MBA Regulations

1.     Basketball England Regulations

The Association and its member clubs are subject to the Basketball England Regulations as published from time to time. Where these Regulations conflict with the Basketball England Regulations, these Regulations shall apply. Participation in the Medway Basketball Association Competitions signifies acceptance of these Regulations and agreement to abide by them.

 

2.  Basketball England Code of Ethics and Conduct

All individuals involved in any Medway Basketball Association activities must hold a Basketball England membership with all players and coaches affiliated to their Club; and are subject to the Basketball England Code of Ethics and Conduct as published from time to time.

3.     Clubs

A Club becomes a Member Club when any of its teams is accepted into or re-elected to the Association at an AGM and pays the Fee(s) for the current season.

The Association and Management Committee, separately, shall have power to pass a Resolution (by at least a 51% / 75% majority, respectively) that any member of the Association ceases to be a participant in any particular competition. Such Resolution shall take effect from the conclusion of the meeting at which it is passed or from such later time as the Association or Management Committee decide.

If any Member Club wishes to resign as a participant in any Competition of the Association, then they should write to the General Secretary and the Management Committee may accept that resignation on payment of all subscriptions and fees (if any) then due and owing by that Member Club. In the event of default by a club, each player in that Competition must pay a proportion of the sum owed by their club, before they will be permitted to play in any of the Association’s competitions.

All Club Secretaries / Administrators have a duty and responsibility to administer their Club in an efficient and effective manner, in order to contribute to the smooth running of the Association’s competitions. As part of this, they are required to notify the Management Committee of all information as it may reasonably require, in whatever format and timescales as are requested.

  1. Club Registration
    Each Club must be registered with Basketball England in the current season to participate in the Association’s Competitions.
  2. Team Allocation

Each of the Club’s teams must be entered on PlayHQ via the Club Administrator’s access

  1. Player Allocation
    Each Player must be allocated to one of the Club’s teams on PlayHQ via the Club Administrator’s access
  2. Multiple Teams
    In the event of a club fielding two or more teams in the same competition:
  3. It must distinguish between first and second team etc., the first team playing in the higher Division if applicable.
  4. Where the teams play in different divisions, the club must inform the Fixtures Secretary before the start of the season of their seven best players who will play in the first team only – not transferable unless they have the Management Committee’s authority. The remaining club players may play for any of the Club’s teams.
  • However, if a player appears on a first team score sheet more than three times, he will be deemed a first team player and thus not transferable. If a “first team” player plays for any of the Club’s other teams after this, the game is awarded to the opponents as a default and a £20 fine will be imposed.
  1. Where Club teams play in the same division, players may only play in one team in any particular season and the Club Secretary must notify the Fixtures Secretary which team each player will play for before the start of the season.
  2. Where a club has two or more teams in the higher division a player from a team in a lower division may only play up in one of higher teams in any particular season.

 

4.   Individuals

All individuals involved in any Medway Basketball Association Competition must hold an appropriate licence valid for the current season.  As appropriate, individuals must hold separate licences to participate as a Player or Referee or to act in any other capacity for which a licence may be required by Basketball England. (See also Rules 3e))

Under 18

Basketball England requires all U18 players to have a parental permission / waiver form in place to play in Senior competitions.  It is the responsibility of the Club to ensure this is adhered to.

Personnel coaching / supervising a team with any U18 players participating in a game must comply with Basketball England’s requirements regarding safeguarding qualifications, DBS checks and related matters as may be in place from time to time.  It is the responsibility of the Club to ensure this is adhered to.

Notwithstanding Regulation 3d above, for development purposes, a junior player may play up from a Club’s second team to its first team any number of times, in League games only, during a season, unless decided otherwise by the Committee.

Player Transfers

No player shall represent a club during the current season if he has already played for another club during that same season unless prior written permission is obtained from the MBA Management Committee and the player’s former club in order to ensure all liabilities have been met.

A transferring player will need to register with the new team on PlayHQ which should generate a transfer request on PlayHQ.  If this does not happen automatically the new Club Admin should initiate the transfer request.

National League Players

Senior Players licensed to play in the National League (or BBL) in the current season are welcome to play in MBA competitions. However a maximum of two may play for a team in any one game. 

Junior Players licensed to play in the National League in the current season are welcome to play without restriction in MBA competitions.

 

5.    Club Membership & Competition Entry Fees

All Clubs must apply for entry into each relevant competition at each AGM for the following season (or direct to the Management Committee in the case of late entries).

The Management Committee shall have the discretion to admit new Clubs to any competition after the AGM, providing such Clubs meet any conditions and pay any such fees or costs as the Management Committee shall in its absolute discretion determine.

