When is physical contact a contact infringement?

A player must not make physical contact with an opponent that unfairly interferes with the opponent's play, whether accidental or deliberate. Examples include pushing, tripping, grabbing, holding or leaning on an opponent, knocking or hitting an opponent (including when shooting), and hitting or placing hands on a ball held by an opponent.

To be penalised, the contact must result in one of:

• loss of the ball by an opponent in possession;
• interference with the passing or shooting action of an opponent in possession; or
• a change in an opponent's body position, in possession or not, that prevents them moving freely and puts them at an unfair disadvantage.

Incidental contact that does not cause this interference is a fair contest and should not be penalised.

Related contact rules:

• Landing: a player who has jumped from an on-court position must be permitted to land in the same place or any other place on court. Opponents must not move into the landing place.
• Moving players: a player must not take up a position so near to or so quickly in the path of a moving opponent that the opponent cannot stop or change direction.
• Inevitable contact: a player must not position so closely that the opponent cannot move at all without contacting.

The sanction is a penalty pass where the infringer was standing (or where the contacted player was standing if that avoids disadvantaging the non-infringing team). Contact that endangers safety, such as head or neck contact, normally also brings a dangerous play game management action.

Source: Rules of Netball 2024, Rule 17.