Academies Rules and Regulations

Updated July 2025 

These regulations apply to the following U19 competitions: Elite Academy Basketball League (EABL), Women’s Elite Academy Basketball League (WEABL) & College Basketball League (CBL).

1. Definitions and Interpretation

1.1. Definitions of terms used in this document can be found HERE.

1.2. Where the context so admits:

• words importing the singular shall include the plural and vice versa.
• words importing the masculine gender shall include the feminine gender.
• words importing persons shall include firms, corporations and unincorporated associations.

1.3. Reference to any Act, Statute or statutory provision shall include a reference to that Act, Statute or statutory provision as amended, re-enacted or replaced from time to time, whether before or after the date of adoption of these Regulations, and any former Act, Statute or statutory provision replaced (with or without modification) by the Act, Statute or statutory provision referred to and any subordinate legislation made thereunder respectively.

1.4. Section, Regulation and Appendix headings are for ease of reference only and shall not affect the construction of these Regulations.

1.5. The terms including, include, in particular or any similar expression shall be construed as illustrative and shall not limit the sense of the words preceding those terms.

2. Management

2.1. The EABL and WEABL, will be administered jointly between Basketball England (BE) & Association of Colleges (AOC) Sport in consultation with the two league appointed representatives from the teams that are competing within the leagues, one representative will cover EABL and one will cover the WEABL. Both roles are in a non-management role and in a consultative role only.

2.2. The CBL, will be administered jointly between Basketball England & AOC Sport.

2.3. The Executive Boards of Basketball England & AOC Sport have delegated the responsibility for organising the competitions to Basketball England’s Competitions Department.

2.4. The Disciplinary Officer is responsible for disciplinary matters related to the misconduct of players, coaches, assistant coaches, and bench personnel and match officials. Where necessary, Basketball England’s Disciplinary Code will be used to address any serious misconduct. An appeal may be lodged against any decision of the Disciplinary Officer or a Discipline panel in accordance with the Basketball England Appeals Policy

2.5. Decisions made by the Disciplinary Officer may be referred to the Competitions Manager or a three-person panel representing Basketball England known as the Competitions Review Panel.

2.6. By registering to participate, individuals accept and agree to abide by Basketball England policies, regulations and rules.

3. Registrations and Entry

3.1. Institutions wishing to compete in the EABL and WEABL must have been awarded DiSE Partnership status or have been invited to participate in the league.

3.2. Teams cannot enter into the CBL as a ‘Trust’ and must enter as an individual institution.

3.3. New institutions wishing to join CBL Tier 3 must have participated in Dynamik Schools/AOC Sport Regional Leagues in the previous season and ensure they meet the new team entry pack information found on the website. A meeting between the school/college and Basketball England is a mandatory requirement if requested by Basketball England, prior to confirming teams for the new season.

3.4. Basketball England/AOC Sport reserves the right to refuse entry to any institution.

3.5. Should a previous season’s entry fee or fines be outstanding, that institution will not be allowed to enter the league.

3.6. All institutions invited to enter the competitions must be affiliated to Basketball England and be members of AOC Sport.

3.7. All players must be registered using AOC Sport’s online system SportLomo. Failure to do this will result in games being forfeited until all players have been registered.

3.8. The last day for players registration on SportLomo to play in the Academy leagues for a team is 31 January. No new players can then be registered after this date.

3.9. The maximum an EABL/WEABL team can register players on SportLomo to play in these two leagues are 20 players in total. Players can be transferred in and out of the team by the institution notifying Basketball England/AOC Sport of the players to be removed and added to teams.

3.9.1 Teams can make a written request for a maximum of three players to be deregistered from the EABL/WEAB/CBL and then registered for AOC Sport’s regional leagues. Once deregistered, the player cannot then be reregistered for the EABL/WEABL/CBL. Applications must be received before the Christmas break.

3.10. The person responsible for the administration of the institution’s basketball team shall be referred to as the ‘key contact person’. All actions of the key contact person are deemed to represent the authority of the institution.

3.11. Communication between institutions and Basketball England/AOC Sport should be conducted through the key contact person.

Only the key contact person will be acknowledged as the person to communicate decisions, unless the institution have informed of a nominated alternative. Basketball England/AOC Sport should be informed in writing of any permanent or temporary changes in the key contact person.

3.12. Upon registration, the Principal / Head Teacher of the institution or the Chairperson of Club Led Programs/partnerships accepts responsibility for the actions of its employees and accepts the responsibilities of the organisation set out within these Rules and Regulations and must comply fully with any disciplinary investigations and sanctions applied.

4. Player Eligibility

4.1. The age of each player is taken as at the 1 September of each season. All players must be under 19 and over 16 on this date.

4.2. All players must be registered on the Individual Learning Record of the institution/partnerships (EABL/WEABL) for which they play and must be on a programme of study which is funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency, subject to exception in Regulations 4.4 and 4.5.

