Competition Rules & Regulations 2026

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 contested over five dates, with 13 teams. Each team plays every other team once, for a total of 78 games across the season.

The Under 15s League is contested over four dates, with 4 teams. Each team plays every other team once per date, for a total of 6 games per date and 24 games across the season.

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.

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.

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.

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.