I OPEN BIKE POLO MADRID RULES!!!!

RULES ////


BIKE:

You can ride any bicycle you want, handlebars must be plugged and you must have at least one brake. A fixed drivetrain equals a brake. Wheel covers are allowed but any defense oriented frame additions are not.


MALLETS:
Referee will have the final say in mallet safety. Mallet heads should not be made of metal or any material that is sharp and/or could obviously chip, shatter or splinter. The handle end of the mallet shaft must be securely plugged.


START OF THE GAME:
Players will start from behind their goal-line, back wheels touching the back walls of the court, with the ball placed at court centre. At the referee’s shout of “3,2,1, Polo!” (or on the whistle) teams can charge the ball for possession. If there is a left-handed player willing to charge, he is only allowed to do so if the other team agrees.


SCORING GOALS:
A goal can only be scored “hitting” the ball with the end of a player’s mallet head. Goal is called when ball entirely passes the goal-line. A ‘Shuffle’ is hitting the ball with the broadside of the mallet head or when the ball is being shoved with the player’s mallet. An offensive shuffle does not count as a goal. If the ball is shuffled into the goal by the offensive team, the defensive team gets possession of the ball.

If an offensive player actively deflects the ball (including using his bike or body) into the goal, it will not be called a goal (other than a passively reflected shot). If a team puts the ball into their own goal in any way, it is a goal for the opposing team.



BALL JOINT AND LOBS:
It is legal to lob the ball (’throw’ the ball with the mallet) and/or to travel with the ball using the ‘ball joint’ cupping style of carrying the ball (with any part of the mallet head) but you can not score with either method. If ball is cupped up to goals, it has to be passed once before scoring.



PASSING:
Players can pass the ball with every part of the mallet, even with the bike wheels. All passes made with any part of the body are forbidden but in except of a rebound. Fair passes are all that don’t break the foul rules showed down here. A pass through the goal posts can’t be shot for scoring unless the ball touches a player of the opposite team. A player who receives a ball through the goal poasts without any contact with a defending player must pass the ball to a teammate in order to score.



AFTER A GOAL:
The team that score a goal have to return to their field and can’t cross the midfield until an opposite player crosses it. After a goal, the attacker team must wait until two of the opposite players have returned to their field.


FOULS: There are three types of fouls:

Light foul: ONE tap out penalty for the player

Serious foul: TWO tap out penalty for the player

Flagrant foul: player is sent off for two minutes


LIGHT FOUL
Players must not touch the floor with their feet. Each time a player does foot-down, that player is out of play until tapout has been succeeded. The player must immediately tapout and not purposefully obstruct play.


SERIOUS FOUL
Throwing the mallet away is not allowed.
Intentionally obstructing play after foot-down or while switching players will be punished with a double tap out.
T-bone is a serious foul.
Overly aggressive behavior such as unnecessary elbowing, grabbing, pushing or kicking the ball.
Referee has the authority to remove any player from the game if this one reiterates fouling seriously.
Charging at any player that is not challenging for the ball is not allowed.


FLAGRANT FOUL
The referee can consider a serious foul as a flagrant foul if he/she thinks it’s convenient.
If he/she thinks is convenient, the referee can remove a player from the game if this one reiterates fouling seriously.


CONTACT:
Non-aggressive body to body, mallet to mallet, and bike to bike. Apart from the fouls listed above. Players are allowed to tap goal keeper’s mallet. Body to ball is allowed if the player is sat on saddle, feet on the pedals, hand holding mallet, other hand on bars (unintentional). If the ball becomes trapped within a player’s bike or person, let player drop the ball and the game continue normally.


TIME OUT:
A 5 minutes time out for team and match. During this time players can rest, look after the wounded players, mechanical problems, tactical changes, etc. Referees can excepcionally and under their judgement, give time out or extend its time if they think it’s convenient.


Referees: There is a main referee on the midfield side and two assistans, one at each goal. The main referee is the judge of the match, determines fouls and penalties and always will have the final say in case of a dispute or doubt. Assistants determine the validity of goals and help the main referee in case of a doubtful move.


PLAYERS:
Above all, the players have the responsibility to keep legal play on the court and comply with their penalties. The players have their own responsability about their safety and must wear at least a protector helmet. Any kind of body protection is allowed (gloves, shoulder pads, elbow pads...).


FAIR PLAY:
Helping a player after a falling or showing a bit of interest about his/her condition after a crash is considered as fair play. Teams and players are ennobled with this kind of play.