1. Entry and Elegibility.
1.1 Each team shall pay an entry fee to the League, as set by the League Officers, plus a deposit of £20 per club to be held against fines or other financial commitments outstanding at the end of the season. This deposit must be topped up when asked to do so by the League Treasurer and will be forfeited by any team that withdraws during the season.
All entry fees, deposits and outstanding fines must be paid in full by October 31st, following this
date clubs with outstanding fees will be suspended and any games missed during the suspension will
be forfeit.
1.2 All clubs, players and coaches must register with England Basketball (EB), before taking part in any league fixture. Clubs must submit to the League, before their first game, a full list of players
with registration numbers, identifying their best six players where applicable, (see rule 1.7).
Registration cards must be signed, carry an identifying photograph and be available at every game
for inspection by the Referee. Registration numbers must be recorded on the score sheet.
1.3 No team shall introduce a new player after January 31st without the permission of the League Committee. A new player will be any player who has not appeared on a score sheet for that team
prior to January 31st.
1.4 A player becomes active when his/her name appears on a score sheet. Once active, they will not
be able to transfer to another club without the permission of the League Committee. Transfers will
not normally be approved after January 31st.
1.5 A player holding a senior national league licence can only play in the premier division. Clubs may play a maximum of two junior national league licensed players in divisions 2, 3, 4 or 5, provided they meet the age criteria of that division.
1.6 If a club enters more than one team in the same division, it must register a separate list of
players for each team.
1.7 If a club enters teams in both senior divisions then the best six players must be registered for
the higher division and will only be eligible for that competition. Clubs entering two teams must
register a minimum of eighteen players. Where a club enters more than 1 team in the same cup competitions a ‘cup tied’ rule will apply and players may only play for 1 team.
1.8 The team list must be kept up to date and the League Committee have the power to request
changes before and during the season.
1.9 Team colours, home venue, game night, tip-off time(s) and court hire charges must be advised
prior to the start of the season. Any alteration to these details must be notified to the League Secretary.
2. Fixtures.
2.1 All clubs must have a working e-mail address. Fixtures, match officials, results and tables will
be on the league website, www.peterboroughbasketball.net. Any items of news will be sent by e-mail.
2.2 The playing season will finish on 30th April and all league fixtures must be completed by that date.
2.3 Once the Official Fixture List has been issued, alterations will only be accepted in extreme circumstances.
2.4 In the event that a team withdraws during the season all matches involving that team will become void.
2.5 In the event that a team is unable to fulfil a scheduled fixture, they should notify the League Secretary, the opposing team and the match officials as soon as possible. Cancellations will only be accepted for the following reasons;
i. the home court becomes unavailable at very short notice, or
ii. bad weather prevents the away team traveling.
In these circumstances, the game will normally be re-scheduled, however the offending team may be held responsible for any costs incurred and any other penalty imposed by the League Committee.
2.6 In the event that a team fails to provide 5 players on court ready to play within 15 minutes of the official start time the game shall be awarded as a forfeit and the offending team shall be responsible for all cost incurred for officials and court hire. Where the offending team are the visitors, payment of any cost incurred must be made within 7 days.
2.7 Teams that fail to show at the scheduled game time for central venue competitions will be fined. Fines will be based on the court hire and officials costs incurred by the competition organiser.
2.8 League points will be awarded as follows; win 2 points, loss 1 point, default 1 point, forfeit 0 points. In the event of a tie for league positions, determination shall be made in accordance with
FIBA classification rules.
2.9 In the event of a colour clash the visiting team shall change.
3. Officials.
3.1 The League will appoint officials for each fixture. The home team will confirm with both
officials at least 7 days before the game. If an official is unavailable the League Secretary must be informed immediately and a replacement will be appointed.
3.2 Where an official becomes unavailable after the home team has confirmed, he/she should notify the League Secretary who will appoint and confirm a replacement.
3.3 Officials fees should be added together and split equally between the two teams, clubs will receive notification of the fees at the start of each season. Table Officials will be paid in the same way as officials at the rate set by EB.
3.4 All clubs must provide a qualified referee who is available and able to travel to their appointed games. Each club will be expected to provide a referee for 10 games per season at senior and/or u18 level. Those Clubs that don’t have an acceptable official at the start of the season will pay a £150 surcharge on their entry fee. This fee will be refunded provided that club has met the League requirements by the time the season re-starts after the Christmas break.
3.5 All clubs must have a NATO I (or higher) table official.
4. Match Organisation.
4.1 Games will be played over 4 x 10 minute quarters, stopping the clock as required. In the event
of a game being drawn at the end of normal time, 5 minute overtime periods will be played until a decisive result is achieved.
