1. Objective The objective of the game is to eliminate all of the other players on the opposing team before they eliminate your team. 2. Structure 2.1. Boundaries: The game will be played within specified boundaries designated by the officials before the match. Players who go over a boundary line during play are eliminated. 2.2. Equipment: The game will be played with six balls provided by the league. Players are expected to provide protective gear as they see fit, though no apparel used in gaining control, retaining control or throwing a ball is permitted. 2.3. Roster 2.3.1. Teams will be made up of eight players. 2.3.2. Teams will play with a maximum of eight players in any one game who are at least 18 years of age, registered and paid league dues. If a player arrives after the start of a match, they must sit until the start of the next game. 2.3.3. Teams will designate a captain. The captain will be responsible for the operational needs of the team and serve as a liaison between Omaha Dodgeball and their teammates. 2.3.4. Teams may use substitutes approved by both team captains and Omaha Dodgeball staff. Cleared new players must pay $5 per night to play. 2.3.5. Teams cannot have more than five players of either gender, and must have at least one member of either gender in co-ed division. 2.3.6. If a team cannot field sufficient players to compete in a match at the start time, that team will be forfeited. 2.3.6.1. The opposing team is awarded a match win with seven games. 2.3.6.2. Both teams are allowed to play during their allotted match time in a manner agreed upon by the team captains or representatives. 2.3.6.3. Exception: A forfeit is avoided if both team captains and Omaha Dodgeball staff agree to permit substitutes from another team�¢??s roster for the deficient team. No substitutions are allowed for the end-of-season tournament. 2.3.7. If a player misses four or more weeks, said player may be replaced in season and could be ineligible to play the following season at the discretion of Omaha Dodgeball staff. 2.4. Match composition 2.4.1. The team with the most wins in the match is determined the winner. 2.4.1.1. During the regular season, matches are played with a series of games during a 25-minute period with potential resulting ties. 2.4.1.2. During the end-of-season tournament, matches are played as a best-of series with a definitive winning team. 2.4.2. Teams are allowed an optional one-minute break between each game. The subsequent game may begin when both teams and officials are ready. 3. Flow of the Game 3.1. The referee will determine which side of the court each team will play on. If the facility does not offer symmetric areas behind each court, either team may request to switch sides between each or every other game. 3.2. The referee will place the six balls on the center line. 3.3. Each starting roster line up behind the end line. 3.4. The head official motions to each side to line up at their end line before calling the team to his/her right ready and then the team to his/her left ready. 3.5. Upon the designated assistant official�¢??s whistle to start play, the opening rush occurs. The two balls on the right are designated to your time, with the two middle balls open to either team. If one player is determined to have left early, the officials may declare a false start and require a restart. 3.6. Players must bring their balls behind the attack line before they throw. 3.7. Teams will attempt to eliminate opposing team members. 3.8. Players are eliminated if: 3.8.1. They are struck by an opponent�¢??s live ball on any part of their body or clothing. 3.8.2. They live throw is caught by an opposing player. 3.8.3. Any part of their body touches out of bounds or on the opponents�¢?? side of the court. 3.8.4. They use a ball, an out of play object or another person not in play to stay in bounds 3.8.5. They execute a headshot on an opposing player. 3.8.6. They kick a ball during the opening rush or at an opposing player. 3.8.7. They slide on the opening rush. 3.8.8. They make intentional contact with an opposing player. 3.8.9. They slap or strip a ball from an opposing player. 3.9. Players called out by a referee must leave the court quickly by going to the nearest boundary and not interfere with play. If an official determines an eliminated player interfered with play by blocking a live ball at a teammate, said teammate will be eliminated. 3.10. When an eliminated player enters their out queue to await regeneration or the conclusion of the game, they should line up in the order that they were eliminated. 3.11. Play continues until all members of one team are eliminated, declaring the opposing team the winner. 4. Stopping a Game 4.1. Only officials may stop play and do so for any reason by repeatedly blowing the whistle and walking out onto the court with arms out indicating the stop in play. They must stop play in these circumstances: 4.1.1. A player is injured or bleeding. 4.1.2. A player who is eliminated, but is unaware or refuses to leave the court. 4.1.3. A player is struck in the head by a thrown ball. 4.1.4. One official needs to discuss a situation with another official or Omaha Dodgeball staff. During an officials�¢?? discussion: 4.1.4.1. All in-play players on the teams will be asked to remain at the end line. 4.1.4.2. All eliminated players are expected to stay in the out queue. 4.1.4.3. All bench players and shaggers are expected to stay in their respective areas. 4.1.4.4. Failure for teams to comply may result in a team yellow or red card. 4.2. During a stop in play, players should hold on to any balls they have and go to their end line and wait for the officials to restart play. 4.3. To restart play, all in-play members of both teams will stand near the end line before the official blows his or her whistle. 5. End of the Match 5.1. Play is stopped when the match timer runs out with the current game counting as neither win nor loss. 5.2. Teams are expected to participate in a post-match handshake line to congratulate each other at midcourt. 