EXETER AND DISTRICT BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

RULES FOR COMPETITION 2021-22

 

  1. Organisation

 

1.1      These Rules shall apply specifically to the Association’s main league and knock-out competitions. They shall be framed, and amended if necessary, by the Executive Committee. They shall be published and circulated to all officers, clubs, individuals and referees at the latest by the pre-season Management Committee in September. In any situation not covered by the rules, the Executive Committee shall have the power to make an ad hoc decision. This power may be delegated.

 

1.2     The Executive Committee shall invite entries into competitions from teams formed by clubs in membership of the Association, and shall accept into competitions only such teams as the Committee judge after due consideration to be suitable on conduct, administrative and financial grounds, and as have deposited the required surety, any remnant of which shall be returnable to each team at the AGM (or kept as surety for the following season dependent on teams wishes).

 

1.3     The Executive Committee shall delegate to Officers or sub-committees some of its day to day functions, particularly:-

 

  1. To a General Secretary the day to day administration of the League and the registration of clubs.

 

  1. To a Registrar the registration of individual members.

 

  1. To a Referees Secretary the appointments of referees to all competitions.

 

  1. To a Fixtures Secretary the compilation of the programme of league and knockout matches.

 

  1. To a League Secretary the publication of results and league tables; the impartial imposition and collection of fines (with a deadline of two weeks to pay or appeal from the date of the fine).

 

  1. To a Competitions Secretary the administration of the knockout competitions and ‘Play Offs’.

 

 

  1. To the Treasurer the administration of all financial matters and the keeping of proper accounts.

 

  1. Safeguarding / Welfare Officer, to overview the policies and safeguarding of individuals within our game.

 

  1. i) To the Rules Committee decisions on any appeals against fines

 

  1. j) To a Disciplinary Committee the enforcement and review of the sanctions on any disqualified player or incident within our jurisdiction that requires consideration of discipline.

 

  1. k) To an Emergency Committee any of its functions in an emergency situation.

 

Each of these Officers and Committees should report back on these functions to each meeting of the Executive Committee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Administration

 

2.1     All monies owed from previous season and entry fee for current season to be paid in full prior to 1st Management meeting of the season.

 

2.2     A representative for each TEAM is required at Management Meetings.

 

2.3     Meetings arranged if possible, should be ‘in person’, however can be ‘remote / virtual’ when necessary.

 

  1. Competitions

 

3.1     All competitions shall be conducted according to Basketball England Rules, except where specifically contradicted by these rules.

 

3.2     Application by teams for entry into competitions shall be made on an official entry form to the General Secretary by the due date, and contain such information as is necessary to the efficient running of the competition.

 

3.3     Teams may be divided by the Executive Committee into various competitive categories to form separate league, knockout, tournament and other competitions. These categories may restrict participants by age and/or sex or geography, but not necessarily.

 

3.4     Knockout competitions should, if practicable be played at neutral venues in their semi-final and final rounds. Additional fees may be charged to the relevant teams, if necessary to achieve this aim.

 

3.5     Matches in knockout competitions can be arranged by random draw or seeding.

 

3.6     The classification of teams shall be made according to the Basketball England Official Games Procedures.

 

 

 

  1. Competitions Schedule

 

4.1     It shall be the first priority of the Executive Committee that all matches shall be played where practicable within the rules.

 

 

4.2     The General Secretary shall circulate to all teams a schedule of matches for League and knockout competitions, at least two weeks before the September Management Committee meeting. Teams shall check the schedule, particularly to ensure that venues are bookable and that players are not likely to be unavailable on the specified dates. If any alterations are necessary, teams shall propose them to the General Secretary a reasonable period before the meeting at which teams will be required to confirm the schedule.

 

4.3     Every match should start at the scheduled time, except by prior arrangement of both teams and the appointed officials. If any team is not on court and ready to start play as per Basketball England rules, its opponents may claim the match and in that event the referee shall award the match and sign the score sheet accordingly. If the offending team subsequently is ready and able to play, and there is sufficient time for a full match to be played, the match shall take place, and a second score sheet shall be completed. Both score sheets shall be forwarded to the League Secretary, who shall present them to the Executive Committee for a decision as to which score sheet shall apply. Sanctions against the offending team shall apply in either event.

