Rules and Regulations

OQBL Rules & Regulations

1 RULES IN EFFECT

The following rules apply in priority to all divisions and categories of the Ontario Quebec Basketball League (OQBL). FIBA rules will be applied second.

2 AGE CATEGORIES

2.1 Category Date of Birth & Exceptions

  • U12/U13 AAA Eligibility:
    Players must be born on or after June 15, 2011 (meaning they cannot have turned 14 before June 15, 2025).

  • U14/U15 AAA Eligibility:
    Players must be born on or after June 15, 2009 (meaning they cannot have turned 16 before June 15, 2025).

  • U16/17 AAA Elibibility:
    Players must be born on or after June 15, 2007 (meaning they cannot have turned 18 before June 15, 2025).

2.2 Submission of Teams
Each organization may only register one team in the AAA category per age group.

3 ELIGIBILITY

3.1 Age Group

  • Players must play in their birth year category unless otherwise approved by the league.

  • Failure to comply results in game forfeiture.

  • Coaches must be able to prove player identity/age with: OHIP Card/Medicare card, Birth certificate, or Passport.

  • Players without ID cannot participate.

3.2 Number of Teams

  • A player cannot play for two teams or two divisions (AAA) in the same season.

3.3 Moving Up a Player

  • Must notify the league 24 hrs before game time.

  • Player must be marked (*) on the scoresheet.

  • Players may be moved up a maximum of 2 times. On the 3rd move-up, they remain permanently with the higher-level team.

  • No move-ups allowed during playoffs.

3.4 Player Late to a Game

  • Players listed on the scoresheet must arrive by halftime to be eligible.

3.5 Playoffs Eligibility

  • Players must participate in at least 40% of season games to be playoff-eligible.

  • Injured players must still sign the scoresheet and be present on the bench to count games toward eligibility.

4 REGISTRATION

4.1 Registration form must be sent to the league 5 days before the first game.
4.2 All players must be registered before playing.
4.3 Teams must have 10–15 players registered by September 20.
4.4 Players cannot be removed from a roster once registered.
4.5 Teams violating roster rules will forfeit all affected games.

5 PLAYER TRANSFERS

5.1 Players may transfer organizations without penalty once in their OQBL career. After that, they must sit out 50% of games the following season.
5.2 Teams may accept a maximum of 2 players from another organization per team.
5.3 Organizations may accept 3 transfers total across all levels 
5.3.1 Organizations with 4 teams may accept 4 transfers total
5.4 Coaches may not recruit from other organizations. Transfers after season start are prohibited.
5.5 Transfers must be reported on the registration form before league play.
5.6 No transfers allowed during the season (exceptions may be made by contacting the OQBL directly)

6 NUMBER OF GAMES

The number of games per category will be set before the season begins.

7 NUMBER OF PLAYERS

  • Minimum 6 players to start.

8 UNIFORMS

  • Teams must wear matching jerseys.

  • If both wear the same color, the home team must change (if reversible jerseys are present)

9 RESPONSIBILITY OF HOME TEAM

  • Gym available 30 minutes before game time.

  • Rim height:

    • 10 ft

  • Must provide:

    1. 2 Provincially Certified Referees

    2. Minor officials (3 officials must be present to scorekeep and track stats)

    3. Scoresheet

    4. Team benches

    5. Scoreboard

    6. Two 24-second shot clocks

    7. First aid kit & ice

10 REFEREES

  • 2 referees per game at all levels.

  • Coaches may not enter the court to argue.

  • If only 1 referee present, both coaches may agree to play or reschedule.

  • A 15-minute delay is permitted for late referees.

  • Games canceled due to referee absence do not require payment.

11 BALL SIZE

  • U12-U13 Size 6

  • U14-U17 Size 7

12 3-POINT LINE

  • Used at all levels 

  • 6.75m 

13 DEFENSIVE RULES

  • All Levels: Man-to-man defense, Zone defense and full court press allowed

14 SHOT CLOCK

  • All Levels 24 seconds

15 GAME DURATION

  • All Levels 4 × 10 minutes, 2-min stop time, 2-min half time, OT = 5 minutes

16 SANCTIONS & SUSPENSIONS

Players

  • 2 technicals in a game = ejection + 1 game suspension

  • Accumulated technicals:

    • 3 = Warning

    • 4 = 1-game suspension

    • 5 = 2-game suspension

    • 6 = Removal from League

  • Violence (verbal/physical) = discipline review

Coaches

  • 2 technicals in a game = ejection + 1 game suspension

  • Accumulated technicals:

    • 3 = Warning

    • 4 = 1-game suspension

    • 5 = Team Disqualification

  • Violence = discipline review

17 STANDINGS

  • Determined by win percentage.

  • Ties broken by:

    1. Head-to-head result

    2. Point differential

    3. Best defense (lowest points allowed)

18 PLAYOFFS

  • Top 4 AAA teams qualify.

  • Format: semifinal + final.

  • May be adjusted depending on number of teams.

19 COACH DRESS CODE

  • Coaches must wear a polo or preofessional shirt.

  • Non-compliance = technical foul at game start.

  • Applies to all bench staff.

20 GAME RESULTS

  • Home team must email result by 11:00 pm same day.

  • Failure = $50 fine.

  • Scoresheets must be sent within 24 hrs or game is forfeited by home team.

  • Teams must keep scoresheets for full season.

21 RESCHEDULING

  • $50 fine for rescheduling.

  • Must be agreed upon by both coaches and set before contacting the league.

  • Minimum 48 hours notice required. Less than that = forfeit 

  • Games may be postponed without fine if gym unavailable due to external reasons (snowstorm, school closure, etc.).

22 TEAM / ORGANIZATION SANCTIONS

  • May be disciplined for:

    • Violating transfer rules

    • Non-payment of fees

    • Recruiting from other orgs

  • Automatic forfeits for:

    • Late team/coach (15+ minutes)

    • Not enough players

    • Age violations

    • Team withdrawal mid-game

  • Forfeits = $100 fine 

  • Withdrawal of a team during the season = $500 fine.

23 COMPLAINTS

  • Must be submitted in writing within 7 days of incident.

  • League will review and issue sanctions if needed.

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