4.2.1 If the player is a pupil at an institution, studying a higher-level qualification at level 4 or above course and their Individual Learning Record is on the college/institution system (registered on HESA with the competing college and not the university that awards the qualification), then the player is eligible to compete within the competitions as a third-year student.

4.3. Where a student is on a funded study programme at more than one school/college, the student will play for the institution at which they study more guided learning hours. If this college does not enter a team in the student’s chosen sport, the college at which the student studies fewer hours must make a written request to the other college for the student to play in their team.

4.4. Students competing in the competitions must be on a Further Education course only unless under aged and must be studying normal school education.

4.5. Part-time students must be on a study programme on at least band 2 of the National Funding Rates and studying a minimum of 280 hours.

4.6. In exceptional circumstances players under the age of 16 (Year 10 and 11 students only) can be considered to participate. They must demonstrate their participation in Basketball England's Super Region training squad, or equivalent playing standard, within the previous 24 months, in addition to the general requirements of Basketball England’s Eligibility and Participation Exemption Policy.

Any applicant to participate under this clause must have been at the primary educational institution / Trust for more than two academic years, unless the applicant has transferred from a college within a reasonable distance in the same region (taken to mean Basketball England’s regional areas). Any players transferring in either or between year 10 or 11 will not be considered unless the school the player is transferring to uses the same exam board as the school they are transferring from. In addition, both schools must demonstrate that the players education will not be negatively affected by this transfer.

The request will need to follow Basketball England’s Eligibility and Participation Exemption Policy application process

4.7. DiSE Partnerships (EABL and WEABL only)

4.7.1 A DiSE Partnership can nominate a maximum of two schools/colleges/sixth forms as member bodies to the Basketball England DiSE Each partner must be Identified within a current and signed SLA or MoU.

4.7.2 WEABL Invitational non DiSE Partner teams may name a club as a member of the partnership. Any player must hold a NBL licence for the named club and must be in year 12 or 13 unless granted permission under regulation 4.6.

4.7.3 DiSE only partnerships, are permitted to make a request that a student who attends an Independent School and is British, who are a top 14 player at their current GB age group, will be enabled to make a request to play in the EABL or WEABL. The request will need to follow Basketball England’s Eligibility and Participation Exemption Policy. The top 14 is measured by the previous seasons GB final squads.

4.7.4. All recognised members of the partnership (4.7.1-4.7.3 inclusive) are eligible to participate IN EABL and WEABL matches

4.8. It is recommended that team’s field at least 8 players per game.

4.9. Players registered to compete in the EABL, WEABL are not permitted to compete in U19 conference competitions organised by Basketball England or AOC Sport. This includes AOC Sport Regional Leagues & National competitions and Dynamik National Schools.

4.10. Players registered to compete in the CBL are not permitted to compete in U19 conference competitions organised by Basketball England (including Dynamik National Schools) or AOC Sport but can compete in AOC Sport Regional & National competitions.

4.11. Any requests for exemptions to the player eligibility regulation, must be submitted via Basketball England’s Eligibility and Participation Exemption Policy. The application can be accessed HERE.

4.12. When a team fields an ineligible participant (player, coach or bench personnel) as they have not complied with Regulation 4, the game will be forfeit and recorded as 20-0 to the opposing team, with the institution to face further disciplinary action in line with the Basketball England Discipline Code.

5. Competition Format

5.1. Basketball England/AOC Sport reserves the right to adjust the format or rules of the competition as is deemed appropriate.

5.2. All league formats will be home and away fixtures unless otherwise communicated by Basketball England/AOC Sport.

5.3. No single game can count as the result in two games between the same two teams. Individual games must be played on both occasions in line with the fixtures listed. A breach of this regulation will result in potential disciplinary action for both teams and results becoming void.

5.4. The teams that qualify for the playoff rounds and the Finals shall observe any arrangements by Basketball England/AOC Sport for the staging of these fixtures, especially with regard to any sponsorship agreements.

5.5. The League positions shall be determined by awarding the following points:

• • Three points for a win and zero point for a loss in all competitions.
  • Three points shall be awarded to the non-offending team for a Match that is won by forfeit. A fine in line with 6.18 may also be applied for not fulfilling the fixture.
  • All games that are ‘void’ at the end of the season will result in a score line of 0-0.

5.6. If two or more Teams have the same number of league points, the positions of such Teams in the league shall be determined as follows:

• • The result of the match(es) between the two or more teams who are tied shall be used to decide the classification.
  • If these two or more teams have the same win-loss record of the games between them, further criteria shall be used in the following order until the teams can be separated:

1. 1. 1. Higher goal difference of the games between them.
      2. Higher number of points scored in the games between them.
      3. Higher goal difference of all games in the league.
      4. Higher number of points scored in all games in the group.

