Gloucestershire Basket Ball League Constitution And Rules
(for season 2015/2016)

1. Name

The league shall be known as the Gloucestershire Basketball League, hereinafter referred to as "The League".

2. Objectives

The League shall administer and promote the game of basketball.

3. Membership

Membership is open to any club affiliated to Basketball England which agrees to abide by this Constitution and Rules, subject to the approval of the majority of teams currently in membership of the League.

4. Finance

1. The Gloucestershire Basketball Association will administer the finance of the League.
2. A guarantee fee of £25 shall be paid by each team which shall be held in trust and will be refunded on request at the time of a team's withdrawal from the league, subject to the deduction of any outstanding fine(s) etc.
3. A further guarantee fee of £50 shall be paid by each team that incurs fines in excess of £50 in any season as a guarantee of the administrative conduct for that team in the coming season. Should any such team incur fines in excess of £50 in the ensuing season, the £50 guarantee fee shall be forfeited and the team shall be required to furnish a further £50 guarantee fee for the following season. No team may compete in a competition organised by the League unless the deposit is paid in full.
4. All fines are to be made payable to the Gloucestershire Basketball Association and sent to the league administrator. If fines are not paid within 30 days of the date of the notification, the fine shall be increased by 50%.
5. The league entry fee shall be £80.

5. Licences

1. Before any player may participate in a match organised by the League, the player must be registered with Basketball England and have a licence.
2. Any team playing a player not licensed in the prescribed manner shall be deemed to have forfeited the match by default, and shall be penalised by a fine of £20.
3. Each player's licence number must be shown in the appropriate column of the official score sheet prior to the start of the game. Failure to comply will lead to an automatic fine £10 irrespective of the number of registration numbers missing.
4. Clubs with 2 teams must recognise one as their first team. Players are regarded as member of the team for which they first appear, unless notification is given in advance. Players of the second team may play up to three league games for the first team. First team players may not play for the second team.

6. Handicap Competition

1. Players may only appear for the team for which they are licensed at the opening date of the Cup.
2. Players become eligible to play in the cup competition when they have played a minimum of 40% of the scheduled league matches for their current team before the start of the cup competition.
   
   The minimum number of matches will be calculated by rounding down to the next whole number.
3. Should a team wish to field a player that does not meet the elegibility criteria detailed above, the team may make a request to the League Committee to add a player to their list of eligible players.
   
   The player will not be eligible to play in the cup competition until after they have been assessed in a GBBA league match, by a member of the League Commitee
   
   After assessment, the team will be issued with an adjusted handicap, but subject to an automatic minimum 5 point handicapping.
4. Teams will be handicapped according to their league performance, and will be expected to field a team of comparable strength in the cup. Any material changes to the team must be notified to the League Secretary prior to handicapping. Should there be a significant variation between a team's league results, the handicap will be made on the best performances.

Should a game be postponed/cancelled, the team not responsible for the cancellation may submit their team list for the game to the league secretary within 7 days. Should the game not eventually be played, players on the list will be credited with a game played for Cup qualification.

5. Only teams who have completed in the pre Christmas league competition, and who have completed 80% of their scheduled fixtures are eligible to compete in the Cup competition. Matches won as a result of a default/forfeit will count as played in the record of the winning team.
   
   The minimum number of matches will be calculated by rounding down to the next whole number.

7. Fixtures

1. Fixtures will be arranged by the League Secretary taking into consideration dates indicated on the application form that are not available for games, either home or away. No fixtures can be changed, except as indicated in Rule 7(f).
2. All teams shall be attired according to the rules of Basketball England, i.e. each player shall be numbered on the front and back of his/her vest with numbers clearly visible front & back. Tee shirts are not to be worn under vests. One unnumbered vest is permissible.
3. The latest acceptable tip-off time is 20:45. Where two games are scheduled at a venue on the same evening, at least 90 minutes must be allowed between start times. Teams may apply to the League Secretary for a temporary extension to the 20:45 cut-off time.
4. In the event of a colour clash of declared colours the home team shall change unless a prior arrangement has been made between the two teams.
5. Failure to comply with Rule 6b and 6c will lead to an automatic fine of £10 for each offence, and the committee may consider further action including forfeiture.
6. In exceptional circumstances a team wishing to postpone a game must contact the opponents, match officials and League Administrator as soon as possible. If less than 72 hours notice is given, a fine of £30 will be levied.
   
