Melbourne Wolves

By-Laws

Melbourne Wolves Basketball Club

Find the rules for your association. Coaches and Team Managers should read the relevant Need to Know summary before the season starts.

IMPORTANT

The official association by-laws take precedence if anything differs from a Melbourne Wolves summary.

Southern Basketball Association

Official competition by-laws

Official Association By-Laws

The complete rules issued by the Southern Basketball Association.

View the SBA competition by-laws

Melbourne Wolves Know-How

A short Melbourne Wolves summary of the rules teams use most.

Everything you need to keep the team compliant and game-day ready.

Before the season

Make sure the team is actually compliant before game day.

  • Junior teams need at least 7 registered players before the season starts.
  • Every junior coach and team manager must complete/upload the required documentation before participating officially:
  • Working with Children Check
  • Basketball Victoria Member Declaration
  • Play by the Rules — Child Protection
  • Play by the Rules — Harassment & Discrimination
  • Coaches: minimum Participation Coaching Course (Level 0).

Accreditation compliance

Junior coaches/assistant coaches have ongoing accreditation requirements. SBA can conduct random checks, and failure to rectify non-compliance within 7 days can result in the team’s season points being reset to zero.

Make sure every player is correctly registered and appears in PlayHQ before every game. A player not entered correctly can result in a forfeit.

Team administration

The manager is the person who needs to keep the administrative wheels turning.

  • Junior teams communicate with SBA through their Domestic Club representative.
  • Entity teams communicate through their nominated Team Contact.
  • SBA requires communication to be in writing to admin@sabres.com.au.
  • After junior grading starts, players cannot simply move between teams. Requests need to go through the Team Manager in writing to the SBA CEO.
  • A player joining after grading needs SBA CEO approval.

Playing players up / second teams

This is an area where managers should check the By-Laws rather than rely on assumptions.

  • A player can play no more than one age group above their normal age group.
  • A junior can play a maximum of two SBA junior games in a week.
  • A player cannot register in two teams in the same age group on different days.
  • Representative players have additional restrictions and a 14-point team cap.
  • Representative players generally have to play in their designated year-of-birth age group before playing up.

Fill-in players

This is particularly important.

A fill-in can only be used when the team has fewer than six eligible players.

If you use a fill-in:

  • The team can have a maximum of six players.
  • If the fill-in takes the court, another registered player cannot subsequently arrive and take the court.
  • Junior fill-ins have restrictions based on age group, grade and representative points.
  • A junior player can fill in in a higher grade of the same age group only three times per season; the fourth time makes them ineligible for their lower-grade team.
  • A senior fill-in can play one game unregistered, but must be registered before playing a second game.
  • Breaching fill-in rules can result in a forfeit.
Manager tip: Before agreeing to a fill-in, check:
  • Is the player eligible?
  • Are they registered?
  • What age/grade are they registered in?
  • Are there representative-player points involved?
  • How many times have they already filled in?

Game-day essentials

Arrive ready

Games are two 20-minute halves, with a minimum two-minute warm-up. If the team isn’t ready, the game clock starts anyway and late-start penalties can apply.

  • A team needs at least four players on court to start.
  • A late start costs 2 points per minute or part thereof. If the team cannot take the court after 10 minutes, it is a walkover.
Scoring
  • Every team must provide one competent scorer aged 14+.
  • If there is no scorer ready: the team receives a 10-point penalty, or a player can sit off and score, allowing the team to avoid the penalty.
  • The team must correctly enter players and numbers into PlayHQ before the game starts.
  • If there is a scoring issue, the coach/team manager needs to raise it with the referee before the game ends.
Balls
  • For junior competitions, do not bring basketballs into the stadium.
  • The referees provide two warm-up balls per court, which must be returned before the game begins.
Uniform & equipment

Before leaving home, check:

  • Correct singlet.
  • Correct number on front and back.
  • Correct team shorts.
  • No pockets/zips/buckles on shorts.
  • No jewellery.
  • No prohibited hair accessories.
  • Compression/performance garments must comply with the colour and fit requirements.
  • Fingernails must be trimmed or appropriately covered.
  • Any gloves/soft protective material must be secured to the skin.

Incorrect uniform can result in 5 penalty points per player per item (outside the grading-game exemption).

There is a three-round grace period for inconsistent singlet/short design, after which penalties apply.

Junior coaching rules that really matter

U14 and below: man-to-man defence
  • For U14 and younger, teams must play a full- or half-court man-to-man defence for the entire game.
  • Trapping is allowed, but the team must start from a man-to-man structure.
  • The coach gets one warning; subsequent breaches can result in two free throws plus possession to the opposition.
  • The rule isn’t intended to punish individual young players who don’t yet understand the system, provided the coach is genuinely trying to implement man-to-man defence.
Fall-back rule

When the lead reaches:

  • U10 and below: 15+ points
  • U12/U14: 20+ points
  • U16+: 30+ points

the leading team must fall back inside the 3-point line when the opposition gains clear possession.

The trailing coach can choose to have the fall-back rule switched off. It doesn’t apply during grading.

Finals — manage eligibility early

For most competitions, a player needs to have played 7 fixtured games during the season to qualify for finals. Byes don’t count. A team receiving a forfeit does count that game for finals qualification.

  • Daytime Ladies and Over 35s require 5 games.
  • There are possible dispensations/exemptions, but these have deadlines. Don’t wait until finals week to discover a player is ineligible.
Manager tip:

Keep your own finals-eligibility spreadsheet throughout the season.

Conduct

The team is responsible for its:

  • Players
  • Coach
  • Manager
  • Scorer
  • Spectators.

For junior games, only the Head Coach or, if absent, the Team Manager may speak to referees during timeouts or half-time to ask a question.

  • Parents and other spectators should not approach referees during play.
  • A behavioural technical foul also has a sin-bin consequence: the player leaves the court and cannot return until five minutes of playing time have elapsed.
  • Two behavioural technical fouls in one SBA domestic season result in a two-week suspension from SBA competitions.

Always refer to the official association by-laws for the most current rules.