 

4.4     Every match should be played on its scheduled date. The Committee will allow changes to this fixture list without re-arrangement fees for a set period prior to the Beginning of the season. Any change following this period will result in an imposition of the re-arrangement fee. The team wishing to re-arrange the fixture is responsible for notifying the opponents and officials at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled date, and for making all the rearrangements for the match which will include the re-arrangement of officials for that game. The team shall send a written statement, containing details of the rearrangement, to the Fixtures Secretary, Referee’s Appointment and League Secretary Before the original match date. If the rearrangement causes any other party unavoidable expenditure, e.g. referees will be entitled to claim match fee if they are advised with less than 48 hours’ notice, the team shall pay compensation of that amount to the Association and the Association will compensate the other party to that amount. If for any reason the match is eventually not played, then it will count as a default against the original offending team.

 

4.5     Any team failing to fulfil a match on a scheduled date - other than with approval as per paragraph 3.4 above - shall suffer the sanction of default together with the appropriate fine, the payment of the official's fees and expenses, and the compensation of other parties as per the said paragraph. If the match is eventually rearranged and played, only the default shall be remitted.

 

4.6     Teams who participate in the knock-out competition may have a combination of upper and lower League players but once they have played for the decided team in the knock-out competition they may not play for the other team.

 

4.7     It is best practice that one week prior to a scheduled match the home team contacts their opponents to confirm that the match will take place and it’s venue, tip-off time, and team colours. Contact should then be made with the listed match referees to confirm that the game will proceed.

 

4.8     Abandoned Matches For matches abandoned through no fault of either team during a match (i.e. light failure), if there are less than 5 minutes left of the final quarter and one team is 20 points or more Behind, OR no more than a quarter left with one team more than 30 points behind the result will stand. All other matches will be replayed unless both teams and The Executive agree to the result as it was when the match was abandoned.

 

 

 

 

  1. Matches

 

5.1     The home team through the coach shall be responsible for:-

 

  1. a) Providing and paying for all suitable facilities required to stage the match

 

  1. b) Providing a competent scorer and timekeeper (though the away team may elect to provide one of those if it wishes, subject to advance notice of 48 hours.

 

  1. c) Providing a visual running scoreboard

 

  1. d) Providing technical equipment as per Basketball England rules

 

  1. Providing court furniture as per Basketball England Official Game Procedure

 

  1. Providing a visible running clock (or flip time chart)

 

 

Any failure of the home team to comply with a) to f) should be reported by the Referee on the back of the score sheet, having entered PTO Before his signature.

 

5.2     Should the uniforms of competing teams be similar in colour, then the home team shall change its colours, unless prior agreement arranged.

 

 

5.3     Each team shall provide the scorer with a list of names and initials of its players and coaches, their playing numbers in ascending order and their association registration numbers at least 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. Each team’s coach shall sign the score sheet before the start, as the formal representative of team, to signify that the information entered for his team is true and correct. The appearance of a player’s name on a score sheet shall not count that he/she has played. A player is not counted as having played in a match, unless he/she has physically stepped on to the court, and is recorded as having done so by the official Scorer on the Score Sheet, or that it is obvious the player has participated due to fouls or a score being attributed to them.

 

5.4     In the event that only one official turns up, that official shall have the power to make whatever arrangements he deems suitable for officiating the match. If he officiates alone, then they may claim double match fee. In the event that there are insufficient table/scoreboard officials, or in the absence of correct technical equipment, the referee shall have the power to require whatever measures he deems necessary to remedy the situation, including requiring home players to fulfil the official roles.

 

5.5     Following conclusion of the match, either team coaches (or team captain in absence) shall endorse the scoresheet with the MVP for the opposing side.

 

5.6     In the event of a ‘signed under protest’ score sheet, it will be the ‘protesting’ team that submits their copy of the score sheet (or copy) within 72 hours to the General Secretary along with a letter explaining their protest. It will be the General Secretary’s responsibility to bring this to the attention of the Chairman.