5.3. The referee will record the result of the match and preparations for the following match will be made. Terms & Definitions Attack line: After the opening rush, the entire ball and he player�¢??s body must be returned behind this line before an initial throw at the opposing team. If the neither are taken back, any ball thrown cannot eliminate an opposing player. Ball penalty: If for any reason the burden of throw does not result in legitimate action, the official may require the offending team relinquish possession of one or more balls to the opposing team. Block: A player may use a ball to block a thrown ball, at which point fingers are considered part of the ball. Burdon of throw: Officials will determine which team must throw if teams do not take action on their own using the following rules before enforcing any ball penalties: A. The team with the three or more balls must throw. B. Teams will never be required to throw their last ball. C. Officials will begin a 10 second countdown. If the team does not meet the burden requirements, they will forfeit all balls. Catch: The moment an active player demonstrates control of a live ball with at least one hand, eliminating the thrower. A player can catch a ball that strikes them before it hits another player, another live ball, the floor, the ceiling or any object out of play to avoid elimination and eliminate the thrower. Exceptions: If a player is hit by another live ball before demonstrating possession, the subsequent catch does not count. A player may not leap into the opponent�¢??s side of the court to make a catch. Center line: The line dividing the court in half, which players may not cross, except to execute a suicide play. Conduct: Players and bystanders are expected to be respectful to their teammates, opponents, officials, bystanders and staff at all times. Players who display inappropriate or unsportsmanlike behavior face penalties ranging from a warning to ejection from the league. Elimination, eliminated, eliminate: When a player is called out, the player is no longer active in the game and must retire to the out queue. Headshot: When a live ball hits an upright or jumping opposing player in the head, the thrower is eliminated and the player struck remains in the game. Players are allowed to defend themselves if the ball will strike their head, in which case the throw is still considered a headshot. A live throw is not a headshot if: A. The player attempts to catch the ball. B. The player drops from an upright position. C. A live ball is blocked by a player into their head or the head of another player. Headshot immunity: If a headshot is part of a cluster of thrown balls at a player, the player is immune to all thrown balls that are part of the cluster. Any catches made by the player during the cluster eliminates the opponent and regenerates a teammate. Jailbreak: When a team is down to their last player, that player may attempt to make a basket through the basketball hoop opposite of the player�¢??s side of the court. The game will continue to play as normal during this period. Only one jailbreak can occur per game per team. The opposing team may try to block the ball, though no cheerleading stunts or other unsafe play requiring the assisted elevation of a teammate is permitted. Once any part of the ball breaks the plane of the rims circumference, the opponent cannot interfere with the play. Interference after this point�¢??including, and not limited to tampering with the basketball goal and net or reverse ejection�¢??will result in a successful jailbreak. If the ball hits any part of the court other than the backboard or him, the ball is dead Live ball: A ball legally thrown by an active player is live until the ball touches a player, another live ball, the floor, the ceiling or any object out of play. Opening rush: Upon the designated assistant official�¢??s whistle to start play, players retrieve balls placed at center court. The two balls on the right are designated to your time, with the middle ball open to either team. Order of events: In situations where multiple game events happen in quick succession, officials will eliminate players based on the order of events, with each event taking effect in the order that they occurred. Out queue: A designated area where eliminated players wait to be regenerated or await the conclusion of the game. Pinching: The act of folding the rubber of the ball over itself or substantially deforming the ball to grip the ball is a pinch. This is not allowed and any player found pinching will be eliminated. Possession: A team is considered in possession of a ball held by a member of the team, or resting on the floor on that team�¢??s side of the court. Red card: A referee will immediately eject a player or team or spectator from a match for receiving two yellow cards in a match or for escalate inappropriate or unsportsmanlike behavior. If a player is ejected, their team may not substitute for the ejected player for the remainder of the match. All red cards will be under review by Omaha Dodgeball staff and its owners and may result in ejection for the rest of the season. Regeneration: When a teammate catches a live ball, a previously eliminated player in the out queue will return to the game in the order in which they were eliminated within approximately five seconds from the out queue or end line. If next eligible person to be regenerated is not in the out queue at the catch, the regeneration is forfeit. Players may not regenerate out of order. Save: If a live ball contacts a player and a teammate catches the ball before it hits another live ball, the floor, the ceiling or any object out of play, the hit player is not eliminated nor is the thrower. Shaggers: Shagging is retrieving a ball out of bounds for play, typically done by a Omaha Dodgeball League player not in the match. If no shaggers are available: A. A teammate last in the queue may retrieve out-of-bounds balls. B. And only one player is in the queue, said player must check into the queue before shagging. C. And no players are in the queue, a player in play may retrieve a ball out of play with the official�¢??s permission. Simultaneous events: If game events appear to have occurred at the same time, or the officials cannot determine the Order of Events, the officials shall apply the effects of all events that occurred simultaneously. Sudden death: When only one player remains on each team during a game, the throw line immediately extends to the opposing team�¢??s attack line. There will be no stop in play and jailbreaks may still be attempted. Suicide play: A play when a player intentionally jumps across the center line to throw out a member of the opposing team before landing with one ball. A. If successful, the thrower must return to their side of the court. They can catch any live balls thrown at them while on the opponent�¢??s side of the court, though no eliminations or regenerations occur upon said catch. They cannot bring any balls back from the opponent�¢??s side of the court. The thrower is out following a successful suicide if: a. They make contact with an opposing player. b. They interfere with play on the opponent�¢??s side of the court. c. They step out of bounds. d. They are struck by an opponent�¢??s live ball. B. If unsuccessful, the thrower is eliminated. Throw line: The boundary line separating the two teams during play, typically the center line. In sudden death, the throw line extended to the attack line. Following any immediate continuation of play, officials will reset each player on their end line. Jailbreaks may still be attempted. Trap: A trap occurs when a player catches a ball at the same time it contacts the floor. It is not a catch and neither player is eliminated. Note: A ball that contacts the player first, and then is caught as it contacts the floor is not a trap or a catch and eliminates the player. Upright: Players are allowed to slightly bend their knees and slightly bend over in some sort of ready position and still be considered upright for purposes of headshots. Yellow card: A referee will warn a player or spectator during a match for inappropriate or unsportsmanlike behavior.