Here are a few very basic umpiring rules.

WHERE AND WHAT PART OF THE COURT DO I UMPIRE FROM?
Games are umpired by two umpires who stand on opposite sides of the court (outside the court lines).  Always umpire "to your right" from the centre circle.  You are also umpiring the entire sideline of the court on your side of the court.  You run with the play of the ball right down to "your" goal end.

WHO BLOWS THE WHISTLE FOR THE CENTRE PASS?
The whistle is blown for each centre pass by the umpire who had a goal scored in "their" goal end prior to the next centre pass.

HOW DO I KNOW WHO HAS THE CENTRE PASS?
The easiest way to remember who has the centre pass is to hold your whistle (or a hair tie around your wrist) in the hand of the side that has the next centre pass, ie: hold your whistle in your right hand if the team on "your" side of the court has the next centre pass and vice versa.

WHAT ARE THE PENALTIES FOR INFRINGEMENTS?
The penalties for infringements are:

Free pass
Penalty pass
Penalty pass or shot
Throw in
Toss up

A FREE PASS IS AWARDED FOR:
Offside
Over a third (the ball must be touched by a player in each third of the court)
Stepping
Held ball (when ball is held for more than 3 seconds)
Replayed ball

WHERE & WHO TAKES A FREE PASS:
The free pass is awarded to the team where the infringement occurred and the pass can be taken by any player allowed in that area

A PENALTY PASS IS AWARDED FOR:
Contact (with the ball or player)
Obstruction (being within .9M of the player with the ball)

WHERE & WHO TAKES A PENALTY PASS:
The player who infringes must stand beside and away from the passer and cannot move until the ball has been released
The pass is taken by any team member allowed in the are where the infringement occurred

PENALTY PASS OR SHOT:
If contact or obstruction by the defenders occurs in the goal circle, a penalty pass or shot is awarded where the infringer was standing

RULE BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE FROM CENTRAL OTAGO NETBALL - $5.00

Umpiring

People often view umpiring as a thankless and tough task. Although it can be challenging, those who umpire thoroughly enjoy it, seeing it as an opportunity to: give back to the game, stay involved in netball, facilitate games effectively, keep fit, personally develop and umpire at the highest possible level.

If you are new to the area and are wanting to umpire this season, please email [email protected] to express your interest and for further information. 

Umpiring Resources

• Scoring 101 (odds and evens), CLICK HERE
• NNZ resources i.e. Community umpiring manual, assessment criteria, practice tests ​​​​​​​

INF Rules

CLICK HERE for updated rule manual

Learning to Umpire Module

NNZ has a Learning to Umpire Module for New Umpires and Player Umpires which replaces the Netball New Zealand Centre Theory test. This module is the first step towards the Centre Umpire Award or a pre-requisite for some Centres for Player Umpires.

The Module helps New and Player Umpires understand some of the rules of netball as well as some practical techniques to enhance their umpiring.

Instruction on how to access and navigate the Learning to Umpire Module can be found here.

Want to progress your umpiring?

The first three Awards in umpiring are composed of a theoretical and practical aspect, these are the Centre, Zone and NZ Qualifying Awards.

To be considered for a practical assessment for a Centre Award, an umpire must first have completed the Learning to Umpire Module.

There are two exams for Umpires who have completed their Centre Umpire Award.

1. NNZ Zone Theory
2. New Zealand Theory Exam

Dates for the 2024 NNZ Zone Theory and New Zealand Theory exams have been set as shown below.

All exams will be conducted online.

All exams cost $55.