Rules & Regulations

NE Muslim League

League Ethos

In the name of Allah the Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Welcome to the New England Muslim League. The New England Muslim League started as a means to nurture stronger bonds between our local masjid communities, and to provide a platform to have fun and compete at a high level. We hope you all enjoy the opportunity to play alongside and against fellow community members, while showcasing your talent in the process.

Division 1 and Division 2 abide by the same rules.

Eligibility

• Players must be 18+ years of age to play*
• Each team must have between 9-12 players registered*
• A player may only be listed on one roster per season.
• Teams will be assembled by team captains. All captains must apply and interview through our formal Captain Application process.
• Teams may not play with players not registered on their roster.
• Rosters lock at the start of the season.
  
• Season-ending injury replacements may be considered in the regular season only if a roster falls below 7 players - however this is not guaranteed. Replacement player must not be of higher talent than the player he is replacing.
  
• If approved, a replacement player will be permitted to play in one game, and it will be assessed if he is of similar talent to the player he is replacing. If final approval is given, replacement players can finish the season with the team.
  
• Refunds will not be issued in any case (request, suspension, etc.). All proceeds cover court rental & referees and are paid prior to the season.
• Each team is permitted to have 1 player who is not Muslim for dawah purposes only.
• Bottom teams in a Division, may be relegated to the lower Division in the ensuing season by management. Similarly, the top playoff teams in a Division may have the opportunity to move up Divisions in the ensuing season.

*Exceptions may be made at the discretion of NEML board members.

Dress Code

• Team jerseys must only be bought from the vendor provided to captains.
• Referees may ban any equipment that they deem as unsafe or illegal.
  
• This includes any type of jewelry, chains, earrings, and wearables.
  
• If a player refuses the referees’ request, they get assessed a technical foul.
  
• It is highly encouraged for players to abide by the Islamic principles of covering one's knees, as we are in a public, mixed environment.
  
• Teams that do not have their jerseys by the first game will incur a $65 team fine for each game the team does not have an adequate league jersey. Expectations are clearly shared in the Captains Checklist.
  
• Each team gets a one-time seasonal pass allowing a player to play without a jersey. Once this pass is used, please refer to the below guideline:
• 1st team offense: Free pass
  
• 2nd team offense: $25 fine
  
• 3rd team offense: $35 fine
  
• 4th team offense: $50 fine
  
• You can avoid fines by ordering extra jerseys or if you bench the player who doesn't have a jersey. There are no exceptions during playoffs. To avoid these fines, you can either not play a player without a jersey or have extra jersey that that player can use. These fines are on a team level and not individual player level.
  

Game Rules

• Games will be played 5-on-5 with 4 quarters of 12 minutes each.
  
• Playoffs will be single elimination.
  
• Games will start at the time given. No exceptions. If a team fails to show, a pickup game can be played.
• In the case a game is played with less than 5 players for one of the teams, while the other team has 5 players, a 35-point mercy rule will be implemented.
  
• This is to standardize point differential as this is a variable for playoff seedings.
  
• A team no-show will result in a $65 fine that must be paid prior to next game.
  
• The league will cancel games in the case of inclement weather.
  
• Each team will be given 2 timeouts per half.
  
• Calling timeouts your team does not have results in a technical foul, resulting in 2 shots for the opposition & loss of possession.
  
• No shot-clock will be implemented.
  
• Only in the final 30 seconds of the first half, and the final 2 minutes of a game less than or equal to 10 points (last 2 minutes of 4th quarter), the clock will stop during foul shots, and all ball stoppage situations followed in organized basketball.
  
• A player has 5 seconds to inbounds the ball, failure to do so will result in loss of possession.
  

Game Rules

• Players have 10 seconds to bring the ball up the court and past half court on offense. Failure to do so will result in the referees calling a 10 second violation rule, resulting in loss of possession.
  
• Officials have liberty to call offensive & defensive 3-seconds violations in the paint.
  
• Teams must gather all belongings and clear the court for the next game.
  
• No warnings will be given out, each team will incur a $50 delay of game fine, as the league is charged by the facility for going over.
  
• Playoff Tiebreaker: In the case two teams finish the regular season with the same record, the playoff seeding tiebreaker will be determined by the following logic, in this exact order.
• Head-to-Head record: if the teams played one another, the team that won the match will be the higher seed.
  
