Competition Rules & Regulations 2027

UK Wheelchair Basketball (UKWB) is a competition sanctioned by British Wheelchair Basketball (BWB). As such, BWB Rules & Regulations govern all UKWB competitions in full, except where this document explicitly states otherwise.

All participants, clubs, coaches, and officials are expected to be familiar with BWB Rules & Regulations, available at britishwheelchairbasketball.co.uk. Where this document is silent on any matter, BWB Rules & Regulations apply.

All players, coaches, and officials must hold a valid BWB membership and the appropriate licence for their role before participating in any UKWB competition.

All players must hold a UKWB Community Membership, priced at £5/year for adults and £2.50/year for juniors.

Players must hold a valid BWB membership for the current season. All clubs must be affiliated to BWB.

Each club must have a minimum of a BWB Grade 1 qualified coach present with their team throughout any UKWB event.

A minimum of one BWB Grade 2 qualified coach must be present at each UKWB event. This requirement is met at the organisational level by UKWB.

All players must hold a UKWB Community Membership.

Two different age tests apply, and the difference between them is deliberate.

A minimum age is measured on the day. A player must have reached their competition's minimum age — 8 for the Under 15s League, 12 for the Women's Cup and the Development League — on the day of the fixture they play in, not at any point earlier in the season. A player may therefore be named on a roster before their birthday and take the court from the match day on which they reach that age, wherever in the season it falls. Measuring it on the day leaves the judgement of whether a player is ready with their coaches and their parents or guardians, which is where it belongs.

The Under 15s League upper age limit is measured at the start of the season. A player must be under 15 on 31 August 2026 to register for the Under 15s League. A player who turns 15 during the season remains eligible for the whole of that season.

Junior status mirrors BWB. UKWB uses BWB's definition of a junior in full, both for UKWB Community Membership and for the junior classification allowances in Section 3:

• A junior is a player who is 17 or under.
• A player who is 17 on 31 August 2026 holds junior status for the remainder of the 2027 season, even if they turn 18 during it.

A junior UKWB Community Membership is £2.50 per year and an adult membership is £5 per year; a membership taken out while a player holds junior status runs as a junior membership for its full year. Where BWB's definition of a junior changes, UKWB's follows it.

UKWB uses a modified classification system that deviates from standard BWB rules as set out in this section. In all other respects, BWB classification rules apply.

Players pending formal classification may compete at their expected classification pending confirmation.

Players who have a formal classification that is being reviewed must compete under their existing classification until it has been reviewed.

Non-disabled and unclassifiable players are permitted to participate in all UKWB competitions. These players compete at a classification of 4.5 points.

Trans athlete eligibility differs by competition as follows:

All games across all UKWB competitions follow the same structure:

• 4 x 8 minute quarters
• 1 minute break between quarters
• 3 minute break at half time
• 2 x 1 minute timeouts per team per game
• 15 minutes warm-up before each game

A 24-second shot clock applies. The shot clock is not a physical clock but is enforced by the referees.

No full court pressing is permitted while a team is 10 or more points ahead. The leading team may resume full court pressing once the margin is again within 9 points.

This restriction applies to all UKWB competitions and is in keeping with the development ethos of our leagues.

A draw is not a valid result in any UKWB competition. If a game is tied at the end of regulation time, a 4-minute overtime period is played. If the scores remain level at the end of an overtime period, further 4-minute overtime periods are played until a winner is determined.

Standard BWB rules apply during overtime periods.

Where teams are tied on points in any league or seeding table, head-to-head results between the tied teams are used to separate them, rather than points difference.

The Women's Cup is contested over two days with 7 teams.

Only one team per club may enter. Players will not be permitted to play for more than one team.

Day 1 — Seeding Round

All 7 teams play in a seeding round consisting of 8 games across 3 rounds plus a Day 1 Final. No team is eliminated on Day 1. Results determine seedings 1–7 for the Day 2 knockout stage.

Day 2 — Knockout Stage

All 7 teams enter the knockout stage. The structure is as follows:

• Seed 1 receives a first-round bye.
• Seeds 3–7 enter at the quarter-final stage.
• Seed 2 enters at the repechage stage, playing the loser of the 5th vs 7th seed quarter-final.
• Every team has a path to win the Cup Final from any seeding position. The 7th seed must win 4 games to lift the trophy.

