EKBA Rules

Rules

  1. Rules
    The official rules as adopted by Basketball England shall apply. The additional rules as set out in this handbook shall apply to all competitions organised by the East Kent Basketball Association. (Except Mapleshire Rose Bowl)
  2. Eligibility.
    1. All properly constituted clubs in the East Kent area are eligible to affiliate to the East Kent Basketball Association (hereinafter called the Association). The acceptance of clubs outside this area shall be at the discretion of the Executive Committee. (Herein after called the Exec. Committee)
    2. All clubs affiliated to the Association are eligible to enter teams in various leagues.
    3. All clubs affiliated to the Association are eligible to enter teams in the Adrian Cook Memorial Cup and such other competitions that the Association may from time to time organise. Ladies' teams may enter the Grove Cup.
  3. Club Registration.
    1. The closing date for application to join the League shall be August 1st each year. A valid application shall consist of the following:
      1. Secretary's name, address, phone contact and e mail.
      2. Home court address. Courts shall be either full size or approved by the Exec. Committee.
      3. Playing night and time. Midweek games should start no earlier than 7.00pm. At weekends games may start between 12.00-8.00pm
      4. Team playing colours.
      5. Nominated active and qualified referee(s) for each team (active to be 10+ games) at the discretion of the Executive committee
      6. Correct entrance fee. The fee will be decided annually by the Exec. Committee and must be included with the league entry forms, which must be sent to the league Secretary and Treasurer by the 1st September (this should be done by the forms on the website and details kept up to date throughout the season), or sooner if available. Entry fees should be paid by BACS direct into the EKBA account.
      7. Vacation dates (applicable to College, University ). University and College teams to supply full details of any external fixtures, such as BUCS competition to the Fixture Secretary
      If details in respect of (ii) and (iv) are not available at the time the application is made, it shall be the responsibility of the club to inform all other clubs in the Association prior to fixtures commencing.
      PENALTY: The Exec. Committee are not bound to accept any incomplete or invalid registration
    2. New clubs or teams wishing to enter the League are normally required to start in the lowest division but may be considered by the Exec. Committee for vacancies in the higher divisions.
    3. Late entries may be accepted after this date but will be treated as a new club or team and may be placed in a suitable division where space permits at the sole discretion of the Exec.Committee.
    4. The Executive committee will have the power to withdraw/suspend a team from EKBA competitions if they do not provide 'active qualified referees' for the league during the season. Teams may also be banned from entering the league the following season at the discretion of the Executive committee.
  4. National Affiliation
    1. Club affiliation. To take part in any Competition (including the Mapleshire Rose Bowl) organised by the Association, a club must hold a membership with Basketball England as an individual club or as part of 'East Kent.' This membership has to be in place before any organised competitions take place.
      PENALTY: Match awarded 20-0 to the non-offending team and a fine of £50.00p levied on the offending team.
      The offending team shall be suspended with immediate effect until proof of affiliation is provided.
    2. Clubs may only play a maximum of 3 national league senior players in EKBA competitions. Any entered national league players would only be eligable to play in 'A Teams' and division 1.
    3. Individual affiliations.
      1. Each participant (player, coach, or referee) will affiliate with Basketball England and be in possession of a valid BE membership and a playing, coaching, or referee's license before being involved in any game under the aegis of the Association. Teams must provide EKBA with details of all players' license numbers before commencement of competitions (where possible head shots/copies of the BE licence should also be provided).
        PENALTY: Match awarded to the non-offending team and a fine of £10.00p levied on the offending team.
      2. Each participant's BE license number must be entered on every score sheet.
      3. Any player registered via another Association, National League or BUCS must supply the EK registration secretary with proof of a valid registration number. Any transferred player must inform the EK Registration secretary of the player's shirt number and BE license number.
        PENALTY: £2.00p Fine for each missing affiliation number.
      N.B: All individual Memberships and license fees must to be paid directly to BE via the BE Membership portal.
  5. Player Eligibility
    1. Cup fixtures throughout a competition: a club may only use players that have played for that club for a minimum of 3 games, prior to 31st December each year (this does not apply to the Ladies Cup competition or Men's Plate). A player having his/her name entered on a score sheet is cup-tied. A player of a club with more than one team may only play for one team and may not move between Cup and Plate
      PENALTY: Match awarded to non-offending team.
    2. League fixtures: for the purpose of this Rule 'teams' is defined as those participating in the same competition; either men's or ladies' league.
