Hi Everyone!

Hope you are all enjoying getting back into basketball and settling into the Wessex League and Cup competitions.

Just a couple of things as reminders both for our new and older teams in regard to the rules which are designed to ensure that we maintain high standards of both safety and dress in terms of how teams in Wessex present themselves in matches:

1. ‘Other playing equipment’…

FIBA rule 4.4.2
Players shall not wear equipment (objects) that may cause injury to other players. The following are not permitted:
▬ Finger, hand, wrist, elbow or forearm guards, helmets, casts or braces made of leather, plastic, pliable (soft) plastic, metal or any other hard substance, even if covered with soft padding.
▬ Objects that could cut or cause abrasions (fingernails must be closely cut)
▬ Hair accessories, all jewellery and piercings.

For clarity, this means that players ARE NOT permitted to wear, for example, Fitbits and/or Apple watch, etc., under wristbands, nor are they allowed to wear wrist braces with any kind of hard interior (however that might be padded or covered).

2. Uniforms – because we have had issues in the early weeks of the season a reminder of Wessex rules…

RULE 16: DRESS CODE

(a) It is a requirement of the Wessex League that all players are properly dressed. Each team is required to play in regulation playing kit, with properly numbered shirts. For clarification:

• Teams are required to wear matching uniforms.
• All players shall wear their playing shirts tucked into their shorts.
• Playing numbers 0, 00 and 1 to 99 will be permitted.
• Teams may not have both 0 and 00.
• If a player is wearing 0 or 00, this must be a correctly numbered top (not just a blank top).
• No duplicate numbers will be permitted.

And with respect to players who may wear arm and leg compression sleeves, headgear, wristbands and headbands and tapings, in the absence of our own specific rules we follow the rules of FIBA and the NBL which state that these should be of a single solid colour, but it is not necessary for all players within a team to have the same colour.

In case anyone is interested, the relevant rules about these are FIBA rule 4.3 about uniforms plus NBL Regulations 2021-22 (item 38, item 7) concerning variations to the FIBA rule.

Wessex referees will expect clubs and teams to adhere to these rules when taking part in matches and players should expect to be asked to remove any items or be unable to play in matches if they contravene them.

I hope this is clear, but if anyone has any specific questions, please do get in touch.

Kind regards

Amy Hardy
Wessex Basketball Technical Secretary