The Development League is split between East and West, with 7 teams competing in each region. Each team plays every other team once, for a total of 21 games across three regional dates.

The "Development League Finals Weekend" will be held to crown the overall winners of the Development League. The weekend will start with 4th vs 4th playing each other to decide which team plays in the top bracket and which team plays in the bottom bracket.

Each of the 7 teams in each bracket will play every other team in their bracket once, with a total of 6 games played per team in that weekend.

The winner of the top bracket will be crowned Champions, receiving a trophy and medals, with the winner of the bottom bracket winning a "plate" trophy.

The winners of the regional leagues will also receive a trophy.

Only one team per club may enter. Players will not be permitted to play for more than one team.

The Under 15s League is contested over four dates, with 5 teams. Each team plays every other team twice across the season, and will play twice each date. There will be a total of 20 games across the season.

Only one team per club may enter. Players will not be permitted to play for more than one team.

All clubs must submit a full squad roster to UKWB prior to each competition date. Rosters may be updated at any time during the season, but must be accurate and up to date before each competition date, as this data is shared with BWB for compliance and insurance purposes.

For insurance reasons, all UKWB participants must be registered with BWB and hold either a valid BWB player licence or a free BWB recreational licence. Participation without a valid BWB licence is not permitted.

All players must hold a UKWB Community Membership. Participation without a UKWB Community Membership is not permitted.

Players will not be permitted to play for more than one team in the same competition.

The following information must be provided for each player on the roster:

• Full name
• Date of birth
• Sex
• Gender
• Classification (see Section 5.3)
• BWB licence number — this is mandatory for all participants

Clubs must also declare which BWB competitions each player participates in, as this may affect eligibility for UKWB competitions.

As part of UKWB's relaxation of BWB rules, clubs may submit a player's provisional, anticipated, or expected classification while that player is going through the formal BWB classification process. The provisional classification should reflect the club's best assessment of where the player will be formally classified.

Should a player's formal classification differ from the provisional classification submitted, the roster must be updated accordingly as soon as the formal classification is confirmed.

Players who have a formal classification that is being reviewed must compete under their existing classification until it has been reviewed.

UKWB will always seek to avoid forfeits in the spirit of the league and the development ethos of our competitions. If a club or team anticipates any issue that may prevent them from fielding a team — including but not limited to classification limit concerns, player availability, or administrative issues — they must communicate this to UKWB as early as possible via their designated club contact.

UKWB will work with the affected club to seek an amicable resolution wherever possible. Where a resolution cannot be found, or where notice is provided too close to the fixture date for a solution to be arranged, a forfeit will be recorded in accordance with BWB Rules & Regulations.

If a club withdraws a team from any UKWB competition, they may do so at any time. However, team entry fees are non-refundable upon withdrawal.

All participants in UKWB competitions are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with BWB's Code of Conduct and disciplinary framework. BWB Rules & Regulations govern all conduct and disciplinary matters.

UKWB reserves the right to refer any conduct matter to BWB and to take such steps as are available to it under the BWB sanctioning framework.

Coaches are responsible for the conduct of their players and any associated club staff or supporters at UKWB events.

UKWB competitions are aimed at the grassroots level of the sport, and as such we make no apologies for trying to provide the most supportive and encouraging environment for players, coaches and officials to develop their skills and build upon their experience.

Whilst swearing is actively discouraged in all competitions, there will be zero tolerance in the Under 15s League, with immediate technical foul violations given against any player who is heard swearing by the referee.

Unsportsmanlike conduct such as but not limited to jeering and booing from spectators will not be tolerated. The referee will stop the game and give a final warning to those responsible. In the event that they are spectators of the opposing team and the warning is not heeded, the offending team will forfeit the game. In the event that they are not spectators of the opposing team, this will be reported to UKWB trustees for further disciplinary investigation.

Any complaints, queries, or disputes relating to UKWB competitions should be raised through your designated club contact, who should contact the UKWB trustees by email.

Where a matter falls within BWB's jurisdiction under BWB Rules & Regulations, UKWB will refer the matter to BWB accordingly.

UKWB trustees can be contacted via email through your designated club contact. Please ensure your designated club contact has the current trustee contact details.