How do I show player fouls and team fouls, and when must I alert the referees about a fifth foul?
Rule- Australia
- Basketball Australia
- Domestic basketball
- Table officials
- Scorers
- Timers
- FIBA rules 2026
- 2026/27
The timer
- Raises the player foul marker to show how many fouls each player has, in a way both head coaches can see.
- Notifies a referee immediately when 5 fouls have been charged against any player.
- Raises the game disqualification (GD) marker when a player or head coach is game disqualified.
- Operates the team foul markers, one on each side of the table nearest the team bench. The marker shows the current number of team fouls and is fully red, with no number visible, after the ball becomes live again after the fourth team foul in a quarter.
The scorer
- Notifies a referee immediately when a head coach should be disqualified, or when a player should be disqualified after two category 1 technical fouls, two flagrant fouls, or one category 1 technical and one flagrant foul.
Team fouls
- A team foul is a personal, technical, disruptive, flagrant or disqualifying foul by a player. A team is in the team foul penalty situation after 4 team fouls in a quarter.
- Fouls committed in an interval count in the next quarter, and fouls in each overtime count in the fourth quarter.
- In the penalty situation, personal fouls on a player not in the act of shooting are penalised by 2 free throws instead of a throw-in.
- Technical or disqualifying fouls for fighting (Article 40) do not count as team fouls.
Added 24 Oct 2026