Member clubs may enter the relevant competitions on payment of the following entry fees determined at an Annual General Meeting: The team entry fee allows participation in the League, Cup/Plate, Play Offs and Rosebowl competitions as appropriate.

Annual Entry Fee 2026/2027

  • Team Entry Fee = £150 per team
  • Plus, a £30.00 guarantee fee (which is refundable at the end of the season subject to there having been no fundamental breaches of the Association’s Rules. In practice any guarantee fee held at the end of the season will be rolled over to the next season if the club remains a member.
    (Please note, ordinary default fines are payable separately and will not be taken out of the Guarantee Fee.)

All entry and guarantee fees must be received by the Association’s Treasurer prior to the AGM. Failure to do so may result in a 50% surcharge being added to all fees payable. Any Team withdrawing after 31 July will forfeit their Entry Fee. Any Team whose Fees have not been received by the Treasurer by 1 September will be expelled from the Association and shall forfeit any guarantee fees held by the Association.

6.     Administrative Penalties & Fines

The Management Committee shall have full authority to impose such fines and penalties for any breach of the letter or spirit of these regulations or those of Basketball England, the Competition Rules or conduct which brings the game into disrepute, as it sees fit, such fines/penalties to be based upon:

  • The nature of the matter and any relevant circumstances (including the consequences, actions of the party concerned before and after the matter, whether the matter has occurred previously etc.)
  • Precedents.
  • An appropriate type and severity of penalty to deter the party concerned from future misconduct.
  • Recent conduct of the party.

Notwithstanding the above, the following penalties/fines shall be imposed in the circumstances described, unless the Committee determines that a different penalty is appropriate:

  1. Failure to register Club prior to the start of the season – suspension until registration.
  2. Failures to enter each of the Club’s teams and allocate players on PlayHQ via the Club Administrator’s access – suspension until details are supplied.
  3. Playing a player not licensed with BE – £20.00 fine and loss of the game by forfeit.
  4. Failure to send a representative to an Officials or Pre-Season seminar – £30.00 fine.
  5. Failure to attend a General Meeting – £30.00 fine.
  6. Failure to comply with a Management Committee ruling or failure to reply to correspondence from a Management Committee Member – £10.00 fine.
  7. A player, team follower or club official charged with a disqualifying foul will receive an automatic ban from participating in their team’s next 2 Medway Basketball Association matches (in any capacity) as well as a £30

A player, coach, team follower or club official receiving a game disqualification by virtue of being charged with two technical fouls; two unsportsmanlike fouls or one of each will not be subject to any further sanctions during or after the game (providing there are no further incidents)

A coach charged with a disqualifying foul will receive an automatic ban from participating in their team’s next 3 Medway Basketball Association matches (in any capacity) as well as a £50

A coach receiving a game disqualification by virtue of being charged personally with two technical fouls will receive an automatic ban from participating in their team’s next 3 Medway Basketball Association matches (in any capacity) as well as a £50 fine.

Each situation will then be considered by the Disciplinary Officer to determine whether a higher or lesser penalty is warranted or whether the matter should be referred to the Disciplinary Panel or to Basketball England.

The Disciplinary Officer may also take action in respect of the outcome of a game (e.g. order replay, deduct points, declare void, etc.) as he sees fit. 

An individual under suspension for a match may not play in the match, act as team coach (or assistant coach), sit on the team bench as a team follower, or communicate with the team from 15 minutes prior to the scheduled starting time of the match, until after the end of the match. They may be present in the arena as a spectator unless otherwise stated by the Disciplinary Officer.

In the event of a fine being levied for a disqualification, the individual concerned is not eligible to resume their participation in any MBA matches until such fine has been paid. It is the Club’s responsibility to ensure the fines are paid.

Clubs, coaches, players, team followers and club officials may be fined and/or suspended as considered appropriate for any other breach of these Rules or conduct which brings the game into disrepute.

Fines not received within 14 days of the official notification imposing the fine will be doubled. All outstanding fines must be paid immediately prior to the AGM for a Team to be eligible to participate in the Association’s Competitions in the following season. Club officials and coaches bear a special responsibility to set an example of good behaviour.

 

7.    Disciplinary Matters

The Association has adopted and will take into account the Basketball England Discipline Offences – Sanctions Guidelines, applying it to the extent it considers appropriate in the context of a local association and its competitions.

a) Disciplinary Matters related to misconduct by Players, Coaches, Match Officials, Team Followers and other Club Officials occurring during or immediately prior to or following matches shall be the responsibility of the Disciplinary Officer.

