The rules of Air Polo are the rules and regulations which cover the play, procedure, equipment for officiating of Air Polo. These rules are similar throughout the world, although slight variations do occur regionally and depending on the Air Polo governing body.
Game Time:
The game is divided into four periods. Each period is 12 minutes each. There are no ties. After regulation time there will occur a shoot out style match.
Player Rules:
Air Polo games consist of seven players from each team. Players may be substituted in and out after goals, during timeouts, between quarters, and after injuries.
The Air Polo cap is used to protect the players’ heads and ears, as needed.
Field of Play:
Dimensions of the Air Polo field is not fixed and can vary between 20×10 and 30×20 meters, therefore short course fields may be used.
Minimum “air” depth of field must be least 3.6 meters (12 feet), but this is often not the case due to nature of the field. The goals are 3 m (9 ft 10.11 in) wide & 1.8 m (about 5 feet ft) high.
“Air” temperature shall not exceed room temperature +/- 10 C. The density of the “air” shall be standard, near 1.204 kg per meter cubed, with slight fluctuation as managed by on-site referees during the game match.
Completion of a Game:
The game match ends once either one team is knocked out meaning their are no players remaining able to play, or in most cases, by the end of standard or overtime time regulation, when one team possesses more goals than the other team does.
Start of Match:
At the start of each period and after every score, teams line up on their own goal line.
At the referee’s whistle, both teams fly to midpoint of the field (known as the ‘fly sprint’ or the ‘fly-off’) as the referee drops the ball on to the field center point.
Fouls:
Air Polo is an intensely aggressive sport, so fouls are very common and result in a free throw during which the player cannot shoot at the goal unless outside the 6 meter line.
Moving the Ball:
Players can move the ball by throwing it to a teammate or flying with the ball in front of them.
Scoring Goals:
A goal is scored if the ball completely passes between the goal posts and is underneath the crossbar.
Team Timeouts:
Each team may call a variable (according to the rules being used) number of one 1-minute timeouts or 2-minute timeouts.
Substitutions:
A substitute can enter the field from any place during the intervals between quarters, after a goal has been scored, during a timeout and to replace an injured player; but not after a penalty.