NETBALL LEAGUE RULES & CODE OF CONDUCT

1.1 The fixture gate. Teams are not issued fixtures until both payment for the term and the completed team registration form have been received by Foxes Club.

1.2 Every term, including renewals. This applies every term, without exception, including for teams renewing from one term to the next. Team composition changes, consent preferences change, and a fresh registration is required each term.

1.3 One organiser per team. The registration form is completed by a nominated team organiser on behalf of the whole squad. The organiser is the single point of contact between Foxes Club and the team for all league matters.

2.1 Footwear. Sports trainers with good grip suitable for all-weather courts must be worn. Football boots, studded or bladed footwear, and shoes with marking soles are not permitted. If a player arrives in non-permitted footwear, they will not be allowed to participate until appropriate trainers are worn.

2.2 Jewellery, nails and hair. In line with standard netball safety practice: no jewellery may be worn during matches (including earrings, necklaces, bracelets and watches — taping over jewellery is not sufficient); fingernails must be kept short and smooth; and long hair must be tied back. Players who do not meet these requirements will not be allowed on court until they do.

2.3 Medical and allergy information. Any medical conditions or allergies must be disclosed on the team registration form. The team organiser is responsible for keeping this information accurate and up to date throughout the term.

3.1 Fixture slot and match duration. Each team has a weekly 40-minute fixture slot. Matches are played as two halves with a three-minute half-time interval. Half length is set by age group (typically 12–15 minutes per half) and confirmed in the fixture schedule.

3.2 Squad size. A matchday squad is five players on court and up to three substitutes. Maximum eight players per team on any matchday.

3.3 Minimum players. A team may start a match with a minimum of four players. Below four, the fixture is forfeited.

3.4 Substitutions. Substitutions may be made at half-time, at breaks in play with the umpire’s permission, and at any time for injury. In the spirit of the league, organisers are expected to give every squad member meaningful court time across the season.

3.5 Positions and position bibs. Matches are played using five-a-side netball positions. Position bibs are provided court-side by Foxes Club for every match — teams do not need to bring their own.

3.6 Kit. Each team registers a team colour at the start of the season. All players in a team must wear the same colour shirt during matches, worn under the position bibs provided.

4.1 Season length. Season length varies by term, in line with school term dates and the Foxes Club schedule. Exact start and end dates are confirmed on a term-by-term basis and communicated to teams at the point of registration.

4.2 Divisions. The league runs in year-group divisions, so every team plays opponents of the same school year. Each team plays every other team in its division at least twice over the course of the season.

4.3 Points system.

Win: 3 points

Draw: 1 point

Loss: 0 points

4.4 Forfeit result. A forfeited fixture is recorded as a 10–0 win to the opposing team. No additional points are deducted from the forfeiting team.

4.5 Promotion and relegation. Where an age group has enough teams to run more than one division, the top two teams in each division are promoted and the bottom two relegated at the end of each season, automatically by final league position. Where divisions have fewer than six teams, Foxes Club reserves the right to adjust this on a case-by-case basis. During the founding season, each year group is expected to run as a single division.

5.1 Arrival. Players must be court-side five minutes before their fixture time, fully ready — trainers on, jewellery off, hair tied back, ready to walk onto court. Teams arriving unprepared disrupt other fixtures in the schedule.

5.2 Late arrival. If a team is more than ten minutes late for its fixture, the fixture is automatically forfeited and recorded as a 10–0 win to the opposing team. The umpire retains discretion to allow a short additional grace period where circumstances justify it.

5.3 Team organiser presence. The registered team organiser — or a nominated adult representative — must be present at the venue throughout their team’s fixture.

Code of conduct

Foxes Club holds FA 3-Star Accreditation for its football programmes and applies the same quality, safety and conduct standards across every sport we run, including the Netball League. The following standards apply to everyone associated with the league.

6.1 Respect the umpire. Match officials are to be respected at all times. Dissent, abuse or persistent challenging of decisions is not tolerated. The umpire’s decision is final.

6.2 Parents support from the sideline. Parents and spectators are encouraged to cheer and support their team. They should not coach, give tactical instructions, or question decisions from the sideline. Coaching is for coaches.

6.3 Language and behaviour. Abusive, threatening or discriminatory language is not tolerated from any player, parent or spectator. Anyone behaving in this way may be asked to leave the venue and, in serious cases, banned from future fixtures.

6.4 Consequences. Breaches of the code of conduct may result in warnings, match bans, or removal of a team from the league. Foxes Club acts in the interests of the safety and enjoyment of all participants.

7.1 Team organiser responsibility. The team organiser is responsible for the safe arrival and collection of all players in their team. Foxes Club runs and officiates the league but is not responsible for supervising children outside of match time.

7.2 Exception — Foxes Club coach booked as team manager. Where a Foxes Club coach has been specifically booked to act as a team manager for a particular team, the above does not apply for the duration of that booking — the coach assumes the equivalent duty of care.

7.3 Raising concerns. Any safeguarding concerns must be raised immediately with the Foxes Club Netball League coordinator on the day, and followed up in writing to the Director of Football (James Long — james.long@foxesclub.com).

8.1 Authority and communication. Matches are played on floodlit all-weather courts and run in most weather conditions. Decisions to cancel fixtures are made by Foxes Club. We will give as much notice as possible, communicated to the team organiser by email and WhatsApp.

8.2 Handling cancelled fixtures. Where fixtures are cancelled by Foxes Club, we will make every reasonable effort to reschedule within