Rules for Adult Indoor Basketball
General Rules
- Individuals utilizing this facility do so at their own risk. The property owners, league operators, officers and owners and staff of the Metuchen Sportsplex assume no liability for any injuries or accidents, which may occur. Please refer to your Liability and Injury Waiver Release Forms.
- Conduct within the facility and on the courts should be conducted in the spirit of good sportsmanship.
- No food, drinks, chewing tobacco, chewing gum, spitting or cleats permitted on playing surface. No sunflower seeds or similar type products are permitted in the facility.
- No glass containers on the playing surface or in the player boxes.
- The Metuchen Sportsplex reserves the right to refuse play or service to anyone.
Sign Up Guidelines and Fees:
- Teams sign up on a first come, first served basis.
- Teams can sign up anytime before session start date. Deposits and individual fee payments will only be refunded if the Metuchen Sportsplex does not have a league spot available for you or your team.
- Full-payment is required before your first game, or your team spot could be forfeited.
- If full payment is made after the deadline, late fees will be charged
- No teams will be accepted after the first game of league play.
- No individual will be allowed to participate in any league games, practice session, tournament, clinic, open pick-up game, or other activities until a release form has been properly completed and signed.
- Playing sports can be a hazardous activity and unfortunate things can happen. You are contractually agreeing that you have signed our liability release and that you are waiving your rights to file a lawsuit against us. You accept the conditions of the fields, courts, and other surfaces, and also any unforeseen situations that may occur. If you are uncomfortable with any of these conditions, you can choose not to play or participate in our leagues or other activities.
- Individuals that sign up will be placed in a Metuchen Sportsplex database where other teams may contact you to recruit you for their team. If you still are not on a team, and there are enough players for a team, the Metuchen Sportsplex will create a team from all the individuals in the database.
Player Rosters:
Player rosters must be turned in prior to the first league game. Changes will be permitted prior to the third game. Failure to comply will result in forfeiture of all games played with illegal players. Players may only be added later if a player is injured and removed from the roster for the remainder of the session. Proof of injury must be provided. Acceptable proof shall be a doctor's note. At the discretion of management, a team may claim hardship and add one player after the third game for a fee of $25
Equipment:
- Tennis shoes or similar sport court shoes are required for all players.
- Teams must be dressed in matching colored jerseys with permanent numbers on the back. If you forget a jersey, the Metuchen Sportsplex will provide you an alternate scrimmage vest for a $5 fee. No player will be allowed to participate without a jersey or Sportsplex scrimmage vest.
Game Schedule & Make-Up Games:
If a team is unable to play a scheduled game, the opposing team may choose to accept a forfeit. If both teams agree to a make-up, they will be offered possible times from the facility management office. It will be the team managers or representatives responsibility to coordinate and select one of the available times. The team requesting to reschedule a match must request a reschedule in writing one week prior to subject game and submit a fee of $60 (to cover lost referee fees). Failure to do so will result in the game being forfeited.
Forfeitures:
- After the first forfeit, the team that forfeited will receive a warning. The second forfeit, a $50 fine. If a team forfeits three times in once season, they will be pulled from the league, all money paid will be lost and the team will have to pay in full at the time of registration for all future leagues.
- Fines for forfeitures must be paid prior to a team continuing the session schedule.
- For adult leagues, forfeiture will be incurred if a team has failed to field the minimum number of players within ten minutes from the start of the game clock for the first game of the night only. Subsequent games shall have only a five minute grace period with the clock running, and teams not fielding the minimum number of players at the end of the grace period shall be forfeited.
- For youth leagues, forfeiture will be incurred if a team has failed to field the minimum number of players by game time, although a ten minute grace period will be given, but only to the first game on the schedule. Subsequent games shall have a five minute grace period, but the clock will be running and teams not fielding the minimum number of players at the end of the grace period shall be forfeit.
- The minimum number of players to start a game shall be four. Teams must have at least five players by the start of the second half. Any team not fielding five players by the start of the game shall forfeit that game. There is no grace period.
- Any team no show will result in a victory for opposing team scored 50-30, and no rescheduled game will be given.
Sportsmanship:
Individuals are expected to play under control and within the rules of the game, and to the best of their ability will avoid causing injury to themselves and other persons using the facility.
Referees:
Referees appointed to officiate each game have complete authority on the field of play, and their decisions on points of fact connected with the game are final. Officiating will be monitored and assessed periodically and management will always try to provide quality officiating at the facility. Constructive comments regarding officiating are welcome and encouraged. Please submit any such comments in writing. Complaints regarding officials should be submitted in writing, contain points of fact, and have your name and the name of your team at the top. Do not discuss officiating or the officials with the facility staff during or immediately after your game.
Timer/Scorekeeper:
The home team must provide a volunteer time keeper to run the clock for each game. The visiting team must provide a scorekeeper for each game.
Unsportsmanlike Policy:
- The Metuchen Sportsplex has a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY toward fighting. Anyone fighting will be ejected and they will be terminated from playing the rest of the session. Furthermore, the situation will be reviewed by the league commissioner to determine whether the player will be banned from the facility for more than one session. The Metuchen Sportsplex reserves the right to ban permanently any player involved in a fight.
- A player or coach sent off in (or after) a game by a referee will automatically be suspended from the next game in the session. In addition, a player will be banned from playing on any other team until the suspension has been served. If a player is ejected in the last game of a session they will be prohibited from playing in the first game after they register for another session.
- A player or coach sent off for the offense of "foul and abusive language" will be suspended as outlined above.
- A player sent off for the offense of "persistent infraction" of the rules after receiving a caution will be suspended as outlined above.
- A player or coach sent off for the offense of "violent conduct" (including, but not limited to: spitting, threatening, continued rough play, etc.) will be suspended as outlined above and, in addition, will be suspended for one additional game and subject to further disciplinary action as decided by the facility management.
