What Happens When the Ball Goes Out of Court in Netball?

Out of court is one of netball's simplest rules in principle, but deflections and boundary-line judgement calls can make it less obvious in practice than it first appears.

The rule in plain English

The ball is out of court once it touches the ground, an object, or a player outside the court's boundary lines — the boundary lines themselves count as part of the court, so a ball landing exactly on the line is still in play (Rules 15.1, 15.4). The ball is also out if:

• a player catches it in the air and lands wholly or partly outside the court; or
• a player catches or touches it while standing partly outside the court.

A ball that hits the goalpost and bounces back into court is not out. And a player can jump from inside the court and pass or shoot before landing outside — that's legal (Rule 15.6).

A simple example

A defender deflects a pass, and the ball rolls over the sideline before any other player touches it. Because the defender's touch was the last contact before it left the court, the throw-in is awarded to the attacking team.

What the umpire is looking for

The umpire is tracking two things: exactly where the ball crosses the boundary line, and which player last touched it before it went out — since that determines which team restarts.

Restart

Out of court is restarted with a throw-in, taken by a player from the team that did not cause the ball to go out, from the point on the boundary line nearest to where the ball left the court. See throw-in rules for exactly how that restart works.

Common misunderstandings

• "The line is out of court." The boundary lines are part of the court — a ball has to be clearly beyond the line to be out, not simply touching it.
• Losing track of the last touch after a deflection. A deflected ball going out is awarded based on who touched it last, not which team's attack or defence "caused" the situation more broadly.

Player tips

• When chasing a ball heading toward the boundary, be aware that stepping out yourself while still in contact with the ball takes it out of court too, even if the ball itself hasn't crossed the line yet.

Umpire tips

• Position yourself with a clear line of sight to the boundary for the relevant side of the court, since out-of-court calls are often close and happen at speed.

Related rules

Out of court leads directly into throw-in rules, which cover exactly how and where the restart is taken.