What Is a Free Pass in Netball?
The free pass in netball explained: the standard restart for most infringements, and how it differs from a penalty pass.
A free pass is the default restart for most netball infringements — footwork, held ball, offside and similar — taken from where the infringement happened, with defenders free to mark normally once it's taken.
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Written for
- Player, parent, umpire
- Rule group
- Restarts sanctions
The free pass is netball's most common restart — awarded for the large majority of infringements that aren't contact, obstruction or a more serious sanction.
The rule in plain English
When most infringements occur — footwork, held ball, offside, replayed ball, and several others — play restarts with a free pass to the non-offending team, taken from the exact spot where the infringement happened. Unlike a penalty pass, defending players are not required to retreat and can mark the free pass normally as soon as it's awarded.
A simple example
An attacking player breaks the footwork rule by dragging their landing foot. The umpire awards a free pass to the defending team, taken from the spot where the offending player was standing — and the attacking team can immediately begin marking as normal, since no special distance applies.
Free pass vs penalty pass
The key difference is what the defending team can do immediately: on a free pass, they can mark normally straight away. On a penalty pass — awarded for contact or obstruction — the defending player involved must retreat until the ball has been played. This distinction exists because contact and obstruction are considered more serious infringements than most free-pass offences.
What the umpire is looking for
Beyond identifying the infringement itself, the umpire has to mark the exact spot it occurred, since that's where the free pass must be taken from.
Common misunderstandings
- "All infringements are penalty passes." Only contact, obstruction and a small number of other serious infringements carry the penalty pass's retreat requirement — most rule breaks result in an ordinary free pass.
- "The defending team has to retreat too." Unlike a penalty pass, a free pass can be marked immediately by the defending team.
Player tips
- Take free passes promptly once awarded — like any other pass, the three-second and footwork rules still apply once you're holding the ball to restart play.
Umpire tips
- Mark the infringement spot clearly and communicate it, since players on both sides need to know exactly where the restart is taken from.
Related rules
The free pass is the default restart behind most of the rules explained on this site — footwork, held ball, offside and others all lead here, while penalty pass covers the more serious alternative.
Common mistakes
- Assuming every infringement is restarted with a penalty pass — most are actually free passes.
- Taking the free pass from the wrong spot rather than exactly where the infringement occurred.
- Not realising defenders can mark a free pass normally, unlike a penalty pass.
Official source: checked against the World Netball Rules 2024, published by World Netball. Last checked 19 August 2026.
Always check the official World Netball rulebook for the definitive, current wording. This site explains and illustrates the rules; it does not replace them.