SKLPC (UK) Badminton League Rules and Regulations for Inter-Club Competitions

1. The SKLPC Badminton Committee shall consist of not more than 7 (seven) persons.
2. Three persons shall constitute a quorum.

LEAGUE RULES FOR COMPETITIONS

3. These rules are made by the Badminton Committee, who may vary them from time to time. Any changes will be notified to all competing Clubs / Teams.

4. Competitions will comprise of such League and/or Knock-out Competitions as the Committee shall from time to time determine.
5. Details of Competitions, fees and entry forms will be issued to all affiliated Clubs.
6. Entry forms must be completed and sent together with the appropriate fees, by the date shown thereon to the SKLPC(UK) Badminton Committee. Entries not received by the due date or without the appropriate fees may not be accepted.
7. Entries will only be accepted from Clubs / Teams who can provide a minimum of 4 (four) court-hours for match play
8. Each season the Sub-committee shall group teams into League divisions. In general, where possible, there will be promotion and relegation between divisions. In the case of new teams entering, they must, expect to start in the bottom division except where a club is entering more than one team in that league where exceptions MAY possibly be made.
9. These Competitions will be played in accordance with the Laws of Badminton as adopted by Badminton England (B. E.). This includes “The Code of Conduct”, requiring all players to behave in a ‘civilised’ manner throughout the match, whether on court or off court.
10. Clubs should confirm all their fixtures on “SKLPC Web Site” (www.sklpc.com/badminton) by 14th January 2022 Anyone unable to confirm fixtures must contact the League Administrator. Any fixtures not confirmed and documented by 1^st February 2022 may incur a penalty. Once confirmed each team is permitted one cancellation per schedule. Both teams are responsible for ensuring that the date in their diaries agrees with the date on the web site, any discrepancies should immediately be discussed with their opposition AND the league administrators informed immediately on badminton@sklpc.com. The new agreed date must be entered by the home team. ANY change of date must be agreed by phone between the clubs, confirmed electronically and the league administrators copied in on the email.
11. The home team is responsible for booking courts and this MUST be confirmed with the opposition a minimum of 1 week prior to any match, stating starting and finishing times, venue address, parking facilities and/or best public transport stations/buses. The away team should acknowledge the communication.
12. In exceptional circumstances where two teams agree to a re-arrangement, the new date MUST be agreed within 14 days from the original date. Where this is not done, the original date will stand. The new date must be communicated, in writing (email), to the league administrators
13. No division shall be won by a walk-over or void against the club second in contention in that division. A new date must be provided by the home club.
14. If a visiting team does not fulfill a fixture, such that the home Club suffers any financial loss, 100% of the hall cost may be claimed from the offending club. This MUST be paid when requested. An invoice should be submitted by the home Club within 7 (seven) days of the match to the opposing Match Secretary, plus a copy to the League Convenor emailed to badminton@sklpc.com. The invoice should be paid within 14 (fourteen) days of receipt of the invoice. Failure to comply, refer to Rule 59.
15. Play should be continuous in all matches
16. All matches MUST be played by 30th November There will be absolutely NO extensions granted after this date and any unplayed matches will be considered VOID.
17. In the case of a void or unplayed match, both teams will be penalized.

CLUB ELIGIBILITY

18. These Competitions are open to all SKLPC(UK) Community in North West London.  All clubs must have PAID their subscriptions to SKLPC Badminton in accordance with the Rules and regulations, and prior to any league match being played.
19. The League is designed to support clubs and the genuine members within those clubs who represent them, so the integrity of the League is of paramount importance and it is not acceptable for clubs to draft in un-associated players (or “ringers”) to play in any league match with the aim of unfairly strengthening the team or not meeting the criteria laid out in these rules.