      1. No player shall play for more than one club in the Association in the current season unless permanent transfer has been approved by the Exec. Committee and both teams have given their consent.
        PENALTY: Game forfeited by second club.
      2. A lady involved with a club without a ladies' team may play for a ladies' team in another club, subject to the approval of the Exec.Committee.
        PENALTY: Game forfeited by second club.
      3. Clubs with 2 or more teams shall nominate to the appropriate Fixture Secretary before the first competition match, the first 5 players in their 'A' team.
        PENALTY: £5.00p fine for every week nominations are delayed.
      4. These players shall be regular members of the 'A' team and shall not be eligible to play in other teams in the club. In the event of a first 5 player ceasing to play regularly for whatever reason the Fixture Secretary shall be informed within 7 days and a replacement notified. A player shall be deemed to not be playing regularly if: he fails to play in three or more consecutive matches and/or he plays in less than 50% of the team's matches.
        PENALTY: Game forfeited by lower team(s).
    3. In clubs with three or more teams, players other than the first 5 may represent only 2 of the club's teams during the season. Except a player may represent a higher team on up to three occasions; there after they may no longer represent the lowest team.
      PENALTY: Game forfeited by lower team(s).
  6. League Formation.
    1. Administration.
      The league shall be administered by the league Fixtures Secretary(s). The playing season shall be from October 1st until May 31st (at the discretion of the Exec. Committee)
    2. Divisions.
      The league may have up to 14 teams in one division. The Executive Committee shall approve the number of teams in a division or divisions and its composition after discussion at the Annual General Meeting. This does not apply to the Ladies League.
    3. Promotion/Relegation
      1. 2 points shall be awarded for a win or a walk over and 1 point for the losing team where the match has been played.
      2. The position of teams within divisions of the League shall be decided by the total of their league points. In the event of a tie for any position, the aggregate score of the match between the teams concerned shall decide. The team with the highest score will take the higher position.
      3. The top team in each division shall be promoted and the lowest two relegated. The second placed team in a division shall also be promoted, but, unless (v) below applies, may opt to remain in the lower division if another team in that division wishes to be promoted.
      4. If a division still has a vacancy, then the next placed team in the lower division shall also be promoted and so on unless it be decided by the Exec. Committee that another team should fill the vacancy.
      5. Clubs which are disqualified, withdrawn or complete less than 50% of their fixtures shall have their record erased from the League table and shall be considered as being one of that divisions relegated teams.
  7. Cup Formation.
    1. The competitions shall be administered by the Cup Fixtures Secretary. An entry fee per team will be charged.
    2. The Draw
      1. The draw for all fixtures will be made before three members of the Exec.Committee
      2. The previous year's finalists in the 'Adrian Cook' Cup shall be seeded up to and including the quarter finals. A fresh draw shall be made for each round
      3. All teams entered for the 'Adrian Cook' Cup which are eliminated from the competition before the third round (last eight) are eligible for the Adams Plate Competition and will automatically be entered into the draw. New teams which had not entered the 'Adrian Cook' Cup shall be invited to take part on payment of the appropriate fee. A fresh draw shall be made for each round
    3. Finals (all competitions) A full size court will be chosen and booked at the beginning of the season. Officials for these matches are the responsibility of the Association. All teams shall provide alternative strips
    4. A final shall be played in every competition. If a team is unable to play in a final, then the team defeated by that team in the semi-final shall be invited to fill the vacancy
      1. The Ladies cup competition shall be run on a league basis with teams playing each other once with the winning team awarded 2 points and the losing team awarded 1 point. If a game is not played, then the 'non offending team' shall be awarded 2 points and the 'offending team' awarded 0 points
      2. The top 2 teams after all the games have been played shall be the finalists in the Grove Cup and the teams in 3rd and 4th place shall play off for 3rd place
      3. In the event of teams being level on points, then the team that won the league cup game shall be given the higher place
      4. If there is a 'three- or four-way tie' in the Ladies Cup competition, then the result should be decided on points for and against for only those teams involved in the 'three/four-way tie'
      5. In the Ladies Cup competition, all matches need to be played. If a team does not play a game, then they forfeit a point for that game and the game will also be awarded to the 'non- offending' team by 20- 0
    6. For season 2021-22 the Men's Cup competition will be run on a '2-league basis'. Teams will be placed
      ** in each group based on their league finishing positions. i.e. Group A- 1,3,5,7 Group B- 2,4,6,8. **
      Teams will play each other once and be awarded 2 pts win, 1 pt for a loss