• Season Point Differential: If teams did not play one another, the team with the highest cumulative point differential for the regular season will be the higher seed. If the teams played a different number of regular season games, we will look at the average point differential for their season per game.
• In the rare circumstance a third tie breaker is needed, the team who scored more points in the regular season, or had a higher per game average will be the higher seed.
  

Fouls

• Six fouls results in fouling out.
• Non-shooting fouls will result in an out of bounds possession.
  
• Shooting fouls will result in 2 or 3 foul shots, depending where the foul was committed.
  
• Foul Bonuses:
  
• After 5 Team Fouls, all fouls will result in a 1-1 shot for the player the foul was committed against. Players will be given 1 shot, if it is made, they will be granted an additional shot. If the basket is not made, play will resume on the rebound of the shot.
  
• After 10 Team Fouls, or 2 fouls in the final two minutes of the game, all fouls will result in an automatic 2 shots for the player the foul was committed against.
  
• All team fouls will reset at halftime.
  
• Technical foul results in 2 shots for the opposition and possession of the ball.
  
• 2 technical fouls will result in an ejection.
• 3 technical fouls in the regular season results in a minimum 1-game suspension & $50 reinstatement fine pending league approval of the nature of the incidents.
• This resets for the playoffs. Same rules apply in the playoffs.
  

Fouls

• Technical Fouls:
• Teams that call a timeout without having any result in a technical foul.
  
• Cursing at an opposing player, fan or referee results in a technical foul.
  
• Technical fouls are fined accordingly. A player cannot play in a future game until the requisite fine is paid. The tally refreshes at the start of each season. Management may increase the fine for escalated issues.
  
• 1st Tech: $15 fine
  
• 2nd Tech: $30 fine
  
• 3rd Tech: $45 fine
  
• League management reserves the right to reduce or increase suspensions, fines or bans at their discretion.
  
• Any player ejected from a game will receive a minimum of a 1-game suspension from all league activities.
  
• Players involved in a scuffle that escalates, will be fined anywhere between $30-$100. A player cannot play in a future game until the requisite fine is paid.
  
• Any player involved in punching or tackling will be suspended for an entire calendar year. Re-admittance into the league is subject to approval.
  

Overtime

• In the event the two teams are tied at the end of regulation, a 3-minute overtime period will be played.
• Clock will only stop in the final minute of the overtime.
  
• After the 3-minute overtime, if the two teams are still tied, both teams will be given an additional 2 minute period (double overtime).
  
• Two minutes will be added for each ensuing OT until there is a winner.
  
• Each team has 1 timeout in each OT period. Timeouts do not roll over.
  

Conduct &

Discipline Policy

• Any player ejected from any league game will be suspended for a minimum of one game and is not allowed to return to the team bench for the remainder of the game.
• If a player has been ejected and has been asked to leave the facilities and grounds, and fails to do so, the team will forfeit the game and the next game.
  
• The referees have the authority to remove players, coaches, or spectators from the game and/or forfeit the game due to unsportsmanlike conduct. Unsportsmanlike conduct includes, but not be limited to, profanity, threats of any kind toward the referees or scorekeeper, fighting (before, during or after the game), or any flagrant foul (whether intentional or not) as determined by the referee.
  
• Referees are expected to be neutral as possible, and to not to engage in unsportsmanlike conduct with players or anyone else for that matter. Referees demonstrating abuse of power are subject to losing their position as referees.
  
• Referees should meet with each team’s captain(s) before the game and instruct them how the game will be officiating. Captains are expected to be a liaison between their team and referees. If a referee does not want to engage with a particular player, the referee is allowed to stop the game and talk to the captain about resolving the situation. This will (on most occasions) count as a warning to the player(s) who display unsportsmanlike conduct prior to removal if behavior persists.
  
• Any unsportsmanlike conduct, taunting or name calling towards a player when up by a considerable amount will result in a warning. A second offense will result in a technical foul.
  
• Any third party involved in an altercation inside or outside the basketball court are subject to a suspension determined by the Commissioners.
  
• A case will be open in conjunction with referees and other eyewitnesses and a final decision will be handed out by the NEML management.
  

Lets Build the Ummah in New England

All of the rules are in place to enhance the experience of the NEML for everyone in the community. Thank you for doing your best to uphold our values!