Before the match, a coin is tossed. The winner of the toss chooses which direction to run in and the loser takes the centre pass to begin the game. At half-time the teams swap ends, and run in the opposite direction, and the team which won the toss takes the centre pass to begin the second half. Each time a centre pass is taken, the teams line up on their own sides of halfway and the a player hits the ball to a team-mate standing at least a metre away. When a team scores, the other team starts the play with a centre pass.
Centre passes also begin play at the start of each period of extra time.
If a ball travels over the sideline, a member of the team which did not touch it last hits the ball back into the field of play from the spot at which it crossed the line. If an attacking player hits the ball over the goal line but outside the goal posts, a defending player hits the ball in. If a defending player unintentionally hits the ball out over the goal line, the play is restarted with a long corner. An attacking player hits the ball in from a position on the goal line about five metres in from the corner flag. If a defender intentionally hits the ball out over the goal line, a penalty-corner is awarded.