- A player or coach sent off for "assaulting an official" will automatically be suspended from any further activities at the Metuchen Sportsplex.
- Should a coach of a team be unable to control a player's actions after that player was sent-off the court because of disciplinary issues, the coach will also be suspended as outlined above.
- A player leaving the bench onto the court to break up or participate in a fight will automatically be ejected from the game and will be subject to the same penalties as outlined above
- A $100 bond will be required from any team involved in an altercation where more than one player is involved in a fight. Should a bond be placed against a team, the bond must be paid prior to the team's next game, or that game will be forfeited. The terms of the bond will be given in writing to the team. Should the team fail to adhere to the terms, the bond will be forfeited to the arena and the team's participation will be terminated. If the team adheres to the terms of the bond, then the team will receive the $100 bond at the end of the session.
- It is the responsibility of each player and the player's team representative to be aware of the total status of their player's infractions. Failure to comply may result in further disciplinary measures which may include suspension of the coach/rep. and forfeiture of games in which that player participated
Protest:
Intention to file a protest must be noted in writing immediately following the game. A formal written protest with a $20 fee (refundable if upheld), must be submitted to the Metuchen Sportsplex within 48 hours after the end of a game. The league commissioner will review and have the final authority on all protests. ALL DECISIONS MADE BY THE COMMISSIONER ARE FINAL. Only violations of the laws of the game, rules or guidelines of the facility as published are matters for protest. Any protests regarding fielding of illegal players must be brought to the attention of the game officials prior to the suspected players leaving the field of play
BASKETBALL RULEBOOK
Note: All official NCAA basketball rules apply except for the amended rules below
Game Length:
- Youth Game Length: Two sixteen minute haves with a 2 minute half time continuously running clock.
- Adult Game Length: Two 20 minute halves with a 2 minute half time.
- The clock will run continuously except for the last two minutes before the end of the game.
- During the last two minutes before the end of the game, the clock will stop for the referee's whistle.
- Time outs: Adults will have one full timeout and one thirty second timeout per half. Youth will have one full timeout and one 30 second timeout per half.
- A team may only foul a player on the other team three times in order to stop the clock before the end of the game.
- Youth games; the clock will stop for shooting fouls as long as the score is with in 15 points, otherwise it will run continuously.
Shot Clock/Delay of Game:
- There will be no shot clock.
- Teams must try to work the ball to score. Four corner offenses and other delay tactics will not be permitted. Referees will give a warning first and if delay tactics continues will then force a change of possession.
- Teams that continue to purposely delay the game after the referee has awarded a change in possession will be warned first, and then the delaying team will be forced to forfeit the game. The referee has sole discretion to make this decision.
- For youth teams: Teams with a 15 point or more lead may not press beyond Half Court.
Substitutions
- Teams can only substitute when play has stopped.(Free throws, ball-out of bounds, after a score)
- Teams may have an unlimited number of substitutions. However, the player being substituted for must be off the court before his/her replacement can enter the game
Technical Fouls/Foul Out Rule:
- Any player who commits five fouls during the course of the game will be ineligible for the remainder of the game.
- Players who are charged with 2 (two) technical fouls during any game will be immediately ejected.
- As a result of any technical foul, the opposing team will have 25 seconds to shoot two free throws and that team will also be awarded possession of the ball.
Levels of Competition
- The facility will offer the following divisional structure for youth teams
Division 1- Elite division for upper division select teams or players
Division 2- Recreational Division
The Sportsplex reserves the right to make only one division if there are not enough available teams for two divisions. - The Metuchen Sportsplex reserves the right to make the necessary changes within league divisions to ensure an equal level of ability and competition.
- Players may only be on one roster in a given division and league. Players may participate in more than one division and league. A lower division team may not field more than three players from an upper division. The Metuchen Sportsplex reserves the right to determine if a player is considered too advanced for a given division and remove the individual from the team roster. This is done in the spirit of maintaining parity in a given division.
- Any players with current or former Collegiate or Professional experience must play Division 1. Any Collegiate players that want to play in a lower division must get permission from the league commissioner. No professional player, current or former, can play in a division lower than Division 1. Any professional players, current or former, caught playing in a lower division will be removed from that team's roster and that team will forfeit every game in which that player played.
Playoffs:
In order to play in the playoffs, each player from a given team will had to have played in at least three games in the regular season. No Guest players are allowed in playoff games. Any violation of these rules could result in forfeiture of the playoff game.
Roster Size:
Ten players are allowed on the roster. Two guest players may be picked up for any regular season game. These guest players may not be rostered on another team in the league. Elite rostered players may not guest play on recreation teams. Recreation rostered players may play on elite teams. Guest players may not play in the playoffs, only rostered players. To be an official rostered player, your name must be on the roster and you must play in at least half of the league games during the regular season.
Guest Players:
All teams are allowed guest players as outlined in the above rules. Guest players may not be rostered on another team in the same league. Guest players can be rostered in other leagues as long as the player is playing at the appropriate level. Teams violating any of the general rules regarding guest players will forfeit their game.
Awards:
The Metuchen Sportsplex will award various prizes to winning teams. Each first place team will receive ten prizes, according to the maximum roster size. If teams want additional prizes or awards, they may purchase them from the Sportsplex.
Weather:
No games will be rescheduled due to cancellation because of weather. If a league game is cancelled one night of a two night league, any league games that are played that week will not count toward the schedule to keep standings equal. Every game needs to be played in a given week for a given league in order for those played games to count toward the schedule. There are no refunds or credits.
Please read the SMG waiver of liability.
Contact Information:
Please contact the Metuchen Sportsplex at [email protected] or 848-248-4684
