Section 1: Referees & Officials
§1.1 – Referee
§1.1.1 – The head Referee maintains full control of the game for the duration, including stoppages. Any decision the head Referee makes shall be final. There may be one or two Referees.
If there is only one Referee they are positioned on the side of the court at the half-court line.
If there are two Referees:
They may be positioned on the same side of the court next to one another in order to communicate who is watching on-ball play and off-ball play.
They may be positioned on opposite sides of the court and offset from half-court towards the goals in opposite directions. They observe on-ball play in the half of the court in which they reside.
One Referee is designated as the head Referee to rule on final decisions. This occurs prior to the start of the game and is communicated to each team.
§1.1.2 – The Referee determines, prior to each game, if each player's equipment is legal according to §2.
§1.1.2.1 – The Referee has the discretion to signal a stoppage of play if at any point during play they deem a player's equipment to be unsafe and restarts play only when the issue is resolved. No time-outs are charged to either team.
§1.1.3 – The Referee is equipped with a whistle and a stopwatch to indicate immediate stoppage of play, the start/restart of play and to maintain the game clock if there is no Official.
§1.1.4 – The Referee signals the start of the game according to §4.1.
§1.1.5 – The Referee signals all stoppages and starts of play according to §§4.1 and 4.2.
§1.1.6 – The Referee signals all dabs according to §8.1.
§1.1.7 – The Referee signals all penalties according to §6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and enforces them accordingly.
§1.1.8 – The Referee signals the end of the game with two long whistles.
§1.1.9 – Hand Signals
§1.1.9.1 – Start of Play – The Referee requests and receives verbal confirmation that teams are ready, raises an arm in the air and blows the whistle, dropping the arm simultaneously.
§1.1.9.2 - Restart of Play – The Referee requests and receives verbal confirmation that teams are ready, extends an arm outward with palm facing up to indicate play can begin.
§1.1.9.3 – Penalty – If the team with possession of the ball commits a penalty, it is signaled by an immediate long blow of the whistle.
§1.1.9.4 – Delayed Penalty – If the team that does not have possession of the ball commits a penalty, an advantage is signaled by raising an arm straight into the air and shouting: “Advantage, (team with possession)”.
§1.1.9.4.1 – The Referee can choose to signal a delayed penalty with a noise-making device – such as a cowbell – that is discernible from a whistle. The Referee must communicate this choice to both teams prior to the start of the game.
§1.1.9.5 – Possession after a stoppage – Possession is signaled with an arm straight out in the direction of the team who restarts with the ball per §4.2.
§1.2 – Score & Timekeeping Official
§1.2.1 – The Official is positioned at half court on the sidelines, near the Referee, and is equipped with a stopwatch and pen and paper if game logs are required by the tournament organizer.
§1.2.2 – The Official shouts out game–times at 2 or 3 minute intervals and after goals.
§1.2.3 – The Official shouts out a two minute warning, followed by ninety seconds, sixty seconds, thirty seconds, and a countdown from ten seconds to one.
§1.2.4 – The Official maintains the game log on paper with time and scorer of all goals, penalties, and unofficially via any displayed scoreboard.
§1.2.5 – If there is a timer and scoreboard visible to players, the Official is responsible for starting, stopping the time and adding goals to it; however, the official game clock and score are on the stopwatch and game log in possession of the Official or Referee.
§1.2.6 – While a penalized player is serving a Minor or Major penalty off the court, the Official counts down the time remaining from 10 seconds until they can reenter active play.
§1.3 – Goal Judges
§1.3.1 – There are 2 Goal Judges each game, one positioned behind each goal.
§1.3.1.1 – If this position is not available, an alternative can be approved by the Referee.
§1.3.2 – The Goal Judges are visually distinguishable from spectators.
§1.3.3 – A Goal Judge returns the goal to its starting position if it is moved during play.
§1.3.3.1 – If the court does not allow access for the Goal Judge, the Referee must delegate this responsibility to another volunteer. If no access to the court is available, players are instructed that they are responsible for returning the goal to the correct position.
§1.3.4 – A Goal Judge must be prepared to provide perspective to the Referee regarding any potential scores or penalties near the crease and goal. This interaction is strictly consultative and the final call must be made by the Referee.
§1.3.5 – A Goal Judge should signal what they perceive to be a penalty in or near the crease by waving an arm or a flag, however the final decision must be made by the Referee.