League Rules

SOUTH CAMBRIDGESHIRE BADMINTON LEAGUE RULES (2026-27 season)

1) The league shall be called the South Cambridgeshire Badminton League (herein after referred to as ‘the League’).

2) The objectives of the League are to provide a framework for inter-club matches to operate in, organise inter-club cups and tournaments when in demand, and promote healthy competition between affiliated clubs.

THE LEAGUE COMMITTEE AND COMMITTEE MEETINGS

3) The League shall be administered by a Committee consisting of a Chair, Administrative Secretary, Results Coordinator, Treasurer, Cup/Tournaments Secretary and 2 to 3 club representatives from clubs participating in the League (rotating between clubs on an annual basis). The County Association and Newmarket Badminton Federation may also appoint non-voting observers who will be able to attend Committee meetings.

4) The functions of the Committee are to:

    1. provide operational oversight of the League;
    2. ensure these rules are implemented effectively;
    3. make decisions on any matter not expressly provided for in these rules;
    4. co-opt further members as and when necessary; and
    5. to organise tournaments for member clubs when demand is evident

5) Committee meetings shall be held when requested in writing by any member of the Committee at such time and place as deemed reasonable. A quorum shall consist of four members. In the event of tied voting, the Chair shall have the casting vote on any decision.

6) Should the Chair of the Committee be unable to attend a meeting, the members present will elect a Chair for the duration of the meeting.

7) Where items being discussed involve disputes between clubs or the application of penalties on a club, any representative of the club(s) under discussion will be given an opportunity to provide views on the item. They will then leave the meeting for the remainder of discussion and decision on the item.

THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

8)An Annual General Meeting shall be held in May, June, July or August of each year, at such time and place as the Committee shall determine, on a date to be notified to all clubs by the Administrative Secretary, such notice being not less than twenty eight days prior to the date of the meeting. The purpose of the meeting shall be to:

    1. receive the officers’ reports;
    2. approve the accounts;
    3. ratify League and cup entry fees;
    4. elect the Committee Members for the ensuing season;
    5. approve the League rules and structure for the ensuing season; and
    6. deal with other general business.

9) Each member of an affiliated club shall be entitled to attend a General Meeting without the power to vote.

10) Each club shall be entitled to one vote to be cast by their own members and officers. The Chair of the League Committee shall have a casting vote in the event of a tie.

11) At an Annual General Meeting, 50% of the affiliated clubs, along with 50% of League Committee members shall form a quorum.

SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING

12) A Special General Meeting may be convened by the Committee or shall be called on the written request of not less than 50% of the affiliated clubs. At any Special General Meeting, 50% of the affiliated clubs and officers shall form a quorum.

13) Such Special General Meeting shall be convened within thirty five days from the date of the receipt of the Committee of such request and twenty one clear days’ notice shall be given to affiliated clubs of such a meeting.

14) The notice convening such a meeting shall fully set out the business to be discussed thereat (together with the names of those affiliated clubs requesting such a meeting) and no other business shall be dealt with at such a meeting.

15) Voting powers shall be in accordance with those applicable at the last preceding Annual General Meeting.

16) Each member of an affiliated club is entitled to attend a Special General Meeting.

ACCOUNTS

17) The financial year ends 30th April.

AFFILIATION, LEAGUE FEES & LEAGUE ENTRY

18) Competitions shall be open to clubs affiliated to Badminton England and who are affiliated or associate members of the Cambridgeshire Badminton Association and shall be run in accordance with these rules and the laws of badminton as sanctioned by Badminton England. This means that clubs must have in place a named Welfare Officer who has completed the requisite training as set out by Badminton England.

19) Each club must have paid their Badminton England affiliation fees by 1 November. The League Committee may choose to pause the participation of clubs that have not paid their affiliation fees by this date.

20) Clubs must advise the Results Coordinator prior to the AGM each year how many teams they wish to enter for the following season. Entry to the Bill Pink Cup and Variety Cup must also be notified to the Tournaments Secretary by this date. Clubs entering one or more teams in the mixed doubles league must automatically enter one team in the Bill Pink Cup or the Variety Cup, or both.

21) Each club must pay league and cup entry fees to the League Treasurer no later than 1st October each year, provided they have received at least 28 days’ notice of the total fee due. The total of these fees will cover all league and cup teams a club has entered on 1st In the event of non-compliance with this rule, a tiered penalty of league points will be applied as follows:

    1. By 1st November, any club that has not made this payment will incur a penalty of 3 league points, deducted from all league teams from that club, provided at least 28 days’ notice of this has been given.
    2. By 1st December, any club that has not made payment for all league and cup teams entered at the time of the AGM will incur a further penalty of 6 league points, deducted from all league teams from that club, provided at least 28 days’ notice of this has been given.
    3. Further action may be taken at the Committee’s discretion.

22) If the Secretary or Match Secretary of a club resigns, the club must report the fact immediately to a member of the League Committee and must forward the name and contact details of the successor. Clubs are expected to advise the League Committee annually of the names and contact details of the following officers: Chairs, Secretaries, Treasurers, Welfare Officers and Fixtures Secretaries.

