Netball Odds and Evens System Explained

6 March 2026

rulescenter passscoring tipsodds and evens

If you have ever been told to track center passes using “odds and evens” and wondered what that actually means, this post breaks it down simply.

What Is the Odds and Evens System?

The odds and evens system is a method scorers use to track which team should take each center pass during a netball match. It works by assigning each team to either “odd” or “even” numbered center passes for the duration of the game.

Here is the key rule: center passes alternate between teams throughout the match, regardless of which team scores. The odds and evens system gives you a quick way to verify the correct team is taking each pass.

How It Works

At the start of the match, a coin toss determines which team takes the first center pass. Let’s say Team A wins the toss and starts.

Team A takes center pass 1 → this is an odd pass, so Team A is the “odds” team
Team B takes center pass 2 → this is an even pass, so Team B is the “evens” team
Team A takes center pass 3 → odd pass, Team A’s turn
Team B takes center pass 4 → even pass, Team B’s turn
And so on through the match

Because center passes strictly alternate, Team A will always take the odd-numbered passes (1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th…) and Team B will always take the even-numbered ones (2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th…).

This pattern holds for the entire match. If it ever breaks, something has gone wrong and you should check with the umpire.

Why Is This Useful?

During a fast-paced game, it is easy to lose track of whose center pass it should be. The odds and evens system gives you a cross-check: if you know the next pass is number 12, and even passes belong to Team B, you can confirm Team B should be taking it.

You can also verify using the combined score. After every goal, both teams’ scores added together tells you the center pass number (since every goal follows a center pass). If the combined score is even, the next pass is even. If odd, the next pass is odd.

What Are First and Second Phase Passes?

You might hear the terms first phase and second phase center pass. These refer to what happens at quarter breaks:

A first phase center pass is the center pass that was due when the quarter ended. Since center passes alternate, whichever team’s turn it is simply takes the first center pass of the new quarter. Under simple rules, this is straightforward — the alternation continues as normal.
A second phase center pass comes into play under Official INF rules. The INF rule states: “if in play, change the way.” This means if a center pass was already in play (the ball had been released) when the quarter ended, the odds/evens designations swap for the next quarter. If the pass had not yet been taken, it carries over unchanged.

For most school, club, and league matches, the simple rule is used — center passes just alternate and that is it. The INF rule mainly applies at higher levels of competition.

A Worked Example

Here is a short example to show odds and evens in action:

Pass Number	Team	Type	What Happened
1	Team A	Odd	Team A starts the match
2	Team B	Even	Alternates to Team B
3	Team A	Odd	Alternates to Team A
4	Team B	Even	Alternates to Team B
5	Team A	Odd	Quarter break — alternation continues

Notice that Team A always takes odd passes and Team B always takes even passes. The pattern never changes, regardless of which team scored each goal. If this pattern ever breaks, something has gone wrong and you should check with the umpire.

Do You Need to Track This Manually?

You can track odds and evens on a paper tally card, but it is one of the trickiest parts of scoring to get right — especially across quarter breaks.

Netball Scorer Pro calculates center passes automatically using either simple rules or official INF rules. It tracks the pass number, which team should take it, and handles quarter breaks for you. One less thing to worry about courtside.