The game: officials, time and scoring

11 rules

1. 7Host tournament committee

   The committee that runs every event and has the last word whenever the umpires are not in charge.

2. 8Umpires and referee

   Who officiates a game, how long their authority lasts, and how disagreements between umpires are settled.

3. 9Goal judges

   The flag signals for a goal and for a ball over the end line, and where the goal judge puts the ball for the knock-in.

4. 10Timekeeper and scorer

   The officials who run the clock, sound the horn and keep the score and the foul count.

5. 11Protests, variances and enforcement

   How protests are handled, where clubs may vary these rules, and the short window for questioning the score or time.

6. 14Duration of periods

   Seven minutes plus up to thirty seconds, how a period ends, the last period, overtime and the shootout.

7. 15Running and stopping the clock

   The clock stops only on the umpire's whistle, and restarts at defined moments for each kind of restart.

8. 16Games and intervals

   Up to six periods, unlimited overtime, and the length of every interval.

9. 17Round robins

   The three-team format the USPA discourages but allows, and how its winner is found.

10. 18Winning the game: goals

    The team with more goals wins; what counts as a goal from play and what does not.

11. 19Goals by penalty and by handicap

    How team handicaps are added up and turned into goals given before the start, and how half goals work.