For the Gothenburg Basketball Festival, all club teams are welcome. The only requirement is that the association is registered with its national FIBA-affiliated basketball federation. In countries where school basketball is a competitive form, school teams affiliated with their national school sports federation are also allowed to participate. The competition begins with a group stage. Each team is divided into groups of 4-5 teams where everyone plays against each other in a round-robin format. The two top-placed teams in the group advance to the A-playoffs, while the other teams proceed to the B-playoffs.

Organizer
The Gothenburg Basketball Festival is organized by Högsbo Basket.

Rules of Play
The Gothenburg Basketball Festival is played according to the described rules and guidelines in this document. Otherwise, FIBA's official Competition Regulations and Rules of the Game apply.

Classifications
The Gothenburg Basketball Festival is played in the following categories: 
· 40+ (Born in 1984 and earlier)
· P20+/F20+ (Born in 2004 and earlier)
· P19/F19 (Born in 2005 and later)
· P17/F17 (Born in 2007 and later)
· P16/F16 (Born in 2008 and later)
· P15/F15 (Born in 2009 and later)
· P14/F14 (Born in 2010 and later)
· P13/F13 (Born in 2011 and later)
· EBB12/EBG12 (Born in 2012 and later)
· EBB11/EBG11 (Born in 2013 and later)

License Rules/Representation Regulations

Age group U11-U19

The club must be a registered basketball club in a national or regional basketball federation. The players on the team must be licensed players in the club.

Age group U20+/40+

Swedish players in the 20+ & 40+ age groups do not need to be members of the same basketball club, but they should be members of a basketball club.

• Leaders who accompany the team to the tournament must be at least 18 years old.
• Each team can register 12 players for each game. Different players can be used in different matches. Each club has the right to use players in multiple teams but not in the same age group.
• Players can be as old as the age group allows during the current calendar year (e.g., U13 = max 13 years old in that year), except in the 20+ age group, which requires being 20 years old or older.

In the age groups U11-U19, no overage players are allowed without an approved dispensation from Gothenburg Basketball Festival (see "dispensations" section). Dispensations can be granted for a maximum of two players who are one year overage per match.

In the 20+ age group, no underage players are allowed without an approved dispensation from the Gothenburg Basketball Festival (see "dispensations" section). Dispensations can be granted for a maximum of two underage players per match (born in 2005 and later).

In the 40+ age group, no underage players are allowed without an approved dispensation from the Gothenburg Basketball Festival (see "dispensations" section). Dispensations can be granted for a maximum of 2 underage players per match, who must be 30 years and older (born from 1985 to 1994).

Girls can participate in games with boys' teams, but boys cannot participate in games with girls' teams. All players must be registered in the team's application through the Gothenburg Basketball Festival registration system to participate in the Gothenburg Basketball Festival.

NIU: Students at the National Sports Education (NIU) have the right to play with the club they are licensed for during the season.

RIG:National Basketball Gymnasium teams will not be approved for play in the Basketfestivalen. Players from RIG have the right to play for their home club. The home club is the club the player was licensed for the season before joining RIG.

Unqualified Player
Players who do not meet the license rules/representation regulations as described above are unqualified. Players who participate in a match as unqualified are disqualified from the rest of the tournament. Teams that play with an unqualified player lose the match(es) in which the unqualified player participated with a score of 0-20.

Group Stage
Teams are divided into groups of four or five teams, and each team plays against all other teams in a round-robin format. The order among the teams is determined by points. A win gives 2 points, and a loss gives 0 points. If two or more teams have the same number of points, the order is determined as follows:

1. Result of head-to-head matches between the tied teams.
2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches between the tied teams.
3. The team that has scored the most points in head-to-head matches between the tied teams.

Playoffs
The top two teams in each group advance to the A-playoffs, while the other teams proceed to the B-playoffs. Playoffs follow a knockout system, with direct elimination upon loss.

Game Schedule
The Gothenburg Basketball Festival reserves the right to make changes to the game schedule concerning groupings, times, and playing venues.