      Teams that do not play a game will forfeit 20-0 and gain no points. The winner from each group will play the runner-up in the other group in the Semi Finals. Winners from each Semi- Final will meet in the Final of the Adrian Cook cup final and the losers will play for the Plate trophy.
  8. Fixtures. (League & Cup)
    1. Except as at (b) below matches shall be played on the day and at the time scheduled in the published fixture list
      NB If a team has a league and a cup match scheduled for the same day, the cup match will take precedence. A team may seek a postponement in accordance with (b) below if a league match falls on the day of an East Kent organised tournament which they intend to participate in
      PENALTY: Where no penalty exists under other rules the offending team shall be penalised at the discretion of the Exec. Committee
    2. Postponements will only be allowed in the following circumstances and then only with the prior permission of the Fixture Secretary. Notification of the new date is to be made to the Fixture Secretary within 14 days
      1. Adverse weather conditions
      2. University or College vacation
      3. Non- availability of home court in circumstances beyond the control of the home team
      PENALTY: Defaulting team(s) liable to a fine not exceeding £5.00p for first offence
    3. Fixtures which have been brought to the notice of the Discipline and Disputes Sub-Committee by way of dispute shall be decided in accordance with the decision of the Sub-Committee
      PENALTY: Defaulting team(s) shall be penalised at the discretion of the Exec.Committee
    4. Exceptional circumstances may be considered at the discretion of the Exec.Committee
    5. The home team shall advise the Fixture Secretary of the result by forwarding a photo of the official score sheet within 48 hours of the match, The fixture secretary must also be advised of the result within 24 hours of the match via any multi-media application
      PENALTY: £5.00p fine if not received within 2 days.
  9. Duties of HOME TEAM
    1. The first name team on the fixture list is the home team and is responsible for providing
      1. The scorer, an official BE score sheet, foul markers, and an alternating possession arrow
      2. The timekeeper, an adequate sounding device and time clock showing minutes and seconds
      3. A clearly visible score board manual or electronic and a first aid kit should also be provided
      All matches shall have one qualified table official except new teams in their first year
      PENALTY: The match shall be played. If either team feels aggrieved, they shall sign the score sheet "under-protest" before the game starts. A £5.00p fine will be imposed at the discretion of the Exec. Committee
    2. The home team must arrive at their court and for the time published in the fixture list
      PENALTY: Fine £10.00p. The match shall be awarded to the non-offending team and the defaulting team shall pay reasonable expenses
    3. The home secretary must confirm match details with both officials at least 7 days and no more than 28 days in advance
      PENALTY: For failing to confirm within the time limits a fine of £5.00p will be imposed
    4. Should it become necessary to change an appointed official the League or Official's Secretary must agree to the change. It is expected that referees that are unavailable to appointed games should seek a replacement, utilising the 'Referees What's App'
    5. The Home team must give at least 72 hours' notice to change the start time of games
      PENALTY: The match shall be played. If either team feels aggrieved, they shall sign the score sheet "under-protest" before the game starts.
  10. Duties of AWAY TEAM
    1. The visiting team must arrive at the home team's venue on the day and for the time scheduled in the published fixture list. (There is no necessity for games to be confirmed). The visiting team must supply the scorekeeper with a team sheet with player's names, shirt number and their valid BE license number upon arrival at the court
      PENALTY: Fine £10.00p. The match shall be awarded to the non-offending team and the defaulting team shall pay reasonable expenses.
    2. The visiting team may provide a table chairman or timekeeper and shall change colours if a clash occurs.
  11. Officials
    1. The referee shall be the senior qualified official and be responsible for ensuring that all participants in the match have a valid BE registration number When qualifications are equal, he shall be the 'visitors' official. Both floor officials shall be BE qualified or approved by the Exec. Committee and listed in the Association 'Handbook'
      N.B: In the event of only one official being in attendance the match will be played 'at the discretion of the referee'. A sole referee may have the right to not referee alone or to abandon the game should the need arise. If either team is in dispute the procedure as at rule 12 will be followed
    2. Officials eligible to officiate EKBA games shall be approved by the Officials' Secretary and listed in the 'handbook'
    3. It is advised officials present an expenses form to teams before matches showing the total amount they should be paid.
    4. Qualified floor officials shall be paid either £20 or £25 depending on distance travelled; at the discretion of the home team an official may be paid more however the away team shall only be liable to pay a maximum of £25.
      If a referee officiates a game alone, they may claim 150% of their fee.
    5. Qualified table officials can claim a maximum fee of £10; this should be paid solely by the home team and may be adjusted at the home teams discretion.

