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About Quad Rugby
What is Quad Rugby?
It is an exciting, full-contact wheelchair sport popularized by the award winning and Academy-award nominated movie, “Murderball,” and the NBS hit series, “Friday Night Lights.”
Its roots include basketball and ice hockey.
It was invented in Canada and introduced to the US in 1981.
Who Can Play?
Players must have a combination of upper and lower extremity impairment to be eligible to participate. Most of the players have sustained spinal injuries and have some type of quadriplegia as a result.
Players are given a classification number ranging from 0.5 - 3.5. The 0.5 player has the greatest impairment. Of those eligible to participate, the 3.5 player has the least impairment. Both males and females are encouraged to play. Click here for more information.
The Game
The action takes place on a regulation-sized basketball court with some minor changes.
A goal line at each end of the court measures eight meters.
A key area extends from the goal line and is 1.75 meters deep.
Four players from each team are allowed on the court at a time.
Classifications of the four players on the court must total no more than 8.0 points at one time.
During the game, team players pass a volleyball back and forth while advancing into the opponent's half court and then crossing over the goal line with the ball in one player's possession.
The offense tries to advance the ball, the defense tries to take it away and keep the opposing team from scoring.
Only three defensive players are allowed in the key. If a fourth enters, a penalty can be assessed or a goal awarded.
An offensive player can only stay in the key area for ten seconds. Otherwise, a turnover will be assessed.
2006 New rule: The USQRA reduced the classification of female rugby players by .5 points for classes 1.0 - 3.5. So a class 2.0 female athlete would play at the point value of 1.5. A class .5 stays the same class.
All female players on the court are afforded this classification reduction.
2007 New rule: The USQRA allows teams with one or more player(s) on the floor who are 45 years of age or older to have an 8.5 line up.
8.5 is the maximum line up regardless of the number of over 45 players on the floor.
Note: A female player is not eligible for both an age-related point adjustment and a female point reduction.
Basic Rules
- A game consists of four 8-minute periods.
- There is a 1-minute break between periods and a 5-minute halftime.
- Each team is allowed four timeouts per game.
- If there is a tied game at the end of regulation play, 3 minutes overtime are added to the clock and each team is allowed an additional timeout. A game cannot end in a tie.
- A player has 15 seconds to advance the ball into the opponents’ half-court.
- The team has 40 seconds to score a goal.
- The player with the ball has unrestricted pushes, but must pass or dribble the ball every 10 seconds or a turnover is awarded.
- Fouls are assessed and penalties can include awarding of a goal, a timed penalty, or a turnover.
- To score a point, a player must cross the goal line with any two of their four wheels while retaining possession of the ball.
Click here for all of the rules.