• • If at any level of these criteria one or more team(s) are already classified, the procedure of shall be repeated from the start for all the remaining teams not yet classified.
  • If, upon application of these criteria the teams cannot be separated, the final classification shall be determined with a random draw.

5.7. Teams in the EABL will have end of season playoffs to determine an EABL overall champion. The playoff format will be circulated to the teams.

5.8. Teams in the WEABL will have end of season playoffs to determine a WEABL overall champion. The playoff format will be circulated to the teams.

5.9. CBL (Tier 2) teams will have end of season playoffs to determine a CBL overall champion. The playoff format will be circulated to the teams.

5.10. The two bottom placed teams in each of the CBL Tier 2 leagues will take part in a promotional playoff with CBL Tier 3 winners. The winners of the promotional playoff will qualify to play in the CBL Tier 2 league for the following season.  Teams looking for these promotional spots must meet Tier 2 standards that are in place.

5.11. The teams who finish in the bottom two places for CBL Tier 3 may be relegated to play in AOC Sport Regional Leagues/Dynamik National Schools for a minimum of one season before they can make an application to re-join the league.

5.12. Any team that does not fulfil and meet the Academy Delivery Standards (at the appropriate level of compliance – category one, two, or three) may see their league status revoked and removal from the league they are participating in.

5.13. Teams that withdraw from a season after the structures are confirmed, are not permitted to re-enter the league the following season. They must instead re-enter as a new team after one season, whereby during this time they must compete in the AOC Sport Regional league or Dynamik National Schools competition.

6. Fixtures

6.1. Basketball England/AOC Sport will generate dates for all the regular season games and these will be published at least 21 days before the start of the season. It is the responsibility of the home institution to provide necessary information, i.e. tip off times, officials, colours, map etc for the away team at least 7 days before the fixture date.

6.2. All fixtures must be played no later than the league deadline as published by Basketball England. Any fixtures that have not taken place by the league deadline will be marked as Void and neither team receive points.

6.3. No Team shall be required to undertake a fixture that does not enable its Players to arrive back at their home base/meeting point by midnight, unless otherwise agreed.

6.4. For EABL and WEABL a visible scoreboard, and a visible game clock and visible shot clocks shall be provided by the home team at every game. These facilities shall be clearly visible to both team benches.

For CBL Tier 2 and Tier 3 a visible scoreboard, and a visible game clock shall be provided by the home team at every game. These facilities shall be clearly visible to both team benches.

6.5. For all competitions, the home team is required to provide a scoresheet and table equipment for the fixture. The home team is responsible for providing suitable first aid equipment at the venue.

6.6. Both teams must ensure they have their college identification cards available for inspection by the officials prior to the game commencing. If the identification cards cannot be produced the fixture should take place and a team should raise a dispute using the process outlined in regulation 13.

6.7. For EABL/WEABL games the home team must upload their game film to Synergy within 12 hours of the game being completed.

For CBL Tier 2 games the home team must upload their game film to Synergy (for game exchange purposes only) within 12 hours of the fixture being completed.

6.8. FIBA LiveStats is to be used for all WEABL and EABL fixtures and must be provided by the home team. When operated live, it should be operated with two licenced statisticians who hold at least the Introduction to Statisticians qualification. A live webcast, using the League Licence Code provided by Basketball England and FIBA LiveStats software, is desirable for all EABL and WEABL teams. This is applicable throughout their respective League and Playoff games.

6.8.1 Where stats have not been completed live using the League Licence Code it is mandatory for the game stats to be completed retrospectively from video using a match key by 23:59 on the day that the game took place on. If the stats are not completed by 23:59 of the day that the game took place on, the home team will be fined £30.00.

6.9. For CBL Tier 2 games the home team is responsible for taking full stats for both teams live at the game. Any software (FIBA LiveStats, iPad app, etc) can be used for this. However, when submitting stats the pro-forma provided by Basketball England must be completed for each game.  No Stats are required for CBL Tier 3 games.

6.10. It is compulsory for all EABL/WEABL/CBL Tier 2 teams to provide nominations and votes for end of season awards. This is a mandatory process and any teams that do not provide these submissions will be fined £150.00.

6.11. Spectator space if available should not interfere with the playing space. Spectators should be adequately supervised by the relevant school/college staff.

6.12. Teams arriving more than 15 minutes after the scheduled starting time will be liable to the forfeiture of the fixture. The away team must contact the home team if they are to be late. It is however the intention that the match should take place if possible and officials are requested to keep this in mind when making decisions.

6.13. Teams may only rearrange games with permission from Basketball England and/or AOC Sport. Prior to 12 September, teams may rearrange fixture changes to a mutually agreed date and submit a Fixture Change Form, signed by both teams, to [email protected]. On approval, the date will be updated on SportLomo by AOC Sport.