      1. Neutral officials shall be appointed by the League or Officials' Secretary. When a postponement is authorised, it will be the responsibility of the team requesting the postponement to cancel the officials and inform them of the new date
      2. If either official is unable to officiate it is the responsibility of the team for which they are nominated to find a replacement (referees should instigate this in the first place)
        If the official is "unattached" it is the responsibility of the HOME team to find a replacement. Such an official will be clearly marked (U) in the fixture list
      PENALTY: For failing to provide a qualified floor official an automatic fine in the following scale unless a satisfactory explanation is given:
      • 1st offence £10.00p
      • 2nd and subsequent offence £15.00p
    7. Each team shall pay 50% of the aggregate expenses of the referee and the umpire.
      PENALTY: Team suspended until expenses paid and fine not exceeding £5.00p for first offence
    8. When only one qualified floor official is in attendance, he will indicate on the scoresheet which team has failed to provide an official.
  12. Disputes
    1. Disputes refer to all matters where a match has taken place and the scoresheet has been signed "under-protest"
    2. If during the match a team considers its interests have been harmed by any incident, it will adopt the following procedure:
      "At the moment the incident takes place, the ball is dead, and the clock stopped or at the first time out the Captain or Coach of the team shall make his observations to the referee in a calm and courteous manner. If at the end of the match the team considers itself to be harmed because of what happened the Captain or Coach should sign the scoresheet "under-protest"
    3. All disputes shall be made to the League Secretary by an e mail sent within 48 hours of the match. The e mail which must be dated, must also clearly state that copies have been sent to the opposing team and to both officials. Any response from the opposing team shall similarly be copied to all parties and posted/sent to the League Secretary within one week of the date on the initial letter. Any response from the referee or umpire shall be sent to the League Secretary, who shall arrange distribution. A fee of £5.00p shall accompany all disputes which will automatically be returned if the dispute is upheld.
      N.B: Action shall be taken having regard to only written/electronic matter copied as directed and posted/sent within the prescribed time limits to the League Secretary. All disputes will be placed before the Discipline and Disputes Sub-Committee.
    4. Appeals shall be made to the Exec. Committee by notification in writing or by e mail to the League Secretary postmarked within seven days of the receipt of a fine or notice of the sub-committee decision. A deposit of £10.00p must accompany the appeal: which shall be refunded if the appeal is upheld. The appeal must set out the grounds and indicate whether a personal hearing is requested. The chairman or such person so elected, if the chairman or his club be involved, shall conduct any appeal and his/her decision on its format shall be final.
  13. Fines.
    Fines shall be paid to the Treasurer within 14 days of receipt of notification. If the fine is unpaid, it shall be doubled with a further 14 days to pay. If still unpaid the player, team or club shall be suspended.
    N.B: Notification of fines shall be via e mail.
  14. Discipline
    1. The Exec. Committee is empowered to discipline clubs and teams within a club for infringement of the Competition Rules including fines, loss of points or disqualification and expulsion from the League.
      The Exec.Committee may set and request a good behaviour bond. The EKBA Discipline Committee will refer to the BE discipline policy in imposing sanctions and fines.
    2. Banned clubs wishing to re-affiliate must pay both the outstanding fee/fines and the forthcoming season's fee before being accepted.
    3. Players.
      1. Playing Uniform will be worn in accordance with the BE adopted rule 3 article 12. Multicoloured, cycle or Bermuda shorts or tracksuit trousers will not be worn. No undergarments are to be worn.
      2. Any player sent off for a disqualifying foul or any coach or player banished from the court must be reported in writing or via e mail to the Exec.Committee by the referee.
        PENALTY: Any such player/coach so disqualified will serve an automatic suspension from the next game that team shall play, plus a fine determined by the Discipline committee, in line with BE policy plus any further penalty imposed by the discipline committee. That player or coach may neither play nor coach in any EKBA competition until the fine and any additional fine, is paid.
  15. Uniform.
    Teams are required to wear matching uniforms and referees shall not permit players, whose attire does not meet the required standard, to participate in the game. Tee-shirts are not permitted to be worn under players' vests. All players shall be required to wear their playing vest tucked in their shorts. Undershorts are permitted to be worn provided they are the same colour shade as the shorts.
    Officials' uniform is to consist of Black Shoes, Black Trousers and Grey Shirt
  16. Trophies
    1. All winners of trophies provided by the Association shall sign and abide by the following declaration.
      "We ........................the Chairman and..............the Secretary of.................BBC., having been declared winners of the..............Trophy, and the same having been delivered to us by the said Association, does hereby, on behalf of the said Club, jointly and severally agree to return to the same to Association Secretary on or before the 1st March, in accordance with the Rules of the Association. Should said Trophy be lost or damaged whilst in our care we agree to refund the Association its replacement value together with the engraving or the costs of it's through repair". The trophy shall be engraved with the holder's name and the date, the cost of which shall be borne by the holder.
      PENALTY: Failure to engrave a trophy, the club shall be fined £10.00p plus the cost of the engraving.
    2. Any Club failing to return a Trophy on or before 1st May shall be fined £10.00p per Trophy. Should the said trophy not be returned within 14 days of this date, the fine will be £20.00p

