All Basketball clubs are welcome to Gothenburg Basketball Festival. The club has to be registered with their country's FIBA affiliated basketball federation. In the countries where school basketball is a form of competition, also school teams are allowed. The competition will begin with a group-games. Teams are divided into groups of 4-5 teams where they all meet each other. The first and second team in the group qualify for the A finals, the other teams go on to the B-finals. This does not apply to EB11.

Organizer
Gothenburg Basketball Festival is organized by Högsbo Basketball Club.

Regulations
Gothenburg Basketball Festival will be played according to the rules and guidelines described in this document. Otherwise, the FIBA official contest rules will be applied and adhered to.

Age groups
Following 20 groups will be playing in Gothenburg Basketball Festival:

• B40+/G40+(born 1983 and older)
• B20+/G20+ (born 2003 and older)
• B19/G19 (born 2004 and later)
• B17/G17 (born 2006 and later)
• B16/G16 / born 2007 and later)
• B15/G15 (born 2008 and later)
• B14/G14 (born 2009 and later)
• B13/G13 (born 2010 and later)
• EB B12/G12 (born 2011) play group games and playoffs
• EB B11/G11 (born 2012) play group games, but no playoffs

Open class wheelchair

License / Representation Rules
Age group U11-U19: The basketball club has to be a registered basketball association in a national or regional basketball organisation. The players in the team has to be member and licensed player for the club.

Age group 20+/40+: The players in the 20+/40+ need not to be members of the same basketball club however all players should be licensed members of a basketball association.

Leader who accompany a team to the tournament must be  older than 18 years.

A team may register a maximum of 12 players in the protocol. There can be different players in different games. Each club has the right to use players in several teams however not in the same age group.

Players may will play with the his/her age-group as the calender year (U13=max 13 years this year) except in the age class 20+ where it applies to 20 years and older. 

In the age groups U11-U19, no over-age player is allowed without an approved exemption from the GBF tournament committe (see “exemption”). Max two overaged per game.

In the age group 20+/40+, no minors players can participate without an approved exemption from the GBF tournament committe (see “exemption”). Max two minors / game, 40+ at least 30 years.

Girls may participate in games with boys teams, boys may not participate in games with girls’ teams.

All players must be registered in the team’s entry via the GBF’s notification system in order to participate in the GBF.

NIU: NIU students are allowed to play with the club for which they are licensed.

RIG: The National Basketball High School team will not be approved to play the Basketball Festival. Players from RIG are entitled to play for their club they played with before entering RIG.

The competition form
The teams are divided into groups of four or five teams where all play against each other in a single series. The order between the teams is determined by points. Victory gives 2 points, lott 0 points. If two or more teams have the same total points, the order is determined as follows:

• The result in the matches between teams with equal points.

• Goal difference in the matches between teams with equal points.

• The team that has scored the most points in the matches between teams with equal points.

Playoffs 
The two first placed teams in each group go to A-playoffs, the other teams go to B-playoffs. Playoffs take place accordning to the cup system, i.e. direct elimination in case of loss.

Game Schedule
The tournment committe reserves the right to make changes in the program in terms of groups, starting times and scheduled gymes.

Game regulations

Valid for U13-20+/40+

Gametime
All matches are played 2x15 minutes ineffective time, with the exception of the last 2 minues of the 2nd half, which are played with effective time.

The clock is not stopped on penalty throws.

If the score is tied at full time, the match will continue 2 minutes of extra time with effective time-keeping. If continued tie, the game goes to "sudden death", which starts with a jump ball and the first goal wins. The break between full time and extra time is 2 minutes.

The referee is responsible for 24/14 seconds. The referee informs the team when there are 10 seconds left.

Time-outs
Each team is entitled to 1-time out per half. The time-out cannot be saved for the next period and is considered used when the period is finished. In overtime, both teams get one time-out.

Substitutions/ Defensive plays
Substituions can take place when the game stops, the referee must approve of substituions. 

All kinds of defense is allowed except in EB and U13 class, where zone-defense is not allowed. Full-court press, man-on-man, is allowed.

All form of defensive play are permitted except in Easy Basket, where zone defense is not permitted. Full court pressure man against man is allowed.

Game Gear
All player uniforms must be numbered.

The numbering should be on the back of the playing shirt. Two players may not have the same number on the shirt during the same game.

If two teams have the same game uniform color, the away team must change color. By mutual agreement the home team is allowed to change color of the uniform.

Basketball sizes
The matches in Gothenburg Basketball Festival are played with official indoor balls from Wilson in the following sizes:

Boys U15  –U20 play with size 7
Girls U13 – U20 play with size 6
Boys U13 -U14 play with size 6
Boys and Girls EB U12 -U11 play with size 5

Match start
T h e protocol with player name and uniform number needs to be completed and ready before the tournament starts. The registration of players is made in the registration (Cupmanager). The team has to be ready 20 minutes before the srart of the game the ensure that the protocol is completed and the game can be played at the appointed time. 

Exemption
Over-age players in the U11-U19. The player who has received age exemption in his district will also be able to play in the GBF with their team BUT the club must apply for an exemption for the pllayer to Gothenburg Basketball Festival’s tournament committee (maximum one year older than the other players). The club must justify on good grounds why  the player should be allowed to play with the younger players. Maximum of 2 over-age players per team.

Younger player in the 20+/40+. The team that has an underage player wants must apply for an exemption from Gothenburg Basketball Festival’s tournament committee for the player. A maximum of two underage players per team.

A maximum of two over-age players in U11-U19 and two younger players in 20+/40+ per team is allowed.

An exemption application costs 200 SEK / player and must be paid before the exemption is processed. The last day to apply for an exemption is May 1st.

Protests and punishments
Protests must be submitted in writing to the appropriate hall manager within 15 min after the end of the match. The protest fee is 750 SEK and must be paid at the same time as the submitted protest (the fee will be refunded if the protest is upheld). The protest will be addressed by the competition board, whose decision will be final and cannot be appealed.

Disqulification and Warnings

• Disqulified players will be automatically suspended for the next match even if the next match is a part of the playoffs. NOTE: it is the team’s responsibility that suspended players DO NOT play. The team will automatically be disqualified if suspended player is allowed to play.
• The competition board may also decide on an additional suspension of matches, in the event of a serious penalty.
• In extreme cases, players may be reported to the district association in Sweden or to the corresponding national federation.
• Suspended players participating in any match when the player is ineligible will result in an automatic loss for their team with a score of 0-20.

Walkover or suspended games
It is important that all teams are in good time for the game, no later than 20 minutes before the start of the game.

Teams that are late for the scheduled start of the match will be contacted via the contact number registered on the GBF´s registration site.

Teams that have not appeared within 15 minutes after the scheduled start of the match, will count as a walkover and result in a 0-20 score unless special circumstances exist.

In case of repeated offense, the team can be excluded from the tournament. If there are special circumstances, such as a deliberate WO benefiting their team, or negatively affect other teams in the group, the competition board may decide that a first offense may warrant an immediate expulsion from the tournament.

For teams that are completely absent from a game, a WO-fee of 1000 SEK will be invoiced at the end of the tournament. If there are special resons why the team cannot play, these resons must be submitted to to the competition office, which will make a decision on the matter.

If a match is interrupted before the completion of the match. The competition board will decide if the match is to be replayed from the start, to be continued from the time the match was suspended or if the result of the match shall stand from the time of the suspension. They can also decide if one or both teams shall lose the game.

Competition Regulations were updated 2023-04-26

Changes may occur

Note that it is always the digital version that is valid before the printed format.