Bandy
Bandy is a team sport played on ice in which players wear skates and use sticks to play a ball and score by sending the ball into the opponent's goal. The rules are maintained by the Federation of International Bandy (FIB), which publishes the official playing rules used in international competition.
International governance and history
FIB was founded on February 12, 1955 in Stockholm by Norway, the USSR, Finland, and Sweden. The first ever World Championship bandy match was played on February 28, 1957 at Helsinki Olympic Stadium, in a Finland vs Sweden game that opened the first World Championship event in Helsinki.
Playing area and markings
Under FIB rules, the playing surface is a rectangular ice rink with defined lines and marked areas that structure restarts, goalkeeper privileges, and penalty situations. The markings include a penalty area defined as a semicircle in front of each goal and standard corner markings for corner-strokes.
- Rink dimensions: length 100-110 m; width 60-65 m
- Penalty area: semicircle with radius 17 m from the center point of the goal-line
- Penalty mark: 12 m from the center point of the goal-line
- Corner marking: quarter-circle with radius 1 m in each corner
- Line width: 5-8 cm
Goal construction
The goal cage is placed in the center of each end-line. The inside dimensions are 2.1 m in height and 3.5 m in width, with minimum depth requirements specified for the area under the crossbar and at ground level.
Ball, sticks, and skates
FIB rules specify equipment measurements to keep play consistent across venues and competitions. The ball is regulated by diameter and weight, and the stick has defined maximum length and blade limits. All players and referees on the ice must wear skates, with safety constraints on blade ends and minimum blade thickness.
- Ball diameter: 63 mm +/- 2 mm
- Ball weight (unused): 60-65 g
- Stick maximum length: 127.0 cm (measured along the outer side of the bend)
- Stick blade maximum thickness: 1.2 cm
- Stick blade width: minimum 5.3 cm; maximum 7.0 cm (including winding)
- Skate blade ends: rounded to radius minimum 5 mm
- Skate blade thickness: minimum 2.9 mm
Goalkeeper ball handling limits
When the goalkeeper has control of the ball, the rules limit how long the ball may be held. The goalkeeper may not hold the ball for more than 5 seconds, after which it must be thrown or placed so that another player can play it.
Teams, match length, and substitutions
A bandy match is played between two teams of 11 players each, including one goalkeeper and one captain per team. Ordinary playing time is two halves of 45 minutes. Substitutions are permitted an unlimited number of times and at any time unless otherwise specified, with specific restrictions applied in some restart situations.
- Players on the ice: 11 per team (including one goalkeeper)
- Minimum to start a match: 8 players
- Ordinary playing time: 2 halves of 45 minutes
- International matches: up to 5 additional substitutes (4 field players and 1 goalkeeper)
- Team roster size (general): minimum 8 players; maximum 16 players
Substitution procedure and corner-stroke restriction
Player changes are handled through designated exchange areas at the border. The rules state that substitutions can occur at any time, but there shall be no substitutions when a corner-stroke is called, with limited injury-related exceptions handled through the referee.
Core rules: offside, free-strokes, and discipline
Bandy includes an offside rule and structured restarts such as free-strokes and penalty shots. The laws also define a card-based discipline system for warnings and time-limited or match penalties.
Offside definition and restart
Under FIB rules, a player is offside when he is on the opponents side of the rink and there is less than two opponent players (including the goalkeeper) between the player and the opponents end-line at the moment the ball is played by a team-mate, and the player is also closer to the end-line than the ball when played. The referee stops play for offside only when the offside-positioned player becomes involved (for example by receiving the ball or disturbing play), and the defending team is awarded a free-stroke from where the offside player was positioned.
Free-stroke distance requirement
On a free-stroke, the opposing team must take position at least 5 m away from the ball, and repeated violations can lead to penalties. The rules also allow for quick restarts under the referee's management when conditions for distance and readiness are met.
Cards and penalty signaling
Warnings and penalties are communicated using specified card colors. A warning is signalled by yellow card, a time-limited penalty is signalled by white (5 minutes) or blue (10 minutes) card, and a match penalty is signalled by red card.