Game Rules
Apply to U13-20+ & 40+:
The clock is not stopped during free throws. All matches are played in 2 halves of 15 minutes of ineffective playing time, except for the last 2 minutes of the 2nd half, which are played with effective timekeeping. If the score is tied at full time, the match is decided by a 2-minute  overtime with effective timekeeping. After that, "Sudden Death" starts with a jump ball, and the first team to score wins. The break between full time and overtime is 2 minutes. The referee enforces the 24/14-second rule and informs when there are 10 seconds remaining.

Time-Outs
Each team is entitled to 1 time-out per half. Time-outs cannot be saved for the next period and are considered used when the period is completed. In overtime, both teams receive one time-out to use.

Substitutions/Defensive
Play Substitutions can be made when the play is stopped, and the referee must approve all substitutions. Substitutions cannot be made on the fly. All forms of defensive play are allowed except in the U13 and EB classes, where zone defense is not allowed. Full-court man-to-man press defense is allowed.

Easy Basket
Refer to the EB rules in a separate document.

Ball Size/Team Jerseys
All player jerseys should be numbered. The numbering should be on the back of the player's jersey. Two players cannot have the same number on their jerseys in the same game. If two teams have the same jersey color, the team listed as the away team in the schedule must change. However, if both teams agree, the home team can change its jersey color.

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

Boys U15-U20/40+ play with size 7.
Girls U13-U20/40+ play with size 6.
Boys U13-U14 play with size 6.
Boys & Girls U11+U12 play with size 5.

Before the Match Player names and jersey numbers must be filled in your registration (Cup Manager) before the tournament starts. This is done in your registration under the team's name. Teams need to be ready and changed 20 minutes before the match starts to ensure that the protocol is correctly filled out in good time and that the match can start on schedule.

Dispensations
Regarding overage players in U13-U19. Players who have received a one-year age dispensation in their district should also be allowed to play in the Gothenburg Basketball Festival with their team, BUT the club needs to apply for a dispensation for their player from the Gothenburg Basketball Festival's Competition Committee to include a one-year overage player (up to one year older than the current age group). The club must provide a valid reason for why the player should play with younger players. A maximum of 2 one-year overage players per match is allowed.

Regarding underage players in the U20+/40+ group. Teams that want to include an underage player must apply for a dispensation from the Gothenburg Basketball Festival's Competition Committee for the player. A maximum of two underage players per match is allowed.

A maximum of two overage (U13-U19)/underage (U20+) players is allowed per team.

A dispensation application costs 300 SEK/player and must be paid before the dispensation is processed. The deadline for dispensation applications is March 21st.

Protests and Penalties
Any protests must be submitted in writing to the respective hall manager no later than 15 minutes after the end of the match, along with a protest fee of 750 SEK to the Gothenburg Basketball Festival Swish number 123 564 7797 (the fee will be refunded if the protest is accepted). The protest will be reviewed by the Competition Jury, and their decision cannot be appealed.

Disqualification and Warnings
A disqualified player is automatically suspended for the next match in the same competition class. The suspension also applies if the next match is in the playoffs. NOTE that it is the TEAM'S responsibility to ensure that suspended players do not play. The Competition Committee may also decide on additional suspension in the event of a serious ejection. Serious ejections can be reported to the respective District Federation in Sweden and for foreign teams to the relevant National Federation.

NOTE! Players who participate in a match when they are suspended are considered unqualified and thus lose the match 0-20.

Walkover and Interrupted Matches
It is important that all teams arrive in good time for their match, at least 20 minutes before the match starts. Teams that are late will be contacted as soon as possible, so it is crucial that the correct mobile number is registered in the application to GBF. Teams that are not ready to play (five players on the court) no later than 15 minutes after the match starts are considered no-shows. Teams that do not appear for a match lose the match 0-20 unless special reasons are present. In case of repeated no-shows, a team can be disqualified from the tournament. However, the Competition Committee may decide to disqualify a team after the first incident if there are special circumstances, such as an intentional walkover that benefits the team or disadvantages another team in the group. For teams that completely miss a match, there is a WO fee of 1,000 SEK – this fee will be invoiced at the end of the tournament. If there are reasons why the team cannot play, these reasons should be submitted to the Competition Office, which will make a decision on the matter. If a match is interrupted and cannot be completed, the Competition Committee will decide whether the match

Competition Regulations were updated 2023-10-12

Changes may occur

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