All players in all sports are bound by Play Sask’s Policies & Procedures document. We want you to have fun and make friends in a safe, welcoming environment; teams that do not adhere to our Code of Conduct as outlined in the Policies & Procedures will be dealt with accordingly.
The team
- Each team has six players on the court.
- At least two players must be female, and at least two players must be male.
- We recommend a team of nine to 12 players so you have enough subs.
- Player substitutions are only allowed between sets.
- Subs who are not on the roster are allowed to play, but need to sign a waiver before the game (get one from your league rep)
- You need at least four players to start of the game — at least one female and one male. If you don’t have the minimum, you lose by default.
The game
- The court is half the gym split into two opposing sides.
- Some courts will have sidelines or out of bound areas depending on the gym.
- Each team starts with six players on the court.
- The goal is to get all six players on the opposing team out (a set).
- Each set is worth one point toward the score for the game.
- Games are 50 minutes long.
- The team with the most points at the end of the game wins!
Starting the set
- Dodgeballs are set on a line halfway to the centre line.
- Six players line up on the back wall.
- Once the teams are ready, one person from either team calls the starting countdown (e.g. “3, 2, 1, dodgeball!”)
- Grab the balls from your side of the court.
- The balls must touch the back wall before they can be thrown at the start of a set.
- You can toss a ball to a teammate BUT if they drop it, they’re out.
Gameplay rules
When you get out, you must immediately raise your hand and leave the court along the back wall.
You can only hold the ball for 10 seconds; after 10 seconds, the ball must be turned over. This rule is in place to prevent stalling and encourage continuous play.
You’re “out” if:
- You get hit with a live ball. Even if it only brushes your clothes. Note: You can’t get out by a dead ball. A ball is dead after it touches anything other than the player trying to catch the ball (e.g. the ground, ceiling, other players, other balls, league reps, etc.).
You can’t save a teammate by catching the ball they got hit with. - You hit someone in the head with the ball. PLUS the person you hit stays in. NO HEADSHOTS. Note: This rule DOESN’T apply if you’re hit in the head while ducking, or if a ball bounces off something and hits you in the head.
- Your ball is caught by the opposing team. PLUS one of the opposing teammates gets to come back on. Note: When a teammate brings a player in by catching a ball, they must return in the order they got out (first out, first back in).
- You drop a ball. This includes dropping a ball to catch another ball, having a ball knocked out of your hands by another ball, or throwing a ball that doesn’t at least roll across the centre line. You CAN throw a ball to catch another ball as long as it crosses the centre line. Fumbling a dead ball or bouncing a ball does not count as dropping it.
- Your ball doesn’t cross the centre line. Note: The ball CAN roll across the centre line!
- Your hand or arm is hit while blocking. You can block a shot with the ball you’re holding, but it must be a clean block.
- You hold two balls at the same time.
- You touch the floor across the centre line.
Ending the set
- When there is only one player remaining on one side, the team with the single player starts a 60-second countdown — once the time is up, a second player can rejoin the game.
- When there is one player remaining on both sides, there is no 60-second countdown for a teammate to return, and players may cross over the center line to attack.
- When all players are out, the set is over, and a point is scored for the winning team.
Ending the game
- When there is three minutes left in a game, the league rep will call “all in,” and all of the teammates at the game that day will play the next round. The result of an “all in” game does not count toward the game’s final score.
- If the game is tied when “all in” is called, the tie-breaking set must be played with regular rules, six versus six, and no all in game will be played.
Player conduct
- Games are self-officiated. You are responsible for calling yourself out. Be honest!
- All players are bound by Play Sask’s Policies & Procedures document, including our Code of Conduct.
- Respect the league rep — they’re not a referee, but they’re running the event, and their decisions are final.
- Do not throw excessively hard — this is a fun league, not competitive! Lighten up.
- DO NOT SQUEEZE THE BALLS. The league rep will ask you to stop. If you do not stop, you could be suspended. Squeezing the balls shortens their life and gives an unfair advantage to the thrower.
- Do not stockpile balls — if all the balls have collected on your side of the court, it’s good sportsmanship to send up to three to the other team.
- Be respectful of the facilities — don’t wear marking shoes, and clean up after yourself.
Spirit points
Spirit points are awarded to the opposing team at the end of each match, on a scale of 0-5.
Teams must maintain an overall rating of 3 to play in the finals. Play Sask managers will encourage teams that have a rating of less than 3 to improve their sportsmanship. Low spirit scores may be used as an indicator of how well a team adheres to the code of conduct; if your score is too low and does not improve, your team may be penalized.
5 = The game was extremely fun! We wish all of our opponents were like this!
- All of our players really enjoyed playing against all of the opposing team’s players
- Our opponents exhibited a great deal of sportsmanship throughout the game
- They were extremely knowledgeable about the rules, OR were very receptive to learning
4 = The game was a lot of fun!
- Most of our players enjoyed playing against most of the opposing team’s players
- Our opponents exhibited good sportsmanship throughout the game
- They were fairly knowledgeable about the rules, OR were fairly receptive to learning
3 = The game was okay, but there were a few poor plays or discrepancies
- Some of our players enjoyed playing against some of the opposing team’s players
- Our opponents exhibited some sportsmanship throughout the game
- Our opponents knew most of the rules, but sometimes made questionable calls
2 = Several discrepancies or opposing players made the game not much fun to play
- Most of our players did not enjoy playing against most of the opposing team’s players
- Our opponents exhibited a lack of sportsmanship throughout the game
- They seemed confused about the rules, and were not receptive to learning them
1 = This team was not fun at all to play against
- None of our players enjoyed playing against the opposing team
- Our opponents exhibited poor sportsmanship throughout the game
- They were not very knowledgeable about the rules and did not want to learn them
0 = We didn’t get to play a match because the team didn’t show up.
- The other team defaulted.
Playoffs
The regular season is nine weeks long, with a 10th week of playoffs for the top four teams. Teams must maintain an overall Spirit Point rating of three to play in the finals. No new subs can play during the playoffs (no ringers).
Tie breakers are determined as follows, if tied for most wins:
- Higher total in-game points
- Higher overall spirit point score
What’s different from Saskatoon Rec League?
- You ARE allowed to stop or kick a ball with your feet, and push a ball with another ball to a teammate.
- When re-entering the court from a caught ball, you must touch the back wall to signify that you are back in.
- When there is one player remaining on both sides, there is no 60-second timer for a teammate to return, and players may cross over the center line to attack.
- The Spirit Scores are on a scale of 0-5; see the description above for more details.
- The regular season is nine weeks long, with a 10th week of playoffs for the top four teams.
- Teams must maintain an overall Spirit Point rating of three to play in the finals. No new subs can play during the playoffs (no ringers).
- The result of an “all in” game (when everyone on the team plays the last game) does not count toward the game’s final score.
- If the game is tied when “all in” is called, the tie-breaking set must be played with regular rules, six versus six, and no all-in game will be played.
Something missing?
Did we miss a rule, or does one of the rules need clarification? If you have any question, concerns, or comments, please get in touch!