*NEW* Winter Basketball North Wollongong [Tu] Rules

THE OBJECT OF THE GAME is to outscore your opponent by shooting the ball into your basket and preventing them from putting the ball into theirs. The ball can be advanced up the court with the hands only, either by dribbling or passing to teammates. 

DURATION OF THE GAME: All matches will be two 18 min halves, with a few minutes break in between. No clock stoppages will be made except under exceptional circumstances. Such circumstance will be at the sole discretion of the UR Staff.

THE COURT The game shall be played on a standard basketball court. Some variations may vary depending on venue, and location of courts. 

THE TEAM The number of players required on the court, for this league is five (5).

• Only five (5) players allowed on the field at any one time.
• There must be a minimum of two (2) Males, and Females on the field always.
• This league requires your team to have a minimum of four (4) players, including one Male or Female to start the game
• Please consider our Default, Forfeit, and Substitute Policy

SUBSTITUTIONS can be made at any stoppage of play. Players coming onto the court must wait until the player they are substituting with has come off the court.

STARTING PLAY The game will start with a jump ball.  In the 1st half, two females will complete the jump ball.  In the 2nd half, two males will complete the jump ball. 

HOW TO SCORE Each 2-point basket will be worth 1 point, and each 3-point basket will be worth 2 points.  A successful foul shot attempt will be worth 1 point. 

FOULS Basketball fouls are penalties assessed for rough play to keep a player from gaining an advantage over another player. A player who is fouled is awarded the ball out of bounds unless the foul occurred during the act of shooting, in which case the player who is fouled is awarded 2 free throws. Here are a simple list of fouls. No personal fouls will be recorded, but team fouls may be awarded.

• Blocking – A personal foul caused when the defender makes illegal personal contact with an opponent who may or may not have the ball. Blocking is called when the defender impedes the progress of the opponent.
• Charging (or Player Control Foul) – A personal foul occurring when an offensive player makes contact with a defender who has already established a set position. A player with the ball must avoid contact with a stationary defender by stopping or changing direction.
• Elbowing – It is a violation for a player to swing the elbows excessively.
• Flagrant Foul – A personal or technical foul, which is violent in nature. Examples are fighting, striking, kicking, or kneeing an opponent.
• Hand Check – A personal foul caused by a defender making repeated contact with her hands on her opponent.
• Holding – A personal foul caused by illegal contact with an opponent, which interferes with his freedom of movement.
• Blocking Females – Male players are allowed to block a female player’s shot provided the following conditions are met: (1) feet must remain on the ground (i.e. no jumping or leaving the ground); (2) hands and arms must be straight in the air at 90 degrees; and (3) NO leaning in.  Provided the prior conditions are met, males are allowed to block a female’s shot.  If a male player blocks a female player not in adherence to the rules, the basket will count from where the ball was shot from (1 point counted for a 2-point attempt, 2 points counted for a 3-point attempt). The player will also receive 1 additional free throw.

VIOLATIONS The basketball basic rules include numerous ball handling and time violations that cause a team to lose possession of the ball. Here are some common violations.  Within our ‘Fun First Policy,’ minor travels and “carries” will largely be played on.

• Back-court Violation – If (when on offense), you cross half court line, you cannot bring the ball backwards across the half court line into your defensive end.
• Closely Guarded (or Five-second Violation) – Violation that occurs when a ball handler in his team's front-court is continuously guarded by any opponent who is within 6 feet of him while he is either dribbling or holding the ball. The offensive player has 5 seconds to either get rid of the ball or drive past the defender.
• Double Dribble - When a dribbler touches the ball with both hands at the same time or when the dribbler picks up the ball and then starts dribbling again.
• Goal-tending – Occurs when a player touches a shot ball while it is in its downward flight above the rim. It also occurs when a defender touches a free throw attempt outside the basket.
• Lane Violation – A violation called during a free throw situation against a player who enters the lane too soon.
• Ten Seconds in the Back-court – A team has 10 seconds to advance the ball from their back-court past the half-court line to the front-court.
• Three Seconds in the Lane – An offensive player cannot remain in the free throw lane for longer than 3 seconds while her team is in control of the ball in the front-court. She has to clear the lane completely with both feet to stop the official's count. If she receives the ball while she is in the lane, she is allowed to stay beyond 3 seconds in order to drive toward the goal for a shot.
• Traveling – A violation caused by moving the feet in any direction without properly dribbling the ball. It results in a turnover, and the ball is given to the opposing team. While holding the ball, a player has to establish a pivot foot which has to remain on the floor at all times until he passes, shoots, or dribbles. While holding the ball, his knee cannot touch the floor and if he falls, he must get rid of the ball before attempting to get up.

WINNING TEAM The winner is the team with the greater number of goals at the end of the game. A draw will be awarded if both teams have an equal amount of goals. The winning team receives 3 points, 1 point each for drawn game and no points for a loss. Your Fun Points will affect your position on the standings. If two teams are matched on competition points, the team with the higher fun points rating will be favoured up the ladder.

FAIRPLAY SYSTEM Each league night you will have an Event Host onsite, but these guys are not official referees. Urban Rec is a recreational league which practices a fair-play and fun-first policy, meaning you should be making your own calls on the game. The Event Host will be there to make the calls not made by individuals, keep time, and help guide the games within the game play rules. The Urban Rec Event Host has the final say on any issue that cannot be self-resolved.

SPORTSMANSHIP All Urban Rec participants have read and agreed to the Urban Rec Code of Conduct. We also exercise a strict Disciplinary Policy. If you are seen to be rude in any way or not playing within the respect of the rules and Code of Conduct, you will be asked by the Urban Rec Staff to sub out of the game. If after returning to the game your attitude does not improve you will be asked to leave the venue, and an assessment will be made if you can play again. We do not tolerate idiots. Play fair.