Impact Youth Basketball League Rules
Date Approved/Revised: September 12, 2013
Team/Player Eligibility
A. Teams participating in any other league will not be eligible. Holiday tournaments are permitted during the Christmas holidays. Players in the IYBL may form a team to participate in holiday tournaments.
B. Each team in the IYBL will not be allowed any player who also plays for their school team (HS, JHS, MS).
1. Any team with a player who also plays for their school will be declared ineligible if playing or practicing with their school team during the regular IYBL season, even if the school season has been completed.
2. Violators will forfeit all games in which the ineligible player participated.
C. No player may play for two different IYBL teams during the same season.
D. If tryouts for a school team do not begin until after the IYBL begins play, a player may try out for their school team while still playing for their church team until they make the final cut.
1. Anyone playing for their school team then leaves that team and desires to join a church team may apply for reinstatement with the IYBL Executive Committee.
E. To be eligible for tournament play, all players must be listed on the team roster and have participated in at least four (4) league games.
1. The Executive Committee must approve any exceptions to the eligibility status as outlined above.
F. Violations of player ineligibility will be penalized by forfeiture of any game the ineligible player participated in.
1. Additional violations will lead to additional consequences, including suspension for the remainder of the season.
G. It is recommended that each church provide and keep parental release forms for each player registered.
H. Players must be listed on a team roster and the roster submitted to the league headquarters by December 1.
1. Players may be added to a team roster up until January 1. After that date, any additions must be made in writing and have the approval of the Executive Committee.
2. If team rosters are not turned in to the IYBL headquarters, those teams' games will be counted as losses until the roster is received. Each Monday after that week's games, all teams without rosters will be given a loss.
I. Eligibility exceptions and protests may be sent to the league Executive Committee.
1. All protests should be made in writing to the League Coordinator – Kevin Harper at [email protected].
2. Tournament player eligibility protests: A protest involving an ineligible player must be placed to the League Coordinator within 48 hours of the game. Only the game protested will be forfeited if a player is found to be ineligible.
Team Rules
A. Each team is allowed a single one-hour practice per week.
a. Penalty: Coach or team suspension ranging from one game to the remainder of the season. Suspended coaches may not practice with the team that week nor attend the game as a spectator.
b. Coaches will be responsible for finding substitute coaches. The substitute coaches must adhere to all rules and policies. Should substitute coaches not be found, the game will be forfeited.
c. Multiple violations can be penalized by revocation of coaching privileges throughout the entire league.
League Divisions
"AA" Division - 6 yrs. & under (Coed)
Must be 6 years or younger on or before 8/31
Boys "A" Division - Up to 8 yrs.
Must be 8 years or younger on or before 8/31
Boys "B" Division - Up to 10 yrs.
Must be 10 years or younger on or before 8/31
Boys "C" Division - Up to 12 yrs.
Must be 12 years or younger on or before 8/31
Boys "D" Division - Up to 14 yrs.
Must be 14 years or younger on or before 8/31
Boys "EE" Division - Up to 16 yrs.
Must be 16 years or younger on or before 8/31
Boys "E" Division - Up to 18 yrs.
Must be 18 years or younger on or before 8/31
Girls "A" Division - Up to 8 yrs.
Must be 8 years or younger on or before 8/31
Girls "B" Division - Up to 10 yrs.
Must be 10 years or younger on or before 8/31
Girls "C" Division - Up to 12 yrs.
Must be 12 years or younger on or before 8/31
Girls "D" Division - Up to 15 yrs.
Must be 15 years or younger on or before 8/31
Girls "E" Division - Up to 18 yrs.
Must be 18 years or younger on or before 8/31
- Boys "E" & Girls "E" Division players can be 18 years of age and eligible if they are still in high school. If a player is home-schooled or in a special high school program, documentation of participation must be submitted with the roster.
- Players may "play up" with a higher-level team but are not allowed to play on a lower-level team.
Games
- The season will begin the first Saturday in December. Games will be played on Saturdays between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. when possible.
- AA will play 6 games per season.