6.13.1 After 12 September, changes will only be agreed in exceptional circumstances. These fixtures should be prioritised over all other competitions so rearrangements should be kept to a minimum, with all teams permitted to postpone two games per institution per season.

6.13.2 A fixture change request form must be completed accompanied with a £50 fixture change fee paid by the team making the request and signed by both teams. If the requested to move a game is due to a venue issue no fee has to be paid but proof of the venue issue has to be submitted at the time of requesting a re-arrangement.  A new date for the fixture must be submitted on the form.  This will need to be agreed by Basketball England and updated on SportLomo by AOC Sport prior to the original scheduled fixture date. £50 payments are to be paid to AOC Sport in the form of a cheque, credit card payment or purchase order number.

6.14. Where an institution is responsible for the postponement of a scheduled game (48 hours or less prior to the tip off) or doesn’t fulfil a fixture, without the consent of its opponents, Basketball England/AOC Sport may consider the matter and forfeit the game 20-0 in favour of the non-offending team; league points may also be deducted. If games are postponed for other reasons, a new date for the game must be confirmed with the key contact person, Basketball England & AOC Sport no later than 7 days after the postponement.

6.15. Where an institution is responsible for the postponement of a scheduled due to the venue operator cancelling the booking, the game must be rescheduled within seven days of the postponement. Confirmation from the venue that the original booking was cancelled by the venue operator must be provided to Basketball England. Failure to provide confirmation from the venue operator will result in consideration of the matter by Basketball England/AOC Sport which may result in the game being forfeit in favour of the opposing team.

6.16. In the event of postponements due to severe weather conditions or unforeseen road delays the following will apply:

• • The travelling expenses (if applicable) of all match officials will be paid by the home team. If the Match Officials had arrived at the venue before the game was postponed, the Home Team shall also be responsible for paying half of the match fee.
  • Any dispute over the team responsible for the postponement, and subsequently any costs, will be resolved by Basketball England/AOC Sport within seven business days.
  • Any cost of court hire will lie with the team responsible for the postponement if the game is arranged for a later date. In the case of a claiming a forfeit the home institution is not entitled to claim court hire costs from the away institution.
  • The responsibility for notifying the match officials of a postponement rests with the home institution.
  • Basketball England may ask for confirmation or proof of the travel that was intended, type of vehicle used and details of the delays/breakdown, including any roadside assistance.

6.17. Where a Red Weather Warning is issued by the Met Office, Basketball England/AOC Sport may postpone all games in the impacted areas. This includes where a team’s departure location would be from a red weather warning area.

6.18. Any claim for an outstanding/postponed Match must be received by Basketball England not less than 14 days prior to the league deadline, in order that full consideration of the claim can be made before confirming the final league positions and Playoff places.

6.19. Institutions should take reasonable precautions to safeguard the match officials and other participants from unsatisfactory behaviour by their own players, officials and supporters.

6.20. The home team is responsible for:

• • Uploading a copy of the game film to Synergy within 12 hours (EABL/WEABL)
  • EABL/WEABL undertaking FIBA Live stats for each home game
  • For CBL Tier 2 games, sending in the statistics box score (using pro forma) to [email protected] within 24 hours of the game finishing.
  • CBL Tier 2 teams using Synergy to upload game film within 12 hours of the game finishing.
  • Sending copy of white scoresheet to AOC Sport ([email protected]) at completion of the game

6.21. All teams are responsible for:

• • Providing information requested from Basketball England/AOC Sport for use on the website and press releases adhering to any deadlines set.

6.22. The below are possible sanctions that will be imposed by Basketball England/AOC Sport for institutions that do not meet the requirements laid out in these regulations:

1. 1. Final written warning
   2. Monetary fine up to £500.00
   3. Ineligible for playoffs
   4. Immediate expulsion from league/playoffs
   5. Automatic relegation for following season

7. Finals Events

7.1. Basketball England/AOC Sport will organise and promote the finals events as it deems appropriate and will deal with disciplinary and other issues that may occur during the event.

7.2. Spectators are not permitted to use air horns, including Vuvuzelas, or whistles at National Events in line with FIBA regulations.

8. Playing Rules

8.1. All games must be played according to current FIBA Rules unless otherwise stated.

8.2. The home team should provide the match ball. Wilson is the approved ball for competitions under the jurisdiction of Basketball England.

8.2.1 Size 7 Balls should be used for EABL and CBL and Size 6 Balls should be used for WEABL.

8.3. All games should be played on a full court no less than 26m x 14m with a minimum of a one metre run off around the playing court.

8.4. All courts must have post 2012 court markings, any games that don’t meet these criteria will forfeit the game 20-0.

8.5. When arranging a fixture, the venue address, game time and respective playing colours must be confirmed. In the event of a colour clash on the day of the game the home team shall change.

