National Basketball League Facility Standards Dev’t / U18/16 U18/16 U14 U14

D1/2 D1
D3 Men Womens Premier Regional Premier Regional
Men Women
Leagues League League League League
Playing Court with a minimum run- 28 x 15m
off of 2m from the court edge to
any obstruction (inc. team
benches, seating etc) for senior 26 x 14m
competitions and 1m run off for
junior competitions
Basketball Goals Pressure release rings with 70KG
3.05m from floor flex break with adequate back
support frame.
Backboards - 1.8m x 1.05m 2 backboards made from transparent
(minimum thickness 19mm), and material
1.2m from end line. Older
backboards sized 1.8m x 1.2m 2 backboards made from transparent
must be padded or wood material

Backboard sides and lower edge

must be padded.

Flooring Timber or synthetic floor meeting

standard European Standard EN
14904:2005. Timber Area Elastic A4
floor preferred
Spectator Provision 250 seated spectators.

100 seated spectators.

50 seated spectators as required.

Changing Rooms Two separate 17 person changing
rooms with access to shower and
toilet facilities for use by home and
away teams.
Two separate 3 person changing
rooms with access to shower and
toilet facilities for match officials
(male & female).
Heating/Lighting Recommended temperature comfort
for participants and spectators 16°C.

A minimum of 500 Lux lights

For televised games a minimum of
1400 Lux is required
Scoreboard Electronic scoreboard with digital
countdown to show score, time,
team fouls and time-outs mandatory.
Players names and fouls desirable.
Running score and electronic / digital
game time to be shown

24 seconds device
APPENDIX 5 - BASKETBALL ENGLAND FACILITIES STANDARDS

Playing court

The playing court shall be marked with 50 mm lines, as per the Official Basketball Rules. Lines should
be of a contrasting colour to the floor colour.

The height of the ceiling or the lowest obstruction above the playing floor shall be a minimum of 7
metres.

Lighting should be uniform across the playing area and a minimum of 500 lux.

The temperature of the playing area should be between 16°C -19°C.

The official size court for Senior Division 1 Men and Women and Division 2 Men is 28m x 15m.
Venues with the older court size court size of 26m x 14m are only permitted in Division Three Men,
the Women’s Leagues, the Development Leagues and Junior NBL.

The minimum required safety run to any obstruction including table equipment and team benches is
2m for senior competitions and 1m for junior competitions.

Fig.1 Basketball Court Dimensions and Set Up

Advertising boards
Advertising boards can be located around the court and must be a minimum of 2m from the endline
and side lines. Boards should not exceed a height of 1m.
Seating
Minimum seating requirements:
NBL Division One & Two Men 250
NBL Division Three 100
NBL Division One Women / WBBL (as appropriate) 100
NBL Division Two Women / Women’s Leagues (as appropriate) 50
NBL Junior Leagues (as appropriate) 50

Changing Facilities
The home club shall ensure that 2 separate changing rooms which can accommodate a minimum of
17 people per team are available and include access to shower and toilet facilities.

A further 2 separate changing rooms which can accommodate 3 people with access to showers and
toilet facilities are also required for use by match officials.

Equipment

Ring and Backboards

The home club shall ensure that in respect of each match played at its home venue, pressure-release
rings meeting European Standard EN 1270 are used with 70 kilogram flex break.

The ring should be fixed to the framework in such a manner so that no force, transmitted by the ring is
directly applied to the backboard.

The height of the ring will be 3,050mm from the top edge down to the playing surface. Nets shall be
white in colour and suspended from the ring no less than 400mm and 450mm in length.

Fig. 2 Drop down goal support structure example

Backboards shall measure 1,800 mm horizontally and 1,050 mm vertically. Backboards can be made
of timber or transparent material with a minimum thickness of 19mm

All lines on the backboards shall be:

• In white, if the backboards are transparent.
• In black, if the white painted backboards are non-transparent.
• 50mm in width.
Fig. 3 Backboard markings

Suitable padding is fixed to the backboard edges in all Senior, Under 18 and Under 16 matches
played at its home venue.

Venues with older backboards measuring 1,800 mm by 1,200 mm must ensure that fixed padding is
provided for all levels of competition.

Fig. 4 Backboard Padding Example

Floor type
The playing surface should meet the requirements of BS EN 14904:2005. Ball bounce must also
achieve a minimum of 90% rebound and friction is to be between 80-110 when measured with a
pendulum slip test device. The preferred floor type is an A4 timber floor with FIBA approval. Carpet,
solid granwood or macadam floor surfaces are not suitable.

Scoring
The Home Club shall ensure that its home venue provides an electronic scoreboard and game clock
which can be read by the Players, Match Officials and spectators throughout the course of the Match.
The clock must at least show the passing of time in minutes and running score. In the event of a
game clock being of such position that it is not possible for both Teams to have an equally good view
of it; the Home Team must notify the commissioner at the pre-Match meeting.
Fig. 5 Basic Scoreboard Example

For Senior Men Division 1 and 2 and Division 1 Women electronic scoreboard with digital countdown
to show score, time, team fouls and time-outs are mandatory.

For Matches in the Men's and Women’s League and Cup, the device must have a digital display
showing countdown and score.

For all Matches in the Senior National Basketball League and Under 18 & 16 Premier Leagues a
suitable 24-second device is required. Shot clocks should be visible to all players and officials.
Preferred location directly above the backboard.

Fig. 6 Basic Shot Clock Example

Table Equipment
The five player foul markers provided for the scorer shall be of white colour numbered from 1 to 5 (1
to 4 in black and the number 5 in red).

The two team foul markers provided for the scorer shall be of red colour and clearly visible to
everyone involved in the game, including the spectators, when positioned on either side of the
scorer’s table.

The alternating possession arrow must be positioned in the centre of the scorer’s table and shall be
clearly visible to everyone involved in the game, including the spectators.

Electrical or electronic devices may be used but they shall meet the above specifications.
Basketballs
The official approved ball of Basketball England shall be played with for all matches in the National
Basketball League. The following ball sizes must be used for all matches in the National Basketball
League;

• Senior Men Size 7 (Spalding TF-1000)

• Senior Women Size 6 (Spalding TF-1000)
• Under 18 Boys Size 7 (Spalding TF-500)
• Under 18 Girls Size 6 (Spalding TF-500)
• Under 16 Boys Size 7 (Spalding TF-250)
• Under 16 Girls Size 6 (Spalding TF-250)
• Under 14 Girls Size 5 (Spalding TF-250)
• Under 14 Boys Size 6 (Spalding TF-250)