I noticed that sometimes, matches are played with nets open at the bottom, while others are played with closed nets. I’m guessing there is a difference in balls going in, especially when the ball hits the rim (like the net bending back easier when it’s empty). Does anyone know of any differences or have a reason for the net configuration they have used? Should there be an official ruling of this?
Left image is from Vex “Nothing but Net” 256 point round
Right image is from VEX Nothing But Net NZ Scrimmage 3 Finals - 7682 Wingus & Dingus - 398pts combined
The nets should always be closed, per the field specification. Most often they are left open as an oversight, after being opened prior to aid in resetting fields from the previous match. We [referees] do sometimes miss these details and won’t mind if you politely point out that the field is configured incorrectly prior to the start of a match.
Thank you for the swift answer!
I like how VEX added the flaps at the bottom. When we finished struggling through building the nets (without looking for instructions :rolleyes:), we played around with them for a bit and found out that we couldn’t reach all of the balls from the top. We had to partly disassemble the net to get to the balls. Soon though, we found the flaps…
Personally, I like the nets closed because I can see who’s winning as the match progresses. Nets filled to the brim look pretty awesome, too 
I guess its harder to get balls into the high goal once you have filled it up because of all the balls in there, making it more difficult to score. Thats probably how it was envisioned at least.