8.6. During the game, the only persons permitted to sit on the bench are the head coach, up to two assistant coaches, up to 12 players, and a maximum of six accompanying delegating members (this can include registered players that are not playing and cannot be kitted up), i.e. 21 persons in total. It is recommended that each team has a team manager.

8.7. Approved safeguarding training is required for anyone in regulated activity with children including, but not limited to, coaches, assistant coaches, physios and team managers.

8.8. When a player in an Academy League fixture (regardless of age) is disqualified, a designated coach or bench personnel, with a current enhanced DBS certificate, must accompany the player out of the playing area into a public space. If there is no coach or bench personnel available, the player must remain in the hall on the opposite side of the court to their team bench area and must not intervene or communicate with the team. If the disqualified player is to remain in the hall, any further intervention or incidents will be taken into account in any disciplinary investigation after the match. 

8.9. In the event of a Coach being disqualified from an Academy League game, they must be replaced by another adult representing the institution who is suitably DBS checked and holds a minimum of a Level 2 basketball coaching qualification. Where no suitable qualified and DBS checked assistant coach is present, the game will be stopped. The game will be lost by default. If the team to which the game is awarded is ahead, the score shall stand as the time it was stopped. If that team is not ahead, the score shall be recorded as 2-0 to the non-offending team.

9. Results and Scoresheets

9.1. Game results must be entered directly into SportLomo within 6 hours of the games conclusion.

9.2. All EABL and WEABL results must be sent via Whatsapp to the designated results group chat within one hour of the game finishing. The name of the top three scorers for both teams must also be reported.

9.3. After the game, the completed white copy of the official scoresheet shall be sent by the home team to AOC Sport – [email protected].

10. Match Officials

10.1. All referees, table officials and statisticians operating in Academy Leagues and Playoff Competitions must hold a full licence with Basketball England and must comply with the Basketball England Match Officials Handbook.

10.2. Failure to provide qualified and licensed Referees, Table Officials and/or Statisticians will result in a £30 fine per unlicensed/unqualified official not provided.

10.3. All Officials must wear the approved Basketball England uniform.

10.4. Match officials are subject to the Basketball England Code of Conduct & Ethics and Disciplinary Code.

10.5. Match officials should not make public comments, including via electronic media, regarding incidents in the games in which they have officiated. Transgressions will be referred to the Basketball England Disciplinary Officer.

10.6. For all competitions, the home team is responsible for appointing appropriately licensed and qualified referees, table officials and statisticians

10.7. Basketball England will make match official’s appointments to all National Competition Finals and will determine the appropriate match fee and mileage rate and or the level of expenses that will apply.

Referees

10.8. The number and minimum level of referees, that must be appointed by the Home Club to each League, and Playoff Match is as follows:

10.9. In the case where the Home Institution appoint the referees, they must meet the following criteria

1. 1. Must be licenced with Basketball England as a referee
   2. In the case that a referee is under 18, their co-official must be at least 18 years old, qualified (Level 2 minimum), and licenced as a referee with Basketball England.
   3. No siblings/family taking part in fixture.
   4. Is not registered to participate in the same competition.
   5. The Crew Chief must be completely independent from the Home Institution and not hold any position in any capacity within the Home Institution.

10.10. In the event of a home team appointing a referee that does not meet all of the above regulations (10.9) the game will be forfeited, and the institution may be subject to disciplinary procedures. No blame can be placed on a local/regional Officiating Coordinators as the home institution have ultimate responsibility to ensure the appointed referees meet the criteria.

Table Officials

10.11. The number and minimum level of Table Officials, that must be appointed to each League and/or Playoff Match is as follows:

WEABL/EABL home teams are required to provide a shot clock and appropriately qualified table official to operate this. (When no Level 3+ table Official can be found, the priority is that a shot clock is used, so a Level Two can be used in these competitions only, where they have experience or undertaken a Level 3 course before).

10.12. Failure to meet this regulation will result in an automatic fine being imposed in accordance with regulation 10.2.

10.13. In all competitions, the Home Club shall be responsible for paying the Officials match fees and expenses.

The following match fee and expense rates are a guideline of the payment of officials:

Expenses paid to officials will either be in the form of:

• 1. Travel by Public Transport: The actual fare paid up to a maximum of second-class ordinary return.
  2. Travel by Road: 45.0p per mile. This figure does not apply where the official is using a company car, in which case the rate shall be 18.0p per mile for all mileage.

All receipts for public transport should be supplied along with the expenses claim form.

It is recommended that the total match fee and expenses that may be claimed each game by each official should not exceed a combined total of £37.00.

For double-header appointments only one set of travel expenses may be claimed.

HMRC expects all payments to be made by bank transfer or cheque. All officials are responsible for paying their own taxes and National Insurance and must comply with HMRC regulations.

10.14. Payments by BACS must be paid within 7 clear working days of conclusion of the match. Payments made in cheque or cash must be made prior to the match.