ELIGIBILITY OF PLAYERS

20. If any club feels that an opposing club has played a player in a match who has otherwise complied with all the registration rules but, in reality, is not a genuine member of that club or is of too high a standard for a second team they may report this to the Committee. The Committee will then assess whether that individual player is a genuine member of that club and is eligible to play. Furthermore, the Committee may ask clubs to provide evidence of that player’s connection to the club if a complaint is made. For the avoidance of doubt, payment of any kind to a player in return for playing a match will result in that player being deemed to be ineligible and will be banned from the league for 6 months and forfeit his/her games.
21. All players must be bone fide members of that club (means they have paid the membership subscription to that club and that they are NOT receiving any financial reward or expenses for playing). Any player that the committee rules is not a genuine member will have any rubbers won forfeited and the match result shall be amended accordingly. The club will also receive a further point penalty of -2 points. Should it be found that the Club has played any of these ineligible players, the Club is likely to be banned from the league the following year.
22. A player qualified for more than one Club may only represent one Club in a particular competition. He / She may play Mens / Ladies for one Club, and Mixed for another.
23. Pairs MUST play in order of strength in the mens and mixed, in the case of a team only fielding 2 pairs, they shall be 1 and 2. In the ladies the strongest player must be no.1 and the weakest no.4 etc.
24. Where a player is registered for more than one Club; He / She shall be deemed registered for any competition for the first Club for which He / She plays.
25. Any team found to be fielding a player under an incorrect name will incur a penalty of -10 points. The player will be banned from any competitive play for 1 year.
26. Clubs with more than one team in the league must nominate a minimum of 6 (six) players for each team (mens) and 6 (six) players for the ladies, apart from the lowest. Their names must be submitted to their league administrator – the nominations MUST be submitted before the first match or February 1st, whichever is the earlier. A minimum of 2 nominated players MUST play in each match in mens and ladies. A nominated player must play at least 4 times for His / Her nominated team in mens and ladies, and may not play for any lower ranked team that season. In the case of severe injury, a player moving from the area or some other acceptable reason then a substitute nomination MUST be made before July 31st. (All nominated players would be expected to have played before the end of the year). Any change of nominations must be made through the Competitions Committee. For a nominated player failing to play the required 4 times, there will be a 1 point deduction for each player involved at the end of the season.
27. Registrations cannot be made after 31st January of each season without the prior consent of the Committee who will take into account the ability and history of the new player. i.e. generally new registrations will only be accepted for players who have just moved into the area and must be also made at least 48 hours in advance of a match. The League Committee must be informed about new registrations before 31st
28. Failure to comply with Rule 29 will result in the deduction of two points for every player involved.
29. Any member of a lower ranked team may play twice for any higher ranked team, but after playing twice may not play for another lower ranked team.
30. Where a club has more than one team in a division, those teams MUST play each other both Home and Away BEFORE any other matches are played.
31. If a player takes part in a match when not qualified to do so under these regulations, all events in which He / She has participated shall be regarded as having been won by the opposition as 21-0, 21-0. This is in addition to the penalty incurred in Rule 21.

MATCH RULES

34. All matches shall be played in accordance with Rule 9.
35. The Home Team shall be responsible for the provision of shuttlecocks. Shuttles must be of the same brand throughout a match and preferably the same speed.
36. Both teams shall be responsible for the provision of a match sheet to be completed and signed by both captains. Captains should retain these sheets in case of a later dispute. ALL names MUST be clearly documented in full as per registration form submitted to ensure correct information is entered into the web site.
37. Where possible, matches should NOT be scheduled to commence before 7.00 pm during the normal working week, or before 10.00am at a weekend. Each team shall have, ready to play at the agreed starting time, one pair for each court to be used, A period of grace of 15 minutes from the start time shall be permitted to any pair. At the expiration of this period, any pair that is ready to play, but lack opponents can claim a walk-over (this must be done at the time).
38. Any rubber not claimed at the appropriate time CANNOT be claimed or given at the end of the match.
39. If a player is injured during play he/she is allowed a five minute recovery time. If after five minutes the player is unable to continue then he/she shall concede that match. A player who is injured in an earlier round may return for a later round provided he/she is available to play at the start of that round.
40. At the end of the season, in order to balance leagues as evenly as possible, there will be a “Play-off” between the 2nd bottom in a division and 2nd top of the division below to establish their division for the following year. In order to compete in the play-offs a player must have played at least 2 matches for that or a lower ranked team, and cannot be tied to a higher team.
41. Each mens team shall consist of three pairs, and no change shall be made to any pair who has commenced a rubber.
42. In mens and mixed, where a club has more than 1 team in any competition, it is acceptable for only the lowest team to play a match with 2 pairs rather than 3. If a higher team only raises two pairs, as well as the bonus point not being awarded, it will receive a -2 penalty and all lower teams will receive a -1 penalty. If the lowest team fields only 2 pairs, the bonus point will not be awarded. If only one pair can be raised, the match must be conceded. A penalty of -2 points will be incurred for conceding a match. A Club wishing to concede a match must contact the Competitions Committee prior to the match to explain the reason. Any team conceding more than one match may be removed from the competition with immediate effect and refused entry the following year.
43. For teams of 4 (four) players (ladies), where a club has more than 1 team in any competition, it is acceptable for only the lowest team to play a match with 3 players. If a higher team only raises three players, as well as the bonus point not being awarded, it will receive a -2 penalty and all lower teams will receive a -1 penalty. If the lowest team only fields 3 players, the bonus point will not be awarded. A total of 8 rubbers will be played in these matches. Play should be in the order documented on the match sheet.
44. Any rubbers conceded/claimed shall be deemed to have been won 21-0, 21-0, as appropriate.
45. Each pair shall play the best of three games of 21 aces (rally points) against each opposing pair, except in the case of Rule 46.

