Pooled Round-Robin

API 2025 will feature both foam and cloth formats, and follow WDBF Rules.

Cloth and foam will have women, men & mixed (3:3) categories.

Match duration 

• Group stage matches last 20 minutes.
• Half-time: once there is less than 10’’30” left in the match, teams swap ends after the current set finishes. Play then continues with a new set. The match clock does not stop during the change of ends.

Match timer

• To help keep to schedule, we will be starting the game timer for all courts at the same time. Announcements will be made over the PA system in the lead up to each game. At 10 seconds to go a countdown and then games will begin.
• If teams are not ready when the match clock is started, the time lost will not be recovered. The team causing delays may be deducted competition points.
• There are no timeouts for teams during the Group stage.
• Time is not suspended for stoppages, including when referees choose to confer. If a game is significantly disrupted, the Tournament Director may opt to reschedule or otherwise recover the lost game time.

Set clock 

Foam:
• API will be trialling a set clock for foam. All foam games will be played with a 4 min set clock. When 4 mins has passed, no blocking will commence after the current advantage is over. There is no reset to start no blocking – play continues with a new advantage and no blocking in place. No blocking will continue until the point has concluded, and the no blocking period is not timed.
Cloth:
• A standard 3-minute set clock will apply.

Final set 

Foam:
• If less than 30 seconds remain, no new set will be played.
• No sudden death. If time runs out while a set is still in play, the team with most players remaining is awarded the set. If the number of players is the same, no point is awarded for the final set.
Cloth:
• If less than 30 seconds remain, no new set will be played.
• If between 30 seconds and 120 seconds remain a half, a 90 second final set will be played, and the match concludes at the end of this set.

Draws are allowed 

In group stages matches can end in a draw. 

Progression to elimination rounds 

All teams will progress to elimination rounds after the group stage. Teams will be split into Tier 1 and Tier 2, with both tiers competing for gold medals.

Ranking criteria for advancing to elimination rounds 

Teams will be ranked based on the following:
1. Group position
2. Points
3. Sets difference
4. Sets For
5. Coin toss

Match duration 

Day 3 eliminations (rounds up to Semi-finals, Tier 2 medal matches):
• 30-minute games.
• Half-time: once there is less than 15’30” left in the match, teams swap ends after the current set finishes. Referees may pause the match clock for 1 minute at the change of end for a break. Play then continues with a new set.

Day 4: Tier 1 Medal Matches:
• 2 x 20-minute halves (40-minute matches).
• “Final set” procedure will apply at the end of the first half and at the end of the second half.

Match clock 

Day 3 eliminations (rounds up to Semi-finals, Tier 2 medal matches):
Timeouts:
• Round up to Quarterfinals: No timeouts.
• Semi-finals onwards: Each team gets 1 x 1-minute timeout per game.
Stoppages:
• Time is not suspended for stoppages, including when referees chose to confer. If a game is significantly disrupted, the Tournament Director may opt to reschedule or otherwise recover the lost game time.

Day 4: Tier 1 medal matches:
• Timeouts: Each team gets 1 x 1-minute timeout per game.
• Stoppages: WDBF rules regarding stoppages apply.

Set clock 

The set clock will work the same as the Group Phase. 

Final set 

For foam:
• During elimination and finals, if time expires while a set is still in play then sudden death will begin.
For cloth:
• If less than 120 seconds remains a 90 second final set will be played.

Tie-breaking set 

During eliminations, matches cannot end in a draw. When this occurs, a tie-breaking set will be added.

Day 3 eliminations (rounds up to Semi-finals, Tier 2 medal matches):
Foam:
• A sudden death set is played. Teams start with the balls.
Cloth:
• A 90 second tiebreak set is played to determine the winner. If a winner cannot be determined at the end of this set, the first team to eliminate a player will win the set.

Day 4. Tier 1 medal matches: WBDF rule 9.7 will apply.
Foam:
• A tie breaking set of 4 minutes will be played. If a winner cannot be determined at the end of 4 minutes, the set will go to sudden death.
Cloth:
• A tie-breaking set of 3 minutes will be played. If a winner cannot be determined at the end of 3 minutes, the first team to eliminate a player will win the set.

If you find a problem with the schedule or the result of a game, please come to the Information Desk to let us know.

Note that games are schedule to avoid clashes for players competing in both foam and cloth, or in both gendered and mixed divisions. However, if you are playing in multiple teams within the same division, we may not be able to completely prevent clashes for you.

The search is on for the most valuable players of API!

At the end of each game, vote for the player(s) from your opposition you most enjoyed playing against.
For all divisions, pick one player from the opposing team.

Captains – make sure you give your team’s choice to the referee at the end of the game so it is recorded on the scoresheet.

MVP awards will be presented during the medal ceremonies on Sunday, 26 October. And we’d love to have a drink with the winners at the After Party!

Referee schedule:

• The referee schedule is in Tournify with the game schedule.

• Given how important this is, all teams can be scheduled to referee.

• Teams may also be scheduled as standby referees for each time slot in case some referees don’t show up.

• During knockouts, the losing team should assume they are refereeing the next game on the court for their ball type. The exception is the last day when we will appoint referees from those who volunteer.

• Team Managers should plan to provide two referees for each game your team is scheduled to referee.

Penalties for no-shows (we really hope these won’t be needed!): 

• If a team does not show up for their referee duty, they will be deducted 1 competition point.

• This penalty will also apply to standby referees if they are not available as needed.

• Further penalties can be applied at the discretion of the Tournament Director. For example, teams that are late and cause games to be delayed may also be penalised.

If your team does not have players who are able to referee, you must:

• Make a good faith effort to work with other teams to provide referees in your place, and ensure they referee when required.

• Advise us before the tournament starts that you will have trouble providing referees.

Here are some videos to help you to prepare to be a referee.

To practice using the controller on your own phone, go to
https://play.apidodgeball.org/version-test/courtlist/api2025-training
& follow the instructions

At the end of each game, the referee will:

Enter the final score on the scoresheet.

Record each team’s MVP votes.

Captains – at the end of the game, please sign the scoresheet to confirm the score is correct.

Referees – return completed scoresheets to the duty desk where they will be entered into the system.

1. Each Team Gets One Blue Card:
– Every team is issued 1 blue card, which can be used to submit integrity complaints or disputes for any match your team has played.

2. Submitting a Complaint:
– Complaints must be submitted via this form.
– Include video evidence such as video recordings or timestamps from livestreams to support your claim. Provide as much detail as possible for a thorough review.

3. Outcomes:
Valid Claim: The offending team will lose between **1-3 competition points**, depending on the severity of the offense. Your team retains the blue card for future challenges.
Inconclusive Claim: Your team forfeits the blue card and will be unable to submit further challenges for the remainder of the tournament.

For any further details or clarifications, please refer to the official rulebook or contact the tournament organisers.