6.15 Out-ball

Whenever the ball touches any of the following:

• a boundary line of the field of play;
• the ground, a person or an object outside the field of play;
• the ceiling or an object above the field of play.

A re-start is awarded against the team that touched the ball last.

The field of play is not three-dimensional. It is therefore permitted to hit the ball, wherever it may be, back into the playing area, provided that the ball has not touched anything listed above and to play outside one’s zone (see 6.14) is not violated.

For an out-ball, the referee cannot allow the match to play-on, he must always punish the infringement.

When the ball is out because it touches the ceiling or an object above the field of play, the outball is taken near one of the sidelines and nearest to the spot where the ball touched the ceiling or the object.

If the ball touches a spectator or an object within the field of play, and it influences the ball possession, then the referee awards the ball to the team who would have had possession without this interference.