Fines Summary

Social Media policy for EKBA:

The term 'social media' is used here to describe dynamic and socially interactive, networked information and communication technologies, for example Web 2.0 sites, SMS text messaging and social networking sites. This policy refers to the term 'Friend'. This is used be social media networks and websites to describe a member of your network.
For example, 'Friend' on Facebook or 'Follower' on Twitter.
Purpose
The purpose of this social media policy is as follows:
  1. Personal accounts
    1. Whilst this policy is to govern the use of the EKBA accounts, we would ask that those with personal social media accounts are mindful of who can view their profile and act accordingly.
    2. If you are friends with colleagues, volunteers, players or prospective players or staff or club partners you should consider carefully before posting comments regarding EKBA or its members or associates that could cause offence or be viewed as contravening confidentiality rules.
    3. If you identify yourself as a member of the club within your personal accounts, please remember that your actions or comments could be construed as those of the club.
  2. Usage policy
    1. The Internet and social media are exciting opportunities for us to engage with existing members and supporters of clubs and EKBA and potential new members.
    2. Before setting up a new URL / webpage or social media account on behalf of the club please consider the purpose of the account and what benefits you feel it may have. For example, when setting up accounts with Facebook you may choose between a 'group' and a 'page' depending on your requirements.
    3. In line with schools and youth organisations, club coaching staff must not be 'friends' with any active junior member (anyone under the age of 18) unless you have a clear and transparent reason, for example, they are a relative, family friend etc.
    4. In the same way as we would not pass on our personal address or contact details to junior members, coaching staff members must not become 'friends' with junior members on their own personal social media accounts.
    5. This is a commonly recognised as best practice to promote a safe and transparent online environment that protects the organisation, the members and also your interests and reputation.
  3. Intellectual Property
    1. Social Media users are reminded that they must consider intellectual
      Property rights, copyright and ownership of data.
    2. Intellectual property (IP) law is the law protecting the rights of creators and owners of intellectual creativity. IP law also regulates the creation, use and control of a protected work. The main branches of IP law are copyright, patents, trademarks, designs, passing off and the law of confidential information. For latest information please visit http://www.ipo.gov.uk/
  4. Conduct
    1. We believe in free speech, however on social media accounts for example Facebook pages we reserve the right to remove, report or request removal of certain content that you may post on club owned and administered websites and pages. As a general rule users can post content freely on a social media account except when content could be considered illegal, obscene, defamatory, threatening, infringing upon intellectual property rights, invasive of privacy or otherwise injurious or objectionable.
    2. Users cannot use the club's name to promote or endorse any product, opinions, cause or political party. - (which would be classed as bringing the game into disrepute) Stating that the club endorses your opinion is prohibited.
    3. Users should understand that content posted becomes the sole responsibility of the individual who originally posted the content.
    4. All opinions expressed by users of social media sites are expressed strictly in their individual capacity and not as a representative of EKBA.
    5. EKBA will not be liable, under any circumstances for any errors, omissions, loss, or damages of any kind incurred as a result of use of any content posted on social media sites.
    6. Remember that you are required to protect confidential and proprietary information regarding the club members and coaching staff.
    7. Prospective and current members' users -these users, along with others who have an interest in the club, are active in social media, e.g., setting up Facebook groups and blogging.
    8. The committee may monitor these sites to get further insight into the needs of its users. Possible responses to any contentious issues identified in unofficial social media sites should be referred to the EKBA secretary for further investigation.
    9. Ex member users –The club recognises the opportunity to communicate with ex members through social media to develop an on-going relationship with them. These users are the responsibility of the club secretary, who has ultimate responsibility for ex members contact details.
      Governance: All subscribing members to EKBA will be made aware of this policy via respective club secretaries.
  5. Disciplinary Action
    1. EKBA reserves the right to administer sanctions and other disciplinary measures for the breach or misuse of the club social media policy. The sanction will be determined by the disciplinary committee and may include a fine, suspension, a personal apology or a written warning and possible referral to the Governing Body or outside agencies including the local police authority plus any other disciplinary action deemed appropriate. Sanctions will be at the discretion of the EKBA disciplinary committee, which will be guided by the BE national disciplinary sanctions guidelines.( Published 2022)
It is incumbent upon Club officials that all of their club members are made aware of these policies and the need to strictly abide by them.