   The cost of court hire may be payable at the discretion of the League Administrator, following a claim by the home team, accompanied by the receipt for court hire. The claim must be made within 48 hours of the scheduled match start time.
   If opponents or referees travel for a game which does not take place, their expenses and 50% of the officials' match fees will be paid. Referees fees and expenses will be paid by the team in attendance, who will subsequently be reimbursed, and the defaulting team charged.
   
   If a postponement is made on the same day, a fine of £50 will be levied. In addition, the team responsible will pay the full match fees of the appointed referees (no travel expenses unless they were not informed). The League Committee may waive this rule in exceptional circumstances, such as extreme weather conditions.
    
7. The team postponing the original match must, within 14 days, offer the non-offending team two alternative dates. If dates are not available or those offered are not suitable for the non-offending team, they must offer two dates on their own court. Failure by the team causing the original postponement to offer these arrangements within 14 days will result in a fine of £30 and forfeiture of the match.
8. The Referee Appointments Officer will schedule officials on a monthly basis, taking into account any schedule changes informed at the time.
9. If the match is postponed with less than 14 days notice, the non-offending team may, at their discretion, claim the points and a match result of 20-0. In exceptional circumstances, the league committee have the power to waive this rule.
10. If the match is postponed more than one calendar month before its scheduled date, the Fixtures Secretary will reschedule the match officials.
11. Teams not fulfilling 80% of their published fixtures to the satisfaction of the league committee shall pay an additional deposit of £50 to enter the following season. Should this occur on a second occasion, they shall not be eligible for re-election for the following season.
12. Points will be awarded as follows:-
    1. Winning team: +3 points
    2. Losing team: +1 point
    3. Matches not played: 0 points
    4. Team forfeiting a match: -1 point

8. Officials

1. All matches should be officiated by two EBBA qualified referees. In exceptional circumstances, the league secretary has the power to waive this rule. Wherever possible, a game should take place, and either team may appeal for the game to be replayed, if they believe that the result has been affected.
2. Each team must provide for the refereeing pool at least two qualified referees, which are acceptable to the committee. All junior teams are exempt: teams with 5 or less senior players and student teams must provide one referee. Apprentice referees will be acceptable for one season only or until a suitable Level 2 course is available (whichever is the sooner).
   

   In the event of a team not being able to fulfil the refereeing requirement immediately, they may be allocated games for which they have the responsibility of appointing an official. The club will then assume the same responsibility as if a named official were appointed.

   This rule will be reviewed annually and may be temporarily suspended or modified by a comittee decision, if there are sufficient volunteer referees available.
3. Teams entering the league without qualified referees must send at least two persons on the next available referees' course and shall comply with rule 7b for the beginning of the next season.
4. Any named referee unable to officiate a fixture allocated to him/her must supply a suitable substitute and inform the league secretary. The referee originally appointed will still remain responsible for the attendance of the substitute.
5. Any breach of the rule of rule 8d will result in disciplinary action being taken against the official and/or the club by which he/she was nominated, as shown in 8f.
6. Any team failing to fulfil its refereeing commitments will be fined £20 for each referee. On the second and subsequent time(s) of failing to supply referees the fine will be £30.
7. All officials shall be paid a fee in accordance with current Basketball England rates: (for 2015-16), £9 (Apprentice), £12 (Level 2), £13 (Level 3) or £14 (Level 4). Travelling expenses shall be 25p per mile for the most direct route. Referees should travel together if possible and keep expenses to a minimum.
   
   Only expenses actually incurred can be claimed.
   
   The maximum claim for both officials, per game, shall be £50.
   
   Should a match official referee a match on his/her own, he/she is entitled to an extra 50% of their match fee ( not travelling expenses ).
8. All officials shall be paid before the start of the game, with each team responsible for 50%.
9. Referees must wear the appropriate uniform laid down by Basketball England.

9. Duties of Match Officials

1. To arrive at least 20 minutes before the scheduled tip-off.
2. To check with table officials that all equipment is present, and that they are aware of their duties.
3. Before the game, check that the score sheet has been appropriately completed (including names of captain and coach, and licence numbers), and that the coaches have signed.
4. To inform the coaches of any irregularities or special situations of which they should be aware.
5. To keep a check as appropriate that table officials are fulfilling all their duties properly.
6. At the end of the game, to ensure that the score sheet is correct and complete before signing.
7. To report any problems or irregularities (including any breaches of GBL rules) in an immediate e-mail or letter to the league administrator.

