keep all players safe for the duration of the match.

3. Captains will toss for centre pass and goal end, and will notify the umpires and scorers of the result.

Please ensure this is done prior to the start time of your match.

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Team Sheets

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Captains are responsible for ensuring that the Team Sheet is complete prior to taking the court.

We will not tolerate incompletion of the Team Sheet and we offer a 3 strike rule - after the 3rd strike we will enforce the following:

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1. Deduct 5 points from the team

2. Suspend the team from playing for the rest of the season

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This is based on 3 strikes within the season but teams that continually fail to complete the Team Sheets on a regular basis, across numerous seasons, will be permanently banned from Totally Netball's leagues.

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Playing for other teams

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1. Players will be allowed to play for any other team in any other league whilst registered with Totally Netball.

2. A league with 3 divisions will have the following rules:

   • A player who competes in division 1 will not be allowed to play for a team in division 3 but will be allowed to play for a team in division 2.​

   • A player who plays in division 2 will be allowed to play for a team in division 3 or division 1.

   • A player who plays in a lower division will be required to play out of position i.e. if the player normally plays in the attacking circle or defending circle, then they will need to play anywhere else except for the attacking or defending circle (depending on which they play)

Payments

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1. Match fees will be determined and communicated prior to the start of the league.  We will accept cash or BACS (if paid in prior to game).

2. Should you be unable to field a team you will still need to pay the full fee, as the expenses of the league will not change.  Please note that this forfeit fee will be due the next week.

3. Any games postponed due to bad weather will, obviously, not be charged and these games will be rearranged, all teams will be advised of when these fixtures will be held.

4. Any abandoned games will be considered played after 2 full quarters and the result will be recorded.  Abandoned games must be paid, as the League expenses do not change.

5. If you are unable to play a match, the forfeit fee as above, will be charged.  Every attempt will be made to rearrange the match and the normal match fees will be due for the re-arranged fixture.

6. If your opposition has cancelled the match/does not show up to play, you will be given a choice of playing a friendly – subject to others being available, or not playing.  The costs will be the same.

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Officials

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1. Umpires will be organised by the league.  The teams must remember that in all decisions the umpires have a duty of care to ALL players and control the matches accordingly.  Please also remember that Umpires are trained, but don’t always get it right so we ask that all players respect their decisions.  Any questions or clarifications can be addressed during a break, when the captain and the affected player may approach the umpire for clarification only.

2. Should there be a need for a decision on a game being abandoned this decision should be discussed and decided by the umpires, team captains and the coordinator of the league.  The aim is to play all games wherever possible, even in adverse weather conditions, however player & umpire safety is paramount. 

3. Scorers, all teams are asked to have a substitute or supporter who is able to update the score  to facilitate clear communication throughout the matches.  This must be an additional person to the 7 on court as they will be required to score the match at the same time their team is playing.

4. Timer and Coordinator will be organised by the league.

 

Timing

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1. Games will be played in 4 equal quarters with central timing.

2. Each quarter will be 12 minutes long.

3. There will be a 1-minute break after each quarter, with a 2-minute break at half-time

4. All games will start at the designated time, so please be ready to play at your appointed time.

 

Scoring

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1. A win will earn 5 points

2. A draw will earn 3 points

3. A loss by less than half the oppositions score will earn 1 point.

4. A win by more than double the oppositions score will earn 1 bonus point.

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Injury

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1. Either the injured player or a team member should call for ‘time’ if there is an injury.  In some circumstances, the umpires will stop the game, however the severity of an injury may not be immediately apparent to an umpire, so please shout clearly to stop the game.

2. In the event of an injury, please be aware that the Umpires will not administer first aid.  The game will be stopped and England Netball Rules will be applied at the discretion of the Umpire.  Basic First Aid equipment will be at the Coordinator’s table; however, it is advisable to have a team member who is competent in first aid.  The Umpires will always use common sense when deciding whether to continue or abandon the game.

3. The league and Totally Netball cannot be held responsible for any injury/injuries sustained throughout the duration of the league, so please ensure that you are covered by your own insurance.  There is no insurance provided by the league for players or umpires.

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7-a-side Netball

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1. All teams should have at least 7 players in their squad, however, it’s always a good idea to have substitutes in case of injuries or sickness.

2. A team can take the court as long as they have a minimum of 5 players.  If they have less than this at the designated time, they will have 5 minutes’ leeway before the game will be considered forfeited, and the points awarded accordingly.

3. Should any team be late, their opponents should take the court and will be awarded a goal a minute until the opposition takes the court.  However, if the team arrives after 5 minutes, the game will be considered forfeited and the points awarded accordingly.  A friendly can be played at this point, and the normal match fee will apply.  Should no game be played the absentee will be charged the full match fee for both teams.

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Mixed Netball

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​Each league will have their own rules which will be sent out to the captains as to how many male and females can participate.

 

Netball Rules

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1. Games will be played in line with England Netball rules. Please visit http://netball.org/game/the-rules-of-netball for more info on specific rules. 

 

Fair Play

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1. Our primary aim is for everyone to have fun and enjoy the league. There are likely to be a few accidental bumps and bruises along the way, but umpires will not tolerate any unsporting behaviour. 

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Points

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1. Win (W) = 5 Points

2. Draw (D) = 3 Points

3. Loss (L) = 0 Points

4. Winning Bonus Point (WBP) = 1

   1. Winning by more than double the oppositions score

5. Losing Bonus Point (LBP) = 1

   1. Losing by half or less than the oppositions score

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Bad Weather Policy

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Totally Netball's priority when playing netball is the safety of the players and officials. We understand that at times the weather can determine whether or not it is safe to play. Therefore, please see our policy below stating our process through cold and rainy weather.

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The process will take place at 15:00 on the day of the leagues that play in the evening and 17:00 the day before for leagues that play in the day.

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We will use BBC Weather as our reference.

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• Prior to the first match of a league, if the weather is forecast to be below 0 degrees Celsius we will postpone the matches.

• Prior to the first match of a league, if the weather is forecast to below 3 degrees Celsius we will follow our inspection process (see below).

• If the temperature is forecast to drop below 0 degrees Celsius, whilst the matches are being played, the umpires and coordinators will make a decision as to whether or not the game can continue and if the next matches can be played.

• If there has been excessive rain throughout the day and there is a fear of standing water, we will then follow our inspection process (see below).

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Inspection Process:

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1. We will be in constant contact with the venue, throughout the day, to determine the safety of the courts.

2. If the venue determines the courts to be playable we will continue an inspection of the courts around 15:30 (as close to that time as possible).

3. If the courts are still deemed safe to play on, we will then do another court inspection 30 minutes prior to the first matches.

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Under no circumstances will Totally Netball overrule a venue or officials decision to postpone matches taking part on the court,

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Updates, to the team captains, will be communicated through WhatsApp at regular intervals throughout the day (or day before for day time leagues).