46. Both teams must endeavour to complete 9 (6’s) / 8 (4’s) rubbers by 23:00 hours at the latest unless an extended time is agreed at the start of the match. Before the start of the match, opposing captains MUST discuss the possibility of shortening rubbers to one game of 21 rally points following the completion of at least 3 full rubbers. (Captains must ensure that time is NOT wasted between rubbers). The away team must comply with the home team’s recommendation or forfeit any unplayed rubbers. If rubbers are not shortened by the ‘home team’, they will forfeit any unplayed rubbers. If rubbers have been shortened, but the match is still unfinished, Rule 47 will apply.

47. If the match is unfinished, the score shall stand on completed rubbers only.

48. A rubber is “the best of three games” to 21 points or where time is a limiting factor, one game to 21 points only.

49. A round is generally considered to be each pair having played one rubber.

50. Each rubber shall be played as the best of 3 (three) games of 21 rally points and at 20 all, the winning side must be 2 clear points ahead unless 29 all is reached when the 1st side to 30 points shall win the game.

MATCH RESULTS

51. The winning team shall enter the results of a match within 48 hours of the match being played, this entails entering all player names accurately and the scores in every game/rubber. The losing team must confirm the information within 7 days of the match being played. Where any information is disputed the league administrator must be informed. Matches not confirmed within 7 days will be confirmed by the league administrator on the assumption that the information must be correct. In the rare event of a draw, the home team should enter the result. Any result not entered will be VOID.

52. Every result sheet MUST be signed by BOTH captains.

53. In the case of a match being claimed or conceded, BOTH Clubs must confirm this in writing (email is acceptable) with the appropriate League Administrator.

54. The positions in the League will be decided by the number of matches won by each team, 3 points for a win, 2 points for a draw, 1 point for a loss, where the match is played with a full team. (These points include a bonus point for fielding a full team).

55. Should there be a tie, it shall be decided by the difference of rubbers won and lost, if still a tie, then games won and lost, and a further tie, aces (rally points) won and lost. The Committee reserves the right to amend the above, depending on the fulfillment of matches throughout the season.

56. Should there be a tie on points at either the top or bottom of a division affecting promotion or relegation, where either of the clubs concerned has received 9-0 walkovers, then these rubbers awarded shall be ignored, together with the corresponding rubbers from the other top or bottom club against the club(s) having conceded – this reduces the 9-0; 21-0, 21-0 gain influencing the result.
57. Clubs either conceding two walk-overs or not playing its full quota of matches will be dealt with at the discretion of the Competitions Committee.
58. In all matters relating to a dispute between Clubs, they should refer in writing to the committee.
59. The Badminton committee shall have the power to determine any matter not specifically covered in these regulations, and to make a decision on any matter of dispute. ALL misdemeanours will be dealt with on an individual basis and penalised appropriately. Any decision made by the committee is final.

Amended February 2023