23) Any club entering the League must start at the lowest division, unless agreed by majority vote at an AGM.

24) Any resignations from the League must be sent to the Results Coordinator in writing.

FIXTURES SCHEDULE & LEAGUE STANDINGS

25) Matches agreed between two clubs cannot be re-arranged except with the agreement of both clubs concerned or at the request of the League Committee.

26) If a club has two teams in the same division then the first match between the two teams must be played before the end of October. The second match (if there are two) should be played before the end of January. If there are not enough players available to play matches in which a club competes against itself, it shall be the lower-ranked team that has to field a team with fewer pairs.

27) Any club that has not managed to schedule all its matches must highlight this to the Results Coordinator.

28) The following actions must be completed by the home captain following any league fixture: full details of the date and result of each match in terms of rubbers and sets to be recorded on the results form, and the scorecard used at the fixture, containing the first and last names of all players and signed by both home and away captains, to be uploaded to the results form.

29) Any home team that has not submitted a score and returned a completed scorecard 14 days after a reminder from the Results Coordinator will be docked 1 league point per non-returned score. Any home team that does not include the information listed in [28] in the score submission will receive a warning from the League Committee. If the home team continues to fail to submit this information, they will be docked 1 league point.

30) The season end-date will fall on the last day of May. All matches except playoffs must be complete by 7 May, unless an exception is granted at the discretion of the Committee. Any home team that does not return a scorecard for a fixture 14 days after the season end-date, having received 14 days’ notice from the Results Coordinator, will have its score recorded as no points, and will docked 1 league point in accordance with [29]. Where possible, a missing scorecard will be obtained from the opposing team.

31) The League points rankings will be determined by the rubbers won.

    1. An open doubles or a mixed doubles team winning with 6 or more rubbers wins 3 league points, while the losing team does not win league points. An open doubles or a mixed doubles team winning 5 rubbers wins 2 league points, and the losing team winning 4 rubbers wins 1 league point.
    2. A women’s doubles team winning by 5 or more rubbers wins 4 league points, while the losing team does not win league points. A women’s doubles team winning 4 rubbers wins league 3 points, and the losing team winning 2 rubbers wins 1 league point. In a women’s doubles match where both teams win 3 rubbers, the teams win 2 league points each.

32) In the event of a division placing being tied on league points, the team scoring the higher rubbers difference will be placed higher. If rubbers difference is level, then the team with the highest games difference will be placed higher. If games difference is also level, the two ties between the two teams only will be considered, first on ties points, then on rubbers, then on games difference.

33) Any team winning a division must automatically accept promotion and similarly a team ending last must accept relegation.

34) If a league (open, women’s or mixed) contains at least one division of five teams or less, there shall only be one team promoted and one team relegated from each division.

35) Where leagues contain divisions which all comprise 6 or more teams, two teams may be promoted and two teams relegated from each division. In such instances, a team that finishes as runners-up shall be given the option to decline promotion. If they do so, the second to last place finishers in the division above shall not be relegated. Should the team that finishes runners-up desire to be promoted, a playoff match will be played against the team that finished second to last in the division above. The League Committee will book court space necessary to host such playoffs at the beginning of the season and advise the clubs immediately so that they can advise their teams of possible scheduling.

36) Teams giving more than two walkovers in any one season will be required to forfeit all their matches and be relegated at the discretion of the Committee. If a team due to be relegated for this reason is in a division with two relegation slots, but finishes outside of these slots, it will be at the Committee’s discretion whether the team that finishes second to last place in that division is relegated.

37) Teams that give more than two walkovers for two or more consecutive seasons may, at the discretion of the Committee, have their participation in the League paused for a season.

PLAYER ELIGIBILITY AND PROCEDURE FOR MATCHES

38) Players representing participating clubs must be affiliated with Badminton England through the club they are representing in order to participate in the League. Exceptions may occur in the women’s doubles division to assist teams which are short of players, by prior agreement with the League Committee. The League will carry out spot checks throughout the season to ensure that players are affiliated.

39) In the open doubles league, there are no further restrictions on players who participate.

40) Eligibility for participation in the women’s and mixed doubles leagues mirrors that set out by Badminton England in its Participation in Badminton by Transgender and Non-binary players Policy and associated FAQs. These restrictions only apply to competitive play. When playing recreationally, including at club nights, transgender and non-binary players are encouraged to play in the gender they identify as.

41) Each team in the open and mixed leagues shall consist of six players making up three pairs. Each pair must play together for the entirety of the match. Matches shall consist of each pair of one team playing a rubber against each pair of the opposing team. Rubbers shall consist of best of three games to 21 points. Setting will apply.