 

5.7     Each team is responsible for their own first aid arrangements for players, supporters and others within the sports arena, the location of an open hospital with emergency department should be made readily available by the home team with post code available.

 

5.8     Teams that contain junior players (as decreed by Basketball England rules) should have at least two responsible adults to allow a game to continue in the unfortunate event of injuries, etc.

 

5.9     The recording of matches via live streaming, video or still imagery may take place, and all teams should be aware of this and inform their players, special consideration should be made in the discussion between junior players and their parents as both video and still imagery may be used in the public domain such as social media. It is a benefit to all parties to increase the public exposure of basketball, hence the increased use of video and still imagery within our game.

 

5.10   All recording shall be in accordance with our photography, video and live steaming guidance which is available for all members to review and necessary consent obtained during the registration process on our portal.

 

 

 

  1. Individual Eligibility

 

6.1     All coaches, referees and umpires shall be currently licensed by Basketball England, registered with EDBA and their numbers entered on the score sheet. It is the individual player’s responsibility as to whether to license via Basketball England, EDBA carry their own Public Liability Insurance to cover games and training being staged within their jurisdiction.

 

6.2     On first licensing, and on relicensing, with Basketball England the individual applicate must update their EDBA registration portal with license number.  A player is only eligible to play once registered via the EDBA portal, appropriate fee paid and the registration number endorsed in the relevant location on the score-sheet prior to tip-off. If no registration number is available for a player prior to tip-off that player shall take no part in the match.

 

6.3     All players, officials, volunteers and supporters when registering via the EDBA portal must read and agree to our Code of Conduct as supported by Basketball England, only following agreement will they become members as our sport is for the enjoyment of everyone concerned in the game and compliance with the Codes of Conduct will ensure this.

 

6.4     Players shall be registered with one club, and may only be registered with one club in the Associations competitions, with notable exceptions. Players who are already registered with one club in the Association may, on entering full time education (called college) or in an occupation that prefers you to play in their registered team, apply to register first claim for either their original team or the College team, and to register second claim for the other. The Executive Committee shall consider and determine all such applications. Approved second claim players may play for both teams in League competitions, but for the first claim team only in any knockout or play-off competitions unless that First claim team has not entered the knock-out or play-off competition when the player can represent their second claim team. Each application will be considered on its own merit.

 

6.5     Where a player wishes to transfer from one club to another, the receiving club must apply on his behalf in writing to the Registrar, enclosing written agreement from the player and his current club, and the required fee. Transfers of players shall not be approved after 1st March in any given season.

 

6.6     Where a club has more than one team of any given sex, the seven best players MUST BE registered for the first team, all other players can move freely between teams for the same club. This ONLY applies to league games, in Cup Competitions players will be considered ‘cup tied’ for that season to the first team they played for.

 

6.7     A player may not play for a team in a Knock out semi-final, knock-out final, or the Play Off competition unless they have played in a combination of at least two league or cup pool games for that team. Where a club has more than one team in the league but only enters one team in the knock out competition the player must have played for one of the teams in a combination of at least two league or cup pool games.

 

6.8     If a player receives two ‘unsportsmanlike’ fouls in a match it is the captain and / or the coach’s responsibility to ensure that player takes no part in the next scheduled league / cup game. Two ‘unsportsmanlike’ fouls by one player in one match receives an automatic minimum one match ban (can be extended dependent on circumstances), subject to the ‘Appeal’s Process’. If a player receives two ‘technical’ fouls in a match, there is no further sanction unless other disciplinary matters occurs.

 

6.9     It is the Coach’s (or Captain’s in the absence of a Coach) responsibility for ensuring that all players on a score sheet are registered and eligible to play.

 

6.10   There is no lower age limit for players within EDBA, junior players (as confirmed by their Basketball England registration) are the responsibility of the coach / captain of their team, and arrangements must have been made by clubs, with the parents of the children to ensure their welfare whilst participating in the Exeter and District League, and suitable written consent obtained.

