INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Each year, at its annual meeting, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Water Polo Rules Subcommittee considers proposals brought to the subcommittee by the membership, as well as suggestions by the subcommittee members for changes to the current rules. The result is a rules book that will be in effect for two years. This year, there was a strong sentiment among subcommittee members that rather than focusing on changing or adding to the existing rules, the focus needs to be on helping referees increase the consistent application of the rules as written. Although there were some changes and additions to the rules for 2018-20, most notably the additional sanctions for head coaches, the message from the Rules Subcommittee is very clear: referees are to apply the rules as written.
The following points of emphasis are intended to provide additional clarity for referees and coaches as to how the Rules Subcommittee expects referees to fulfill this obligation.
1. Applying the rules as written. At all times, referees are expected to apply the rules as written. It is understood that in every game there will be situations when the referee’s intervention will not be required, but when the referee is evaluating a situation in order to determine whether to whistle a foul or to withhold the whistle, proper application of the rules as written does not include the expectation that referees will choose to ignore a violation of the rules in order to “punish bad offense.” For example, for a referee to observe a situation when an offensive player not holding the ball is being held, sunk, or pulled back, and not whistle the foul because in their judgement, a pass was a little too high or a little too far away, is incorrect. In this situation, it is incumbent on the defending player to demonstrate that he or she is not committing a foul or else, subject to proper application of the Advantage rule, the referee should call the foul.
2. Applying the Advantage rule. The Advantage rule permits the referee to withhold the whistle when it would be to the advantage of the team committing the foul to whistle the infraction, and it describes the expectation that the referee not will whistle a foul when to do so would be to the advantage of the offended team. At all times, the referee should be officiating in “favor of the offense.” Referees must be aware that positional advantage occurs not only at the point of attack (where the ball is located), but also away from the ball. This awareness must be taken into account in order to properly apply the Advantage Rule. As the team on offense is working to create an advantage opportunity, the referee should whistle any infraction by the defending team that hinders or prevents the advantage situation from developing.
3. Applying the rules to acts of Simulation. To simulate a foul is now a foul under NCAA rules. Simulation means an action taken by a player with the intent of causing a referee to assess a foul incorrectly against an opposing player. A player on defense who simulates a foul shall be excluded for 20 seconds; if a player on offense commits an act of simulation, it will result in a turnover with the free throw taken at the spot of the ball when the foul is assessed. In order for the referee to whistle the foul of simulation he or she must be certain that the player is in fact “faking” as opposed to actually being fouled.
4. Applying the rules to the perimeter. It is the intent of the Rules Subcommittee that proper application of the rules as written will increase the amount of movement by the attacking team, thus allowing for more advantage situations to be created, both on the perimeter and at the Center Forward position. Thus, the proper application of the rules by the perimeter referee becomes of even greater importance. For example, the criteria used by the referee in order to determine whether to whistle an ordinary foul should be the same everywhere in the pool. To not whistle a foul outside the 5-meter line because to do so would be to create “instant offense,” is incorrect. Once again, it is incumbent on the defense to demonstrate that it is not committing a foul; otherwise, that foul should be whistled if it would promote the offense.
5. Applying rules to the women’s game. Officiating the women’s game requires an understanding of the importance of the women’s suit. Because of the extra material, suit grabbing and holding occurs regularly throughout the pool, and if not addressed by the referees will result in a more stagnant and physical game. Suit holding is a violation of Rule 7-9 and must be treated as such by the referees. Good fundamentals, including collaboration, anticipation and positioning, are critical. Referees must anticipate the play and be in position to see all of the points of contact between each pair of players. This also requires good collaboration between the referees as they look for the best position to see which player initiates the contact. Look for “improbable movement” by either player; movement a player would be unable to make without assistance from another player, as an indication of holding. When an offensive player is in possession of the ball or is trying to create space to receive a pass, referees must be aware of the offensive player’s off-hand, which is frequently holding her opponent’s suit. This is especially critical at the Center Forward position, where either player (and most likely both) may be using her opponent’s suit to gain an unearned positional advantage or to simulate a foul. On the perimeter (and anywhere in the pool) where the players are facing each other, suit grabbing and holding is likely to be occurring by both players. Likewise, in transition, either player may grab her opponent’s suit in order to gain an unearned positional advantage, to negate an earned advantage, or to simulate a foul. Referees must consistently address these situations by applying the rules as written throughout the game.
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