42) Each team in the women’s leagues shall consist of four players. Matches shall consist of each player playing one rubber with each teammate. Setting will apply. Each team shall rank their players one to four in order of ability, and the rubbers should be played as follows:

  1. 1&2 vs 1&2
  2. 3&4 vs 3&4
  3. 1&3 vs 1&3
  4. 2&4 vs 2&4
  5. 1&4 vs 1&4
  6. 2&3 vs 2&3

43) Feather shuttles must be used for all Premier Division matches. The type of shuttle to be used in other League, cup and tournament matches is at the discretion of the home club, but must have a kid and cork base.

NOMINATIONS

44) It is the intention of the below rules regarding nomination, to limit clubs such that any player playing for a club’s lower team should not be clearly stronger than any player regularly playing for a club’s higher team. For example, a player who features at any time for a club’s 2ndteam should not be a better player than regular 1st team players. It is appreciated that the ability level of new players or those returning from a long break can be difficult to judge.

45) Clubs with two or more teams in either of the open, women’s or mixed leagues must nominate their best players for each of their higher teams. These nominated players cannot play for a lower team. Nominations must be sent to the Results Coordinator before the first match of the season. In the event of this not happening, the players playing that match will be deemed to be nominated for that team.

46) Lower team players may play up; however, once they have played 3 or more games for any higher team, they become “tied” to the next higher team and can no longer play down.

    1. For clarity, if a player is nominated for a 3rd team, and plays 2 matches for the 2nd team and 1 match for the 1st team, they are tied as a 2nd team player.
    2. If a player is nominated for a 3rd team, and plays 3 matches for the 1st team, they are tied as a 1st team player.

47) To encourage a consistent standard of competition, where possible, all nominated players should play at least half of the scheduled matches for their team or for a higher team. However, it is noted that nominated players may be seriously injured or leave the area, or otherwise may be unable to play.

48) A player may represent only one club in any one competition. Players may, however, represent one club in open doubles, another club in women’s doubles and another club in the mixed doubles. If playing in League cups or tournaments, a player must represent one of the clubs they play for in the League.

LATE ARRIVAL, UNFINISHED MATCHES & CANCELLED MATCHES

49) If a club cannot raise a full team for a match and a postponement proves to be impossible, the club concerned may, after informing the opposition, field a team of two pairs for an open or a mixed doubles match, or three players for a women’s doubles match. In this event, un-played rubbers will be awarded as walkovers to the opposing team.

50) If both clubs cannot raise a full team for either a mixed or open doubles match, the match may be played with both teams fielding two pairs; the rubber between the two absent pairs will be considered to be lost by both teams. If both clubs cannot raise a full team for a women’s doubles match, the match may be played with both teams fielding three players. The rubber between the two absent players will be considered to be lost by both teams.

51) If a club gives less than 72 hours’ notice of being unable to field even a partial team for a fixture, the opposing team may choose to advise that the match will need to be conceded in favour of the latter. This may also be necessary in other circumstances even with more than 72 hours’ notice, such as a feasible alternative date being impossible to find. Matters of disagreement on this point may be referred to the League Committee.

52) If for any reason an eligible player begins but cannot complete a match, then that player cannot be replaced and all affected games shall be forfeited to the opposing team.

53) The home team is generally responsible for ensuring games are started in a timely manner, in an order that does not block play, and that adequate court time is available.

54) Away teams should ensure they are not blocking play by arriving late. If an away team does not have sufficient pairs (arrived and ready to start play) to fill all available courts within 20 minutes of the agreed start time, the away team will concede any games that have not been played at the end of the booked court time.

55) Unless [54] applies, or the away team has otherwise caused significant delay, when court time runs out before the match is completed, any remaining games will be conceded by the home team.

56) All matches must be played to a finish where possible, with all eligible pairs present completing all matches against all opposing pairs.

57) If it is not possible to complete a match due to unforeseen circumstances, e.g. power cuts etc, and a result has not been obtained, the match shall be replayed if possible. If a result has been obtained or a rearrangement proves impossible, the matter shall be referred to the League Committee.

ETHICS, BEHAVIOUR AND COMPLAINTS

Individuals

58) The League has a Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Procedure (set out at Annex A). Any individual participating in the League (playing, coaching, spectating or otherwise) must conform to Badminton England’s Code of Ethics and Behaviour, Safeguarding and Protecting Young People in Badminton Policy and Safeguarding Adults at Risk Policy, and must generally not take any action which may bring the sport of badminton into disrepute. The League Committee may investigate a complaint received about failing to comply with this Code, in line with its authority set out in the League’s disciplinary procedure.

Clubs

59) If a team considers that the conditions of the hall are hazardous to players they may refuse to play, and can submit a complaint to the League.

60) Clubs due to host a match who receive a cancellation notification from their opponents with less than 24 hours’ notice may raise a complaint with the League if they feel they are entitled to compensation for funds spent on courts and for lost match fees, and if the opponents have declined to provide such compensation. The League Committee may decide to seek compensation from the opponents on the home club’s behalf.

FURTHER INFORMATION

61) Questions on these rules or any other matter concerning the League should be directed to the League Committee at southcambsbadleague@gmail.com, rather than to personal contact details for individual committee members.