Sport: Rules

The purpose of this page is really to enable comparison between different sports – particularly in terms of playing times, the number of points required to win a game, and the size of playing areas.

Where a sport has one or more pages dedicated to itself, rules other than those indicated in the previous paragraph will normally be found in those pages.

See also Teams (for the number of players in a team).

General

Australian rules football: points for a goal (a behind scores 1)			6
Baseball: number of umpires			4
Baseball: distances between (the centres, or 'points', of) the bases			30 yards
Basketball: height of the hoop			10 feet
Basketball: diameter of the hoop			18 inches
Cycling: length of the track (Olympics and World Championships; de facto standard since 1990)			250 metres
Diving (Olympic)	Springboard		3 metres
	High diving board		10 metres
Hurling: points for a goal (over the crossbar is 1 point)			3
Rugby League: number of tackles before the ball passes to the opposition			6
Swimming: length of an Olympic pool			50 metres

Rugby: points scored

		League		Union
Try		4		5
Conversion		2		2
Penalty goal		2		3
Drop goal		1		3

Rugby Union: sides guilty of "further misconduct" after an infringement (e.g. arguing with the ref) must retreat		10 metres
Table tennis: number of points between change of serve (since 2001)		2
Tennis: score in a set when the tie–break comes into operation		6 games all
Tug of war: distance that the rope must travel (English rules)		4 metres
Volleyball: a team can hit the ball (without it going over the net)		3 times

Playing Times

American football (without over time)		1 hour
Australian rules football		100 minutes (4 x 25)
Basketball (international competition)		40 (4 x 10)
Basketball (US NBA)		48 (4 x 12)
(Field) hockey		70 minutes (2 x 35)
Ice hockey		60 minutes (3 x 20)
Polo: each chukka		7 minutes
Polo: number of chukkas (most commonly)		6
Rugby (both codes)		80 minutes (2 x 40)
Water polo (international competition, including Olympics)		32 minutes (4 x 8)

Points to Win a Game

Badminton (since 2006)			21
Badminton (before 2006)			15
Squash			9
Table tennis (since 2001)			11
Table tennis (prior to 2001)			21

In all of the above sports, you need a two–point margin (as well as the above minimum points scores) to win a game.

Playing Areas

Football

This section used to note that I didn't ever remember being asked about the size of a football pitch – possibly because it's ridiculously complicated. This observation was made obsolete in February 2018, when contestants in Macclesfield Quiz League were asked what the maximum width was. (The figure given was the one under 'Other' below.)

		Internationals		Other
Minimum width		70 yds (64 m)		50 yds (45 m)
Maximum width		80 yds (75 m)		100 yds (90 m)
Minimum length		110 yds (100 m)		100 yds (90 m)
Maximum length		120 yds (110 m)		130 yds (120 m)
Minimum area		7,700 yds2 (6,400 m2)		5,000 yds2 (4,050 m2)
Maximum area		9,600 yds2 (8,250 m2)		13,000 yds2 (10,800 m2)

In 2008, a standard pitch size was provisionally agreed by the International Football Association Board (IFAB):

Length

105 m (344 ft)

Width

68 m (223 ft)

Area

7,140 m2 (76,712 ft2)

This standard pitch was never implemented.

Other

360ft x 160ft		American football
44ft x 20ft		Badminton
28 metres x 15 metres		Basketball
28 yards by 35 yards (84 feet by 105 feet) (reference)		Croquet
14 metres long, and between 1.5 and 2 metres wide		Fencing
100yds x 60yds; goal 12ft x 7ft		(Field) hockey
100 feet x 50 feet (30.5 x 15.25 metres); minimum headroom 7.50 metres, or 8.30 metres for internationals		Netball
300 yds (270 m) by 160 yds (150 m)		Polo
12ft x 6ft – when full–sized – playing surface (i.e. excluding the cushions)		Snooker or Billiards
2' 10" to the top of the cushions (with ½" tolerance)
32ft x 21ft		Squash
9ft (2.74 m) x 5ft (1.525 m)		Table tennis
2ft 6in from the ground
60 ft x 42 inches		Tenpin bowling

© Haydn Thompson 2017–23