11. Match Official Failure to Arrive / Delay

11.1. All Match Officials must ensure that they are present at the venue thirty minutes before a fixture. Referees should then ensure that they are present on the playing court twenty minutes prior to the scheduled tip off time.

Referees

11.2. All fixtures require two suitably qualified referees in line with Regulation 10 for the game to take place. If it is not possible to appoint two referees by 24 hours prior to the game taking place, then the game will be postponed. Should the teams not agree to a postponement, the matter will be referred to the Competitions Review Panel to determine an outcome.

11.3. If two referees were appointed to a game, however, should one or both referees withdraw less than 24 hours prior to the game due to (a) injury, (b) illness, (c) unforeseen circumstances, then the following shall apply:

11.3.1 A member of either team who holds a suitable referee qualification and licenced with Basketball England, can take over with agreement from both teams.

11.3.2 If no suitable replacement referee is available, then the game can go ahead with one referee, only if both teams agree to this, and the referee also agrees and is minimum Level 2 qualified and at least 18 years of age. Alternatively, either team can choose to postpone the game. If the game is subsequently cancelled or postponed as a decision by either team, the game must be rearranged for a later date. In terms of re-arranging a fixture and any costs incurred are the responsibility of the home team. Once the game has begun, neither team may go back on their decision to play/continue the game with only one referee, nor may they protest the score as a direct result of this.

11.3.3 In the event of a dispute the home team will be asked to provide evidence to Basketball England of the referee appointments within seven days of the original fixture date, that should have taken place. Should such evidence not be available, this may result in the game being declared Forfeit by the home team.

11.4. Should all referees fail to arrive, the Home Team will follow Regulations 11.3.1 to 11.3.3 (inclusive) as far as possible, in order for the Match to take place.

11.5. Once a referee is substituted, this shall not normally be changed, even if the designated referee(s) arrives. The same referees shall continue throughout the Match. The Crew Chief shall have discretion to disapply this Regulation in exceptional circumstances.

Table Officials

11.6. Table officials must be present at the scorer's table at least 20 minutes prior to the start of the Match. If a table official is not present at the scorer's table 20 minutes prior to the scheduled tip off time without prior communication as to the reason for the delay (e.g. travel delay/unforeseen circumstances), the Home Team should take the necessary steps to appoint suitable replacements. The following procedure should be adopted:

11.6.1 If another suitably qualified table official is at the venue or in the immediate vicinity, they shall be informed that their services may be required.

11.6.2 If there is no suitably qualified table official available, the Home Team, in consultation with the Crew Chief shall decide who shall be the replacement table official.

11.6.3 If the table official fails to arrive by the time the Crew Chief signals three minutes, then the substitute official will be the timer; or

11.6.4 Once the table official is substituted this shall not normally be changed, even if the designated table official(s) arrives.

11.7. In the event of injury to or illness of a Match Official during the course of a Match, the Crew Chief may appoint a substitute at their discretion in accordance with the procedure set out in Regulation 11 above.

11.8. Should a match official not be able to complete a fixture due to illness or injury, their payment should be paid on a pro rata basis, rounded to the nearest interval of play. As such they will be entitled to either 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% or 100% of their match fee and should a replacement official be sought, they will be entitled to the remainder of the match fee.

12. Game Promotion

12.1. Teams are required to adhere to any requests related to league sponsorship (i.e. banner to be hung in venue, sponsor related social media, etc). Any conflicts of interest with team’s own sponsorship agreements will be dealt with on an individual basis.

13. Disciplinary Action

13.1. Basketball England will be responsible for disciplinary matters in accordance with these regulations and the Basketball England Disciplinary Code.

13.2. Individual institutions, coaches, assistant coaches, team managers, players and/or team representatives may be disciplined for breaches of the Academy Basketball Rules and Regulations and/or the Basketball England Disciplinary Code and Code of Ethics and Conduct. Disciplinary action could include disqualification of a team or individuals from competition for any period that may be decided by the Basketball England Disciplinary Officer or a Disciplinary Commission.

13.3. Institutions are responsible for their supporters and failure to control their behaviour could result in similar disqualification or other action as deemed appropriate within the powers of the Discipline Code.

13.4. In the event of a Participant committing a disqualifying foul during a Match, the case will automatically be considered by the Disciplinary Officer under the following process:

13.4.1 Each referee is required to submit a written report on the matter, to Basketball England within 48 hours of the match finishing or by 12 noon on a Friday, whichever is sooner.

13.4.2 Where a Participant has been disqualified and video of the incident is available this must be submitted to Basketball England within 48 hours.

13.4.3 The Participant and/or the Institution may also submit written reports if they so choose. Each of these reports shall be prepared by its author making clear as to evidence seen directly by the author.

13.4.4 If a Participant is guilty of misconduct not involving disqualification, which any of the Match Officials consider to be of sufficient gravity to warrant consideration by Basketball England, a report should be submitted by them and the Institution concerned notified accordingly, if appropriate.

