Netball Umpiring Terminology

The 2024 rules define terminology as the specific phrase an umpire uses when penalising an infringement, along with the infringer's playing position where appropriate. Using the official phrase every time — not a description in your own words — is what lets players recognise a decision instantly and adjust.

How a call is made

When penalising an infringement, the umpire (Rule 4.7):

blows the whistle;
states the infringement using the correct terminology, with the infringer's position — for example "footwork, WA" or "contact, GD";
uses the relevant hand signal;
indicates where the sanction or action is to be taken.

The sanction itself may also be stated if clarification is needed, and for other levels of play umpires may use more specific terms — for example "penalty pass or shot" rather than "penalty pass" (Rule 21).

The official terms

These are the phrases the 2024 rulebook gives for each infringement.

Playing the ball and footwork

Term	What it's for
Footwork	Breaking the footwork rule
Held ball	Holding the ball for more than three seconds (held ball)
Short pass	A pass that's too short (short pass)
Replayed ball	Batting or bouncing the ball more than once without having had possession (replayed ball)
Repossession	Touching the ball again after releasing it, before another player or the goalpost has (replayed ball)
Playing ball on ground	Falling on the ball, or gaining it while lying, sitting or kneeling
Using the goalpost	Using the goalpost as a support, including to gain or keep the ball
Incorrect playing of the ball	Kicking it, punching it, rolling it to another player, or passing or shooting while lying, sitting or kneeling

Positions and court areas

Term	What it's for
Offside	Entering an area your position isn't allowed in (offside)
Over a third	The ball crossing a whole third without being touched (over a third)
Breaking	Entering the centre third before the whistle at a centre pass (anyone but the two Centres)
Incorrect position	Players not positioned correctly, for example for the centre pass
Untouched	A centre pass not touched or caught by a player standing in, or landing wholly within, the centre third
Not set	The player taking a sanction not in the position the umpire indicated
Out of court	The ball or a player going out of court (out of court)
Leaving the court	Moving off the court other than to reposition back onto it
Defending from out of court	Trying to defend an on-court player while standing outside the court
Preventing re-entry	Not letting a player back onto the court where they left it
Incorrect throw-in	Breaking the throw-in rules
Incorrect shot	Shooting after touching the ground outside the goal circle while catching or holding the ball — no goal
Shooting from free pass	Shooting from a free pass, which isn't allowed

Contact and obstruction

Term	What it's for
Contact	Physical interference with an opponent (contact)
Causing contact	For example, not letting a player who has jumped land, or moving into a stationary opponent
Inevitable contact	Standing so close to an opponent that they can't move at all without contact
Obstruction	Defending inside 0.9m, or using the arms to block a player without the ball (obstruction)
Interference with shot	A defender moving the goalpost to affect a shot, or deflecting the ball on its way down to the ring

Teams, benches and procedure

Term	What it's for
Incorrect team numbers	More than seven players on court
Failure to take the court	A team not on court ready to start
Incorrect entry	A player coming on at the wrong time, such as a late player
Participating	A player standing out of play for a penalty pass who takes part before the ball is released
Incorrect stoppage procedures	Not following the rules for a stoppage (stoppages)
Bench movement	Team officials or bench players leaving the team bench during play without a valid reason
Bench behaviour	Team officials or bench players criticising umpires, abusive language, excessive noise, encouraging foul play or entering the court

Foul play

For foul play, the umpire calls a specific description of what happened rather than a single fixed term:

unfair play — "delaying play", "intentional infringing", "repeated infringing", "disputed ruling" or "intimidation";
unsporting behaviour — "retaliation", "abusive behaviour", or a description of the action contrary to good sporting behaviour;
"dangerous play".

See netball sanctions explained.

Calls that keep play going

Two calls let play continue rather than stopping it:

"Advantage" — when stopping play would disadvantage the team that didn't infringe, the umpire calls "advantage", states the infringement and the infringer's playing position, and gives the advantage signal (see advantage).
"Possession" — when two opponents get the ball in quick succession, the umpire may call "possession" and indicate the team and position of the player who had it first, so they can play on. The opponent's hands must come off quickly, or it's penalised as contact.

Game management words

For a warning, suspension or ordering off, the umpire holds time, signals to the official bench, and uses the specific term — "warning", "suspension" or "ordering off" — then tells the player what behaviour it's for (Rule 18.10).

Consistency matters

Players adapt fastest to umpires who make the same call, the same way, every time. Learning the official terms — and pairing each with its signal — makes that automatic.

Sources

All information on this page is given to the best of our knowledge at the time of writing (October 2026), after referring to the official sources below.

World Netball: Rules of Netball, 2024 edition — "Definitions" (terminology), Rule 4.7, the "Terminology" given under each rule, Rule 6 (possession), Rule 7 (advantage), Rule 18 (game management) and Rule 21 (variations for other levels of play).