4.2 All teams in junior divisions must play a man to man defence. Should either official feel that a team is not playing man to man, they should initially remind the coach of the regulation and, if necessary stop the game.
4.3 Clubs must book their court for a minimum of 2 hours to ensure that adequate time is available to complete all games. The latest tip-off time for midweek games will be 9.00pm and should allow for a minimum of 15 minutes warm-up time. Junior league games must be played at weekends and bookings should allow for return travel at a reasonable time.
4.4 In the event that a result has not been achieved, the League Committee will determine what action should be taken and if necessary order the game to be replayed.
4.5 The home team will provide a qualified table official equipped with recognised score sheet, time clock, audible signal, foul markers, direction arrow and visual score.
4.6 Each team should be dressed in suitable kit of shirt and shorts and each player must be individually numbered so that he/she can be easily identified.
4.7 The home team is responsible for texting the match result to the League Secretary immediately after the game and for sending the white copy of the score sheet within 5 days.
4.8 The home team will provide a Game Check List and Officials Expenses Form which should be completed and returned to the League Secretary with the white copy of the score sheet.
4.9 Should an official want to make a written report, (this should always be done following a disqualification), brief details must initially be noted on the back of the white copy of the score
sheet. The official is then responsible for sending that score sheet to the League Secretary with a letter with full details within 5 days.
4.10 The match referee has control of the court starting 15 minutes before tip-off and ending 10 minutes after the game has been completed. That control shall cover all aspects of the game including the teams, on and off court, the score table, team followers and spectators.
5. Discipline.
5.1 The League Officers will appoint a Disciplinary Chairman, usually the Technical Officer, to deal with all disciplinary matters. Should such events occur, the Disciplinary Chairman will investigate and report back to the officers who will take whatever punitive action it deems necessary.
5.2 Clubs and players have the Right of Appeal against any penalty imposed by the League Officers. Any appeal must be made in writing to the League Secretary within 14 days of the penalty being notified. Where a fine is involved the appeal can only be made after the fine has been paid.
5.3 The appeal will be heard in front of a meeting of the League Committee. If the appeal is successful, the fine may be returned. Should the decision be upheld additional costs may be imposed on the club or player.
5.4 The League Committee may suspend any team that constantly breaches these rules.
5.5 All fines must be paid within fourteen days from receipt of written notification of the fine. Failure to do so will result in an additional fine of £10 for every fourteen day period that the fine is overdue.
6. Disputes.
6.1 If during the course of a game the coach or captain of a competing team has a complaint relating to the game procedures they should notify the referee, immediately, providing the ball is dead and the clock stopped, or at the first opportunity thereafter.
6.2 The coach or captain shall make their observations in a calm and courteous manner to the referee who may explain his decision or check the score book or time clock as necessary.
6.3 The interruption of play, should it exceed 30 seconds, shall be charged as a time-out to the team in question unless the referee, recognising the validity of the observation decide otherwise.
6.4 If at the end of the game a team considers it has suffered unreasonable harm by virtue of an occurrence during the game, with the exception of decisions made by the match officials, the captain of the team may sign the score sheet ‘under protest’. This must be done within 5 minutes of the end
of the game.
6.5 Any dispute regarding the circumstances of a game must be recorded in accordance with 6.4 and must be followed by a written report to the League Secretary within 72 hours of the completion of the game and be accompanied by a cheque for £25.
6.6 The cheque may be returned if the complaint is considered by the league committee to be valid.
A copy of the complaint should also be sent by the club concerned to the opposing team and to the
game officials.
6.7 Under no circumstances can the result be protested on the grounds of the quality of the game officials appointed by the league.
7. Interpretation.
7.1 These rules are for the Peterborough Basketball League and may vary from those issued by other local leagues. Where no specific rule is laid down reference should be made to the FIBA rule book
and EB national handbook.
8. General.
8.1 All clubs must send a representative to the Annual General Meeting. Rules concerning the notification of and voting procedures at the AGM are laid down in the League Constitution.
Appendix:
Set fines and Penalties.
1.2 £5.00 for each player/coach on the score sheet with no registration number.
£50.00 maximum for fielding illegal players and the loss of the game by forfeit.
4.7 £5.00 for not texting the match result to the League Secretary immediately after the game or
not sending the white copy of the score sheet within 5 days.
8.1 £20.00 for not sending a representative to the AGM.
Player or Coach Disqualification - automatic ban from the next PBBL game plus any additional penalty imposed.
June 1998
Last Revision June 2008
