Bike Polo Rules: Referees and Officials
📘 This guide covers Section 1 of the North American Hardcourt Bike Polo (NAH) Ruleset, the standard used at most tournaments across North America.
Who's in Charge? Refs, Officials, and Goal Judges
At Saturday pickup in Greenville, nobody's holding a whistle. We call our own fouls, sort things out on the court, and get back to playing. Tournaments that rely on the NAH Ruleset work differently. Every game has a small crew of volunteers who make the calls, run the clock, and watch the goals, and a lot of them are players taking a shift between their own games.
This post walks through those roles: the Referee, the Official, and the Goal Judges. You don't need to know any of this to show up and play pickup with us. But if you're heading to a tournament, or you're simply curious, this is a good place to start.
🧑⚖️ The Referee
The head Referee has full authority over the game. They start and stop play, enforce penalties, and make the final call on anything that comes up.
How refs are set up
One Referee stands at the half-court line on the side of the court.
Two Referees either stand together on one side, with one watching the ball and one watching everything else, or on opposite sides, each covering half the court.
Referee at Southeast Qualifier in Greenville, SC 2024
When there are two, one is named head Referee before the game, and both teams are told who it is.
Equipment check
Before the game, the Ref checks every player's gear against the safety standards. If something breaks or becomes unsafe during play, the Ref can stop the game until it's fixed. That stoppage doesn't count as a timeout.
What the Ref carries
A whistle for starting and stopping play
A stopwatch, if there's no separate timekeeper
What the Ref does during a game
Starts and stops play according to the rules
Watches player and equipment safety
Signals dabs, penalties, and other game events
Ends the game with two long whistle blows
Signals you'll see and hear
Start of play: arm raised, then dropped with the whistle
Restart of play: arm extended, palm up
Penalty by the team with the ball: one long whistle
Penalty by the team without the ball (delayed penalty): arm raised and the Ref calls "Advantage, [team name]." Some Refs use a cowbell or another sound instead.
Possession after a stoppage: the Ref points to the team restarting play
⏱️ The Official
Referee, assistant ref and time/scorekeeper at Carolina Winter League Finals 2026
The Official keeps time and score. They sit near half court with a stopwatch and a way to record the game, either a game log sheet or pen and paper.
What the Official does
Announces the time every 2–3 minutes and after each goal
Calls time warnings at 2 minutes, 90 seconds, 1 minute, and 30 seconds, then counts down the final 10 seconds
Records every goal, penalty, and key event
Runs any scoreboard or visible timer, though the Official's stopwatch is always the official time
Counts down the last 10 seconds of a penalty before the player can return to the game
🥅 Goal Judges
Each game has two Goal Judges, one for each goal. They stand behind the goal or on the goal line, on the side of the court opposite the Ref, so they can see plays near the crease that the Ref might miss.
What Goal Judges do
Stay visible as officials. They're marked so no one mistakes them for spectators.
Reset the goal if it gets moved during play. If the court layout makes that impossible, the Ref assigns someone else or asks players to reset it.
Help the Ref. They can wave a flag or their arm to point out a possible penalty near the crease. The Ref still makes the call.
Goal Judge at Southeast Qualifier in Greenville, SC 2024
Trying it Yourself
Tournaments can't run without people willing to ref, keep time, and judge goals, and most people learn those jobs by doing them. If you want to get comfortable before your first tournament, let us know at pickup or in #saturday-pickup on Discord, and we'll set you up to call a game.
📚 Want to Learn More?
This post is based on the NAH Ruleset (2022 edition). The full rulebook, including referee procedures and diagrams, is here:
👉 https://www.nahardcourt.com/rules/
Check for updates before you officiate or organize a match.
Next up: Section 2, covering players, equipment, and court setup.
