How do you umpire in Netball?

what the Umpire does, has to look out for etc

Usually there are two netball umpires each has a long side of the court and the back end on their
right to run along, and each umpires their right half of the court. But if in your case you are the
only umpire you just do the whole court. The umpire blows the whistle at the start of the game, at
every centre pass, when a rule has been broken, and when a goal has been shot.

Here is a list of rules you should look out for.

PLAYING THE BALL

A player is considered to have possession of the ball when they have control of it with one or two
hands. Once a player has possession of the ball, they must play the ball by bouncing or throwing
it to another player, or attempting a shot at goal, within three seconds. Players cannot punch,
kick, roll or fall onto the ball; nor play the ball while kneeling or sitting. Once the ball has been
played, it cannot be replayed by the same player until the ball comes into contact with another
player or the goal post.

OFFSIDE

Players are offside if any part of their body touches a playing area other than their designated
one. On the line is in . You may lean on the ball in an offside area to regain balance as long as no
part of your body touches the court.

OVER A THIRD

The ball may not be thrown over a complete third without being touched by a player in that third.
A player is considered to have thrown from the third they landed in when they gained possession
of the ball, even if they step into another third as they throw.

OUT OF COURT

A ball is out of court if it touches the ground, any player, any other person or any object that is in
contact with the ground outside the court. A throw-in is taken by a member of the opposing team
to who was in possession of the ball when it went out of court.

STEPPING

The first foot a players lands on as they catch the ball is their grounded foot. The grounded foot
may be lifted but the ball must be thrown before the grounded foot can be placed on the court
again. So, you can land on one foot, take a step or jump onto the other foot, but must then play
the ball before the first foot is placed back down. If the player has both feet on the ground as they
catch the ball, or lands on both feet simultaneously, the players decide which foot is to be the
grounded foot.

CENTRE PASS

All players must be onside when the umpire starts play. If a player is onside and subsequently
moves into the centre third before the whistle has been blown, they are breaking. The centre pass
must be caught or touched in the centre third.

The penalty for all of the above rules is a free pass where the infringement occurred. eg for
offside the free pass is taken from the area the offside player went into. For the next set of rules,
the penalty is a penalty pass, where the offending player must stand at the place of the
infringement and take no part in the play until the ball has been thrown by the opposing team. If
the offending player is not out of play, the umpire may call the pass back to be taken again if
there was no advantage to the non-offending team.

OBSTRUCTION

A player who is actively defending a pass being thrown or received must be at least 0.9 metres (3
feet) from their opponent. A player may be lass than 3 feet if no attempt is being made to actively
defend a pass or shot. A player may also attempt to intercept a pass, feign pass or shot from
within 3 feet, but must not actively defend the player. A player may not use intimidating
movements or language from any distance, to a player with or without the ball. The distance is
measured from the grounded foot of the passer to the nearest foot of the defender. If the passer
has both feet simultaneously grounded, then the distance is measured from the nearest foot of the
passer and defender. If defense takes position 3 feet from the grounded foot of the passer but the
passer then steps forward shortening that distance, the defender is not obliged to step back and
the passer must accept the disadvantage they have brought upon themselves.

CONTACT

Whether accidentally or deliberately, a player may not come into personal contact with an
opponent in a manner that interferes with their play. In attacking a player may not push, trip,
knock or throw their body against an opponent. In defense a player may not feel or hold an
opponent, feel for their uniform, or keep any partof their body up against the opponent. While
holding a ball, a player may not use that ball to push against any part of an opponent.

TOSS-UPS

In the case of two players infringing at the same time, a toss up is taken between those two
players or, in the case of two players simultaneously going offside, by any two players allowed in
that area of the court. For a toss-up, the two players concerned shall stand facing each other and
their respective goals with their arms by their sides. The umpire shall bring the ball in just below
shoulder height of the shortest player and toss the ball a small distance into the air blowing their
whistle. On the whistle each player makes an attempt to gain possession of the ball or bat it in
any direction except directly at an opponent. If one player moves before the whistle is blown, the
ball is awarded to other player.