 

 

  1. Officials

 

7.1     Qualified Officials will be appointed wherever possible to each match by the Referees Secretary, but may include where necessary apprentice or unqualified Officials under training who have passed their theory examination and are awaiting practical examinations. Officials shall be able to adjudicate on any possible infraction of Competition Rules during the period of the match.

 

7.2     The Home team shall be responsible for submitting the score sheet to the Fixture’s Secretary within two weeks of a match, and updating via email, text or similar the result following the conclusion of the match and within 2 hours.

 

 

8. Disqualifications

 

8.1     All referees will be provided with report forms on which they will report any disqualifying foul committed by a player or coach. This form must be sent immediately to the General Secretary.

 

8.2     Any player or coach against who a disqualifying foul is awarded shall automatically be banned from competing in the next scheduled match of the team which he was representing when disqualified.

 

8.3     If a referee reports that a one match ban is sufficient, then the matter shall not proceed further, unless the disqualified player or coach appeals to the Executive Committee. If the referee does not so report, then the matter is referred immediately to the Chairman/Technical Secretary. In the case of appeal or referral, a special Disciplinary Committee of two independent officers and himself shall be convened urgently by the Chairman/Technical Secretary, with powers to impose a fine up to the current maximum, and/or to impose suspension of any duration.

 

 

8.4     An appeal must be sent to the Chairman to arrive within 72 hours of the disqualification, together with an appeal fee which is returnable in the event of the appeal being upheld. If there is an appeal, the suspension is nullified until the appeal is heard. An appellant shall have the right to further appeal to Basketball England, under its rules.

 

 

8.5     If there is to be an appeal hearing, the Chairman shall: -

 

  1. arrange for the hearing to be heard on the earliest possible date, and arrange the venue

 

  1. inform the appellant of the arrangements, and that he may bring someone to speak on his behalf

 

  1. provide copies of the referee’s report and of these Rules, and a memorandum of the procedure, to the appellant and the Disciplinary Committee members

 

  1. arrange for witnesses to attend if he decides it desirable

 

  1. Ensure that any decision is notified immediately to the General Secretary and the Referees Secretary, and to the Executive Committee at its next meeting.

N.B. A separate sheet detailing procedure is enclosed.

 

9. League Positioning

 

9.1     Rules governing league positioning (as adopted by Exeter and District Basketball Association) will be sent to each team at the beginning of the season by the General Secretary.

 

9.2     Two points will be awarded for a win and one point for a loss for all played games. A team losing by default will be awarded zero points.

 

10. Play-Off Competition

 

 

10.1    At the conclusion of the League fixtures, there will be an independent ‘Play-Off’ competition for the top four teams (or specified number dependent on circumstances) in each Division (or as decided that season by the Executive). The 1st placed team in each Division shall play the 4thplaced team, the 2nd placed team shall play the 3rd placed team. The 1st and 2nd placed teams will have home advantage for the semi-final, so long as it doesn’t impact on the final’s day. The ‘Play Off’ competition can also include a ‘inter division’ competition to assist with decision making for division allocation the following season, and play-off opponents will be adjusted to facilitate this (i.e. the top two teams in Division II could play the bottom two in Division I).

 

10.2   The semi-finals are to be played in the week following the end of the season (as directed by the Executive) with the final taking place at a neutral venue the following weekend as directed. The Association will cover all costs in relation to referees for the fixtures and will cover the costs for the neutral venue for the three finals. Any team unable to fulfil their semi-final fixture or final fixture will lose by default – in the case of the Play Offs, the Association reserves the right to replace any team unable to fulfil the fixture.

 

  1. Life Presidents and Vice Presidents

 

11.1    Where appropriate and after due consideration by the Committee, those members that have accordingly supported EDBA in a Committee role shall be ‘offered’ Life President positions (applicable if served as a Chairperson), or Life Vice President (applicable for other roles within the Committee).

 

11.2    Neither Life Presidents or Life Vice Presidents have any ‘voting’ rights within the Committee or organisation, the role is a ‘figurehead’ position.