Rule 14: Offside

Offside is one of the shortest rules in the rule book, but there are still some important nuances — particularly around when to penalise, when to play advantage, and a 2024 rule change that allows players to retrieve the ball from an offside area.

The sanction for all offside infringements is a free pass where the player entered the offside area.

The Basics

A player is offside when they make contact with an area of the court that is not designated for their position. This applies whether or not the player has possession of the ball.

Lines and Boundaries

Lines are part of both areas they bound. This means, for example, that a WA can stand on the line bounding the goal circle edge — provided they do not step inside. A player is not offside if any part of their body is in contact with, but not over, the line bounding their designated playing area.

Off-Court Players

A player who is outside the court cannot be offside. The exception to this is when taking a throw-in, where a player cannot step across an offside boundary. You will sometimes see players jump out of court — or even leap over the goal circle and out of the court — in order to avoid an offside infringement.

Reaching Across

A player may reach into an offside area to pick up or lean on the ball, provided they make no physical contact with the ground in that area. This means a player can extend their arm or body across a boundary line to collect the ball, as long as their feet and any grounded body parts remain in their permitted area.

Two Opposing Players Offside

If two opposing players enter an offside area, one before the other, the first player to enter is penalised. This can be a tricky judgement to make in real time, so be alert to the sequence of events when players are competing near area boundaries.

Remember: The offside rule applies whenever play is live — not just when the ball is in the immediate area. For example, if a WA steps into the goal circle while a throw-in is being taken at the other end of the court, they should be penalised for offside (unless advantage can be played).

Sanction: Free pass where the player entered the offside area. Terminology: Offside.

Offside Signal

Common Scenarios to Watch For

Offside infringements tend to occur in predictable situations. Knowing where to look will help you stay ahead of the play.

Momentum Carrying Players Offside

Players running at speed to reach a ball close to the limits of their permitted area are a common source of offside infringements. Even if they get the ball away, their momentum may carry them into an offside area afterwards. Make sure to leave a trailing eye on the player after the ball has been released to check whether they go offside — do not simply follow the ball.

Competing for Space at Boundaries

Around the goal circle edge or the transverse line, players often compete for space right at the boundary of their permitted area. A common scenario is a player trying to squeeze in front of an opponent who is already standing at the line, ending up offside in the process.

Contact vs Offside: When a player goes offside in a contested situation, you need to judge whether contact from an opponent influenced them going offside. If there was never sufficient space for the player to get in between — and they were always going to be offside regardless — penalise the offside. Only penalise contact if there was genuinely space for the player and an opponent physically pushed them into the offside area.

Playing Advantage

It is common to play advantage for offside infringements committed by the team not in possession. This is one of the more frequent advantage situations you will encounter.

Advantage is especially important to consider around the attacking goal circle. The sanction for offside is a free pass with no player out of play, and the player taking the free pass cannot shoot from it. This means there is often little benefit in stopping play for the team in possession — unless they were about to lose possession or be penalised for held ball.

Practical Tip: When a non-possessing player goes offside near the attacking circle, weigh up the cost of stopping play against the benefit of the free pass. If the attacking team is in a strong position, advantage is almost always the right call. Make the advantage call clearly and with an accompanying hand signal so players understand play is continuing.

Retrieving the Ball

The 2024 rule book introduced a change to help speed up the game: a player may now enter an offside area to retrieve the ball in order to set a sanction or action. However, there are important criteria that must be met for this exception to apply.

The player must take the sanction or action themselves. If a player goes offside to retrieve the ball and then hands it to a teammate to take the sanction or action, they should be penalised for offside. It is not ideal to have to penalise this retrospectively — the player may well be back onside by the time they hand the ball off — but this is what the rule requires.

The movement offside must be solely for the purpose of retrieving the ball. A player who is repositioning on court, goes offside, and then decides to collect the ball to take advantage of this exception should still be penalised for offside. The intent to retrieve the ball must be the reason for entering the offside area, not an afterthought.

Player Awareness: We are starting to see more players — particularly at higher levels — aware of this rule and using it effectively. However, many players are still uncertain and may ask you as the umpire whether they are permitted to go and retrieve the ball. It is fine to give this clarification, and doing so helps speed up the game.

Intentional Offside

Occasionally you may need to penalise a player for intentional infringing if they deliberately go offside. This would result in the sanction being advanced rather than a simple free pass at the point of the infringement.

The key question to ask is: did the player ever have a realistic chance of staying onside when challenging for the ball? If a player charges into an offside area with no prospect of remaining in their permitted area, this points towards an intentional infringement. If, on the other hand, they were genuinely competing for the ball and simply misjudged their position, a standard offside call is appropriate.

Borderline Cases: Where intent is not clear-cut, a stronger whistle or extra emphasis on the offside call may be more appropriate than immediately advancing the sanction. This communicates to the player that you are aware of the situation without escalating unnecessarily. See Rule 19: Unfair Play for more guidance on assessing intentional infringing.

Related Resources

Rule 13: Footwork Rule 19: Foul Play Rule 6: Sanctions and Actions Rule 12: Passing Distances

Rules & Interpretations