13.4.5 The Match official’s reporting form can be found here.

13.5. A system of cumulative penalty points will apply, and a one game suspension comes into force whenever a Participant's total penalty points reach (or exceeds) each of the following totals: 10 (one match ban), 15 (second match ban), 20 (third match ban), 25 (fourth match ban) etc. A fine may be imposed as well as a game suspension, the fining system is defined in Appendix 2.

13.5.1. Disqualifications automatically invoke the following minimum penalty points:

13.6. Disciplinary action in respect of automatic penalty points incurred by disqualification will come into force on the 14^th day after the incident or as otherwise decided by the Disciplinary Officer / Basketball England during which time the Participant will be able to appeal under Regulation 14. This does not preclude the Disciplinary Officer for imposing further penalty points

13.7. At the end of each season, all cumulative totals will revert to zero.

13.8. Match Officials shall not make any recommendation or comment, either in their report or otherwise, as to the disciplinary action that they consider to be appropriate.

13.9. Disciplinary action (e.g. a suspension) because of a decision of the Disciplinary Officer / Basketball England will normally come into effect on the 14^th day after the incident or as otherwise decided by the Disciplinary Officer / Basketball England.

13.10. A Participant under suspension for a Match may not participate in the Match, or act as a Participant from 20 minutes prior to the scheduled starting time of the Match, until after the end of the Match. They may be present in the Venue as a spectator unless otherwise stated by the Disciplinary Officer / Basketball England.

13.11. Failure to observe a suspension or breaching any condition applied as part of a suspension is classed as a breach of suspension. Any breach of suspension will result in the case being referred to Basketball England for further action as appropriate.

13.12. Players, Coaches, and representatives of the Institution shall not directly or indirectly approach Match Officials before, during or after the game to give information or make comment which may be regarded as being intended to influence a match official’s judgment or neutrality in any way. Such action will be regarded as serious misconduct and the offender and the Institution they represent will be subject to disciplinary action.

13.13. At the discretion of Basketball England, a decision may be taken to allow the Institution to administer disciplinary action in order to ensure no individual is disciplined twice for the same incident.

13.14. All disciplinaries will be kept on record Basketball England to ensure all disciplinaries are monitored and accumulated from any other Basketball England Competitions. If sanctioned under the Disciplinary Code, any outcome may be held for a longer period of time, depending on the severity of the incident.

13.15. Basketball England may in appropriate cases at their sole discretion raise misconduct charges in addition to or instead of action taken within these procedures, in accordance with the Basketball England Disciplinary Code.

14. Appeals

14.1. Any Club or individual may appeal against a decision of the Disciplinary Officer, Officer of Basketball England or Competitions Review Panel in accordance with the Basketball England Appeals Policy by submitting an appeal with Basketball England as follows:

14.1.1 The grounds for the appeal must be submitted by the appellant in writing to Basketball England within two days in respect of Disciplinary Officer decisions and within seven days for other decisions (unless otherwise specified) of (a) the appellant being notified of the relevant decision or (b) the date of any incident incurring automatic disciplinary points.

14.1.2 The appeal must be accompanied by the relevant appeal fee as stated in the appeal policy.

14.1.3 An independent appeals panel will review the appeal submission and will elect in its sole discretion to determine the validity of the appeal based on the written submissions, a personal hearing shall be convened solely at the discretion of the appeal panel chair and is not an automatic right of the appellant.

14.1.4 Any decision of the appeals panel shall be final with no further right of appeal to Basketball England.

14.1.5 The appeals panel shall determine whether the appeal fee is returned to the appellant in full, in part, or not at all.

14.1.6 The Appeals Panel may impose costs as it deems appropriate in accordance with the appeal policy.

15. Disputes

15.1. Any dispute or complaint relating to a Match must be received by Basketball England within 24 hours of the completion of the Match in question and submitted by the team secretary. Such submission must be accompanied by a deposit of £100 paid to Basketball England. The deposit may be returned if the complaint is considered by Basketball England to be valid. Any Institution that submits a complaint under this Regulation 15.1 must also send a copy of the complaint to the opposing

15.2. Under no circumstances can any complaint be submitted which seeks to question the validity of the result of the Match on the grounds of the quality of Match Officials appointed by Basketball England, the home team and any other nominees

15.3. If either team, or the Match Officials, has any reason to consider the circumstances may be such as to invalidate or forfeit a match, this should be stated at the start of the game prior to tip off, and reported to AOC/Basketball England by the Crew Chief and teams wishing to forfeit the game. If a match takes place or continues under the existing conditions the game started with and it then cannot be disputed. All reports are required to be sent to Basketball England at [email protected] who will determine the validity of the events.

