Overview

Rule 10

Teams can make substitutions and/or team changes:

1. During an interval.

2. When play is stopped for injury/illness of a player or blood.

At BHN teams can also use rolling substitutions and positional changes throughout the game.

Holding time

Umpires hold time: 

• For injury/illness following a request from an on-court player.

• When they notice active bleeding, an open wound or blood-stained clothing.

• If they notice something on court that may endanger the players (for example when a ball comes from another court).

They can also hold time without a request being made if there is an obvious or serious injury which would include an injury to the head or neck and/or suspected concussion. 

Injury/illness

When time is called for an injured or bleeding player:

• The player has 30 seconds to leave the court.

• Any treatment must take place off the court.

During this stoppage both teams can make substitutions or team changes, but they must be completed within the allocated time and involve the player for whom time was called.

Before play restarts, umpires will check that:

• There is no blood on the ball or court

• The injured player has left the court

• Any blood-stained clothing has been replaced.

If no substitution is made, play can restart with the position left vacant — except Centre.

If the Centre position is vacant, another player must move into that position before play can continue.

If a position is left vacant, a substitute may enter after notifying the umpire and at the next break in play.

Blood

Players who are bleeding, have an open wound or bloodstained clothing must leave the court and be substituted. 

Players with dried blood on them are permitted to clean up quickly and continue playing. This will usually happen while the bleeding player is being substituted or other players or the ball are being checked for blood. Any clothing that becomes blood-stained must be replaced within the time allowed for the stoppage by the umpires.

Video

📽️ Watch the video below for an explanation about player safety and stoppages.

Rolling substitutions and positional changes

At BHN we do not follow the rule for Tactical Changes (10.2) in the rule book. Instead, teams can make rolling substitutions or positional changes throughout the game.

Note: this is an association rule only - rules may differ at outside competitions

A rolling substitution occurs when a player leaves the court and is replaced by another player. 

A positional change occurs when players on court swap their playing positions.

How it works

While play is in progress, any team may choose to use rolling substitutions or postitional changes provided that there is no interruption to the flow of play.

The umpires do not need to be alerted and will not hold time for a rolling substitution or positional change.

Only 1 rolling substitute or positional change can be made at a time.

Neither Centre player may be involved in a rolling substitution and positional change between the scoring of a goal and the taking of the next centre pass.

The player being substituted must leave the court and swap patches with the rolling substitute off-court before the rolling substitute can enter the court.

The players involved in a position change must not take part in play until all playing patches are properly in place.

Players cannot go offside to change positions or be substituted.

Video

📽️ Watch the video below for an overview of how rolling substitutions and positional changes work at BHN.