The Assistant Disciplinary Officer, the Chairman, or Vice Chairman, or in the case of a One Day Tournament the Competition Organiser or a Member of the Management Committee present, may exercise the authority of the Disciplinary Officer in his absence or if he is directly involved with the incident.

b) For Simple matters requiring disciplinary action, the Disciplinary Officer shall impose an appropriate penalty. The Disciplinary Officer may consult one or two other Committee Members if he considers it appropriate.

c) For Complex or Serious matters the Disciplinary Officer shall convene a Disciplinary Panel, consisting of at least three independent members of the Management Committee, which shall have full authority to take disciplinary action and to make recommendations for the future. A Disciplinary Panel may conduct its business by telephone or exchange of e-mail if appropriate. The Management Committee may also consider any disciplinary matter brought before it (in which case any Committee member with an interest in the matter at hand shall not take part in the decision making process)

d) Matters that are considered excessive will be passed directly to Basketball England for action.

e) Each referee is required to submit a written report in respect of any disciplinary matter and each club and any individual may also submit written reports if they so choose, all such reports to be submitted within 5 working days of the incident. If a person is guilty of misconduct not involving disqualification, which any of the match officials consider to be of sufficient gravity to warrant consideration by the Association, a report should be submitted by them as soon as possible and the club concerned notified accordingly.

f) Disciplinary matters will be considered as soon as practicable.

g) It is not the normal practice for a personal hearing to be given by the Disciplinary Officer/Disciplinary Panel, although a personal hearing may be requested in the case of an appeal.

h) The reasons for imposing a fine or penalty will be documented in the notification of the fine/penalty.

i) Appeals

There is a right of appeal against any automatic penalty or against any fine or decision of the Disciplinary Officer, Disciplinary Panel or Management Committee, such appeal to be received by the Disciplinary Officer within 7 days of notification (or the incident in the case of an automatic penalty), accompanied by written grounds for the appeal and an appeal fee of £30.00. Appeals may only be considered where the Chairman of the Appeal Panel considers that the appellant is directly affected by the decision.

In the event of an appeal being lodged, all fines and penalties which are the subject of the appeal will be suspended, until the appeal is heard, except in exceptional circumstances.

Appeals will be heard by 3 neutral senior basketball personnel drawn from a panel appointed by the Management Committee. The Chairman of the Appeal Panel will be appointed by the Chairman of the Association.

If the Appeal Panel so decides, the appellant together with any other party or parties who may be affected by the decision may be granted a personal hearing at the sole discretion of the Appeal Panel. Normally a personal hearing will be granted in cases relating to disciplinary action. In the case of a personal hearing, the appellant may be accompanied by one person of their choice. The expenses incurred by the appellant and anyone accompanying them are their responsibility.

Decisions of the Appeal Panel are subject only to appeal to BE. Any other party adversely affected by the decision may still exercise a right of appeal to the Appeal Panel provided they were not a party to the original appeal.

At the conclusion of the Appeal Panel Hearing, the Appeal Panel shall determine whether the Appeal Fee is returned to the appellant in full, in part or not at all. In addition the appellant may be liable for such of the costs and/or expenses of convening the Appeal Panel Hearing, up to a maximum of £70. Liability to pay such costs and expenses will be determined by the Appeal Panel based upon the extent to which the appeal was successful.

The Appeal Panel may determine the procedures it shall adopt.

The Appeal Panel Chairman shall notify all concerned of the date, time and place for the appeal, which shall be determined after having due regard to the urgency of the matter and with reasonable regard to the availability of all concerned.

Upon an appeal being lodged the Disciplinary Officer should provide the Appeal Panel with a written statement setting out:

The alleged offence;

The proposed penalty;

Any justification or explanation that was considered relevant in reaching the decision;

The information that was considered in reaching the original decision (e.g. regulations, reports, correspondence etc.).

8.   Social Media 

The following sanctions for miss-use of social media either by a club in its own social media accounts; or by a participant in their personal accounts; or in comments posted on other social media accounts by a Club, Club Official or participant which relate in any way to the activities of the Medway Basketball Association:

  • The Management Committee, or the Disciplinary Officer acting under its authority, shall be authorised to require the Club, Club Official or Participant to delete the offending post(s); provide a written (and equally prominent) apology to any Club, Participant, Official or Management Committee Member negatively impacted by such post(s); and/or issue a warning as to the future conduct of any individual found to have miss-used social media in this way; and

  • In cases of miss-use of social media which the Disciplinary Officer or the Management Committee considers to be sufficiently serious to warrant additional sanctions to those outlined above (including where the Club or individual concerned refuses to follow the requirements of the Management Committee or the Disciplinary Officer as set out above), the Disciplinary Officer/Management Committee is to be guided by the Basketball England Discipline Offences – Sanctions Guidelines in determining the appropriate level of sanction to be applied for bringing the game into disrepute



    END OF REGULATIONS