Low cost; Low grief
Please note, we've suspended the league structure this season in favour of playing monthly tournaments but we may return to the structure below in later seasons.
Those who have been involved in running WEBBA or NL teams and will know all about the high costs and the many hours involved in administrating basketball teams.
This league is a little different.
We aim to keep that admin to a minimum and to devolve the responsibility of arranging fixtures to the individual teams involved.
Who can play?
As the league grows we hope to split into various age bands and possibly even different regions. At this stage, though, all of your players need to be over 35 and your team should be based within 40 mile radius of the centre of Bristol.
If you're outside of this radius, you can still register a team but on the understanding that fixtures will be played within the specified area and that you will undertake to cover the extra miles.
WEBBA and National League players are welcome. If you're BBL or play internationally, then not so much. Sorry.
Fixtures
Each team will play every other team once in each round of the league. For each matchup, one team is designated the 'Home Team' and it is their responsibility to make contact with the 'Away Team' and arrange a time and venue for the game. This can either involve booking a slots at one of the monthly meetings or finding a court at a more convenient time.
If you struggle to find a court then we may be able to assist you or you can use the WhatsApp chat to ask other members. Often a court is available if a WEBBA or NL team has an away fixture on it's normal training night.
Costs
Costs for court hire will be shared between the teams on the night.If you use one of the slots at the monthly meetings attendance will cost £6 per player so you'll get better value if you can arrange two fixtures on the same date — or even three if you have the energy.
Reporting
The Home Team will have the responsibility of reporting the outcome of the fixture on this web site. Games at the monthly meetings will be recorded by the administrators at the time.
Points
The home team will be responsible for reporting the result of the fixture. 1 point will be awarded to the losing team for completing the fixture and two point will be awarded to the winning team. This structure will incentivise teams to make sure that the fixtures actually take place.
Refs
The games will be self-reffed. We've all played with friends and made this work. Nothing vital is at stake here, so there's no need for things to get out of hand. Disputes will be sorted out on court with all players taking responsibility for settling any issues in an amicable fashion.
Fair Play
We ran a Fair Play scheme last year but almost without exception everyone awarded full points to their opponents. This could mean that everything is hunky-dory or it could indicate that no one wants to report negatively on other teams. This season we will rely on teams to report back any issues with the attitudes of other teams and, if such complaints mount, we will put that team on notice. If there continue to be problems then we reserve the right to exclude such a team from the league.
The spirit of the game
Above all, this is to be friendly. We will be logging results but the point of the league is to play some enjoyable basketball in a friendly atmosphere. We want all participants to enjoy winning but to enjoy playing more.
we will ask each team to give fair play points for each fixture and we will take action to curb or exclude teams that persistently flout the spirit of the league.