10. Equipment

The home team must provide the minimum of the following:

• EBBA score pad
• Two timing devices
• Sounding device (horn, bell, etc. - but no whistles)
• A score board that is visible to both teams
• Five personal foul markers
• Red team foul markers that are easily visible to players and officials
• Directional arrow
• Two match balls (not new)

A warning will be issued on the first offence. On subsequent occasions a fine of £20 will be levied.

11. Table Officials

The home team must provide:

1. A non-playing scorer
2. A non-playing time keeper
3. A visual score operator (if the timekeeper does not also control a display of the score on an electronic scoreboard)

It is not permitted for one person to act as both scorer and timekeeper.

Failure to provide one or more of the three necessary officials will result in a fine of £20. The 2nd and subsequent breaches of this rule will attract a 1 point deduction from the home team's league points.

12. Results

The home team is responsible for posting the organiser's (white) copy of the score sheet to the league administrator.

This must be postmarked the day following the game, unless the result is emailed (email address to be advised) or sent as a text message (number to be advised) on the night of the match, in which case the postmark must be within 7 days of the match date.

As well as the exact score, please highlight any irregularities (e.g. only 1 referee, technical fouls etc) in the electronic messages. Failure to comply will result in a fine of £10.

13. Disciplinary Action, Protests and Claims

1. The disciplinary officer shall manage all disciplinary matters, other than automatic fines.
2. All disciplinary action taken shall be reported immediately in writing to the person(s) and/or club. Results of hearings shall be strictly confidential until such time as the person(s) and/or club has been notified of the outcome.
3. Should a score sheet be signed "under protest", details of the protest must be lodged with the league secretary within 7 days of the match. Both court officials will forward their accounts in the same manner. Once the score sheet has been signed under protest, the club is committed to paying the £20 fee, which will be refunded should the appeal be upheld.
4. Clubs and individuals have the right to appeal on any action taken by the disciplinary officer or for any automatic fines. Any appeal must be lodged with the league secretary, in writing, within 7 days of the date of the notification. A £20 deposit, refundable if the appeal is upheld, shall be sent with the appeal. Appeals against automatic fines will be heard by the Disciplinary Officer. Appeals against initial decisions made by the Disciplinary Officer will be heard by the League Committee.
5. Any player or coach disqualified during a game shall automatically be suspended from the team's next game, unless an appeal is lodged within 7 days, and before the suspension would take place. The game official(s) concerned shall make a written report to the league secretary. The Disciplinary Officer shall have the power to extend the suspension further if it is deemed necessary.
6. There will be a points system awarded to technical fouls and disqualifications, leading to suspensions and fines.
1. Each player technical foul will carry a points total of three
2. Each coach technical foul will carry a point total of two. A coach who is forced to leave the game as a result of two technical fouls does not incur the disqualification penalty in addition.
3. When a player or coach reaches ten points, the league secretary will suspend that player or coach for game and fine them £10. Sixteen points two games and £20. Twenty points five games and £30 and referred to disciplinary committee.
4. A disqualification for a coach or player will a carry a minimum five points over and above their automatic one match suspension.
7. All participants are expected to follow the "Code of Ethics & Conduct" published by Basketball England, and the League reserve the right to take action against individuals and/or clubs who fail to do so.

14. Transfers

1. If both teams involved agree, a player may be transferred upon payment of a fee of £20 to the League.
2. A player may only transfer once during a season.
3. The player may not play until agreement from both teams (in writing), and the transfer fee, has been received, and the league administrator has confirmed the transfer.
4. Once transferred, a player may not "play up" for another team within the club.
5. In exceptional circumstances, the League Committee have the right to waive these transfer restrictions.

15. Withdrawals and Outstanding Commitments

1. Any team withdrawing during the season shall be liable to a fine of not less than £50.
2. All players registered with the team withdrawing shall be automatically suspended and their registrations held by the League until such time as all monies outstanding have been paid in full to the League and other clubs and individuals.
3. If a team fails to pay all its debts within 30 days, then any player wanting to resume playing with other clubs may pay 20% share of the total team debt to the league secretary. The committee may suspend or amend this provision in specific cases.
4. Players moving to other clubs must pay the transfer fee of £20, in addition to any debts due as described in c).

16. Annual General Meeting

1. Only current member teams, members of the league committee, and guests invited by the Chair, are permitted to attend the Annual General Meeting.
2. Each team shall be allowed one vote, provided that it is not under suspension nor owes money to the league at the time of the meeting.
   Members of the league committee shall be allowed one vote each.
3. No individual shall represent more than one team or vote in more than one capacity.
4. Failure to send a team representative to Annual General Meeting shall incur a fine of £25.

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