- A-E will play 7 games plus single elimination playoffs per season.
Reporting Scores
- The score of each game will be entered on the IYBL website by the host site gym as soon as possible after the game is played. Scores will also be emailed by the host site gym to [email protected] for official verification.
Ball Size
- 28.5 inch ball will be used for "AA – B" teams both boys and girls.
- 28.5 inch ball for all girls divisions, 29.5 inch ball for boys "C - E"
Goal Heights
- “AA – AA” will shoot on 8’ goals
- "B – E" will shoot on 10' goals
Referees
- For all "AA & A" games, there is one referee per game.
- All other divisions will have two referees per game.
- Playoff and tournament games will have two referees.
- The league is responsible for supplying and paying all referees.
League Fees & Insurance
- All league fees will be paid by the host church based upon the league established per team rate. League fees will be billed at the beginning of the season.
- Insurance will be provided for all players in the IYBL by the league. Participating churches will split the costs of insurance based on the number of players in the league.
Gym Operation
- Each gym will supply an official scorer, timer, game ball, and set of shirts or pinnies that can be used as a visible means of telling two (2) teams apart.
- Host gym sites will receive a credit toward the next season's league fees for supplying scorers and timekeepers during regular season and tournament games.
Game Times
- The times listed on the league schedule are the game start times. Teams should arrive at the game site 10 minutes prior to the start of the game.
- Each team shall be prepared to play at the scheduled start of the game. Teams are required to have 4 players to start a game. A grace period of 5 minutes is allowed, after which the delinquent team shall forfeit the game.
- If a forfeiture occurs and the other team has more than 5 players, the team with excess players is encouraged to "loan" players to the delinquent team so that the players may scrimmage and still get to play.
Rescheduling of games
- Once the league schedule has been released no games will be rescheduled unless the facility becomes unavailable due to circumstances beyond league control.
a. Note: Teams are required to provide any scheduling conflicts to your church's basketball director.
- Only church-related functions would be considered when scheduling around conflicts before the schedule is released.
- There will be no scheduling conflicts honored during the tournament.
Inclement Weather
- When inclement weather threatens the safety of travel in the league's region, the league will consider canceling all games for that day. Any such league-wide cancellations will be posted on the league's website as early as possible on game day. Also, in case of league-wide cancellations, the league will contact the coordinator of league referees to alert them to the game cancellations.
- Games canceled due to inclement weather will not be rescheduled. However, the league, in its discretion may decide to schedule make-up games for the play-offs or tournaments.
League Administration
A. Violations:
1. The host church of any team, player, coach, or spectator who is in violation of any of the league rules as stated on the league website (www.impactybl.org) will abstain from any vote related to the violation in question. If any other church coordinator on the Executive Committee has a relationship with the team, player, coach, or spectator in violation of a rule, they will also be asked to abstain from voting on the violation. The Executive Committee retains the discretion to modify any of the above ruling guidelines. Violations of the rules can result in, but are not limited to, a technical foul, suspension of a player, coach, spectator, or team, expulsion for the season of a player, coach, spectator, or team, or any other ruling that the Executive Committee deems appropriate.
2. The player, coach, spectator, or team will be contacted by their host church the next business day after the reported violation to be notified that the Executive Committee is voting on the report. They will be allowed to write a statement in their defense for the board to consider while discussing the violation. That statement will be due to the League Coordinator by the end of the day they are contacted. If the violation involves another person, that person will also be allowed to write a statement of events to be considered by the Executive Committee.
3. Information will be distributed to the Executive Committee by the League Coordinator no later than two business days after the reported violation. The Committee will discuss and vote on the violation and render a verdict no later than the end of the fourth business day after the violation. The host church will then contact the player, coach, spectator, or team to relay the Executive Committee's decision.
i. Should the Executive Committee not reach a verdict by the end of the fourth business day, the player, coach, spectator, or team in question may participate in their scheduled game on Saturday with the penalty to be served at the next opportunity.
ii. Notice of the delayed penalty will be given to all parties involved.