15.4. If, at the end of a Match, a Team considers that it has suffered unreasonable harm by virtue of any occurrence connected with the Match, with the exception of decisions by the match officials, the captain of the Team may sign the Scoresheet under protest. The captain of the team wishing to sign the scoresheet under protest must notify the Crew Chief immediately after the final buzzer they wish to protest and the reasons for this. Once the final buzzer sounds the scorer is required to record the game finish time at the bottom of the scoresheet. Following the notification of a protest from the captain, the Crew Chief should ensure that the Scoresheet remains open for a 15-minute period following the conclusion of the game in which the team can decide if they wish to proceed with their protest. If there is no request to protest the game, the scoresheet can be signed by all officials to mark the closing of the game. All Match Officials should remain at the disposal of the Crew Chief until the Scoresheet has been signed by all parties.

15.4.1 The captain shall sign the scoresheet in the ‘Captain’s signature in case of protest’ box. This must then be followed up by with a written submission detailing the reason for protest and sent to Basketball England by the Team Secretary within 24 hours of the completion of the Match in question. Such submission must be accompanied by a deposit of £100.

15.4.2 Regardless of subsequent actions, by signing the Scoresheet "under protest", a club becomes automatically liable to pay the deposit of £100.

15.5. All disputes and protests relating to Matches will be adjudicated by the Competitions Review Panel or the Competitions Manager within seven business days of receiving submissions from each team.

15.6. Where the query or complaint relates to complaints about the governance or administration of the Competition by Basketball England, such complaints will be dealt with through the Basketball England complaints procedure.

Appendix 1

Disciplinary Timeline

The timeline shows a guide of the in-game disciplinary process for EABL/WEABL/CBL fixtures. This is not in any way definite and may be adjusted accordingly.

Time frames for games not taking place on a Wednesday will be adjusted accordingly.

Appendix 2:

In-Game Disciplinary Guideline Document

 

Underlying Principles

Basketball is a fast sport played at professional, semi-professional and amateur level by athletic players. In such a sport situation will naturally arise that will require debate and disciplinary decisions, and Basketball England’s disciplinary system is there to support and protect all participants without sanitising the sport.

Each case must be judged on its merits and decisions reached by applying judgement and discretion.

Disciplinary Guidelines

Regulation 13 of the U19 Elite Basketball League Rules and Regulations states that a system of cumulative penalty points will apply, and a one game suspension automatically comes into force whenever a person's total penalty points reach (or exceeds) each of the following totals:  10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 etc.

The tables on pages 29 to 30 are to be used as guidelines only in respect of the type of disciplinary action that will be taken against all participants for improper conduct as detailed.  They are not in any way definitive, and the Disciplinary Officer/Panel will make their judgement as appropriate after taking into account all the evidence made available to them.

The after disqualification points column refers to actions of a participant after they have been disqualified, e.g. a player is disqualified for violent conduct, which will give them at least a one game ban, they then direct a stream of abuse at a participant or kick an advertising board, they will then get additional points on top of the points normally received for the ‘act’ of disqualification.  The Disciplinary Guidelines will also apply to Spectators and Team Followers of their respective clubs.

The timeline for disciplinary will be found in Appendix 1 of the U19 Elite Basketball League Rules and Regulations.

Basketball England reserve the right in appropriate cases at their sole discretion raise misconduct charges in addition to or instead of action taken within these procedures, in accordance with the Basketball England Discipline Code

Outstanding Suspensions

Any suspension or part thereof which remains outstanding at the end of a season resulting from these disciplinary procedures must be served at the commencement of the next season, within the terms of these disciplinary procedures. Before a participant is eligible to serve a suspension in a following season they must be registered to compete with their respective team.  No suspension can be served unless the participant’s registration is fully complete.  Once registered a suspension letter will be issued by Basketball England to highlight the fixtures/dates during that current season for which the carried over suspension should be served.

Re-arranged Matches

The Disciplinary Officer shall have discretionary power to rule that a match shall not count towards the completion of a suspension if it is satisfied that the game has been arranged by the club with a view to enabling a player to complete his suspension and thus qualify him to play in a specific match.

Disciplinary Procedures

Basketball England shall not tolerate discriminatory or violent conduct of any kind. Any incidents deemed Serious Offences will be referred to Basketball England to investigate and consider under the Basketball England Disciplinary Code.

Grading and Description of Offences

There are five possible grades for each offence. Grade 1 is the lowest level of offence and Grade 5 the most serious.

The most common offences are listed in the sentencing guidelines below with a description to assist all those concerned in referring to incidents in a standardised manner.

Any misconduct by match officials shall be considered under the Disciplinary Code.

Sanctions for any case heard under the Basketball England Disciplinary Code will be at the discretion of a Disciplinary Panel.

Players

In addition, fines may be imposed when deemed necessary for incidents whether the participant was disqualified or not.

Coaches

In addition, fines may be imposed when deemed necessary for incidents whether the participant was disqualified or not.