EAST KENT BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION 'FAIR PLAY CHARTER'

The Association, its clubs, officials, players and spectators, are perceived by the public as representatives of the sport and must always attempt to set a good example of sportsmanship and fair play, especially to the younger generation, by the way they carry out their responsibilities both on and off the court.
The East Kent Basketball Association 'Fair Play Charter' has been taken from Basketball England's 'Code of Conduct and Ethics policy.'
This is not the full 'Basketball England,' 'Ethics Policy' but as a general principle the Association adopts and abides by Basketball England's rules, regulations, and policies.
The Association: Basketball Players: Member Clubs: Club Officials: Match Officials: Spectators: Parents/guardians Failure to adhere to these guidelines may be considered as evidence of 'bringing the game into disrepute'.
All members of EKBA must also adhere to the 'Social Media Policy' (published separately) -failure to do so may also result in disciplinary action being taken for 'bringing the game into disrepute'. Sanctions will be at the discretion of the EKBBA disciplinary committee.

PLEASE ENSURE THAT ALL CLUB MEMBERS (including supporters) ARE MADE AWARE OF EACH OF THESE POLICIES

All clubs sign up to these policies as part of their entry into the EKBA. (Adopted by Clubs at the 2014/15 AGM)
It is now a requirement for Basketball England that our Association and Clubs appoint a Club Welfare Officer who has a particular responsibility for the safeguarding of young people playing basketball. Brian Steele EKBA Chairman/Secretary will fulfil the role of Club Welfare Officer for East Kent. Clubs who have junior players or run Junior training sessions should also appoint their own Club Welfare Officer(s). The following outlines the responsibility of a Welfare Officer (provided by Basketball England)
Contact Details for Brian Steele: bsteele4@sky.com 07905489066

The Club Welfare Officer (CWO) is a key designated role. It is essential to ensure that the club has someone trained and supported to handle any welfare issue that may arise and all clubs with young people are advised to appoint at least one Club Welfare Officer (also referred to as a Child Protection Officer).
Safeguarding involves not only protecting young people, but to educating club members on the latest good practice guidelines and what to do if they are concerned that abuse may be taking place elsewhere in the child's life. They do not need to be a child protection 'expert' as that is the role of the statutory agencies (Police and Children's Social Care).
A club may appoint more than one Club Welfare Officer and Clubmark requires two appointed Club Welfare Officers. The Club Welfare Officer needs to be supported by their club's management and ideally should have a formal role on the club management committee as safeguarding is everyone's responsibility.
The following are core knowledge, skills, and tasks for the role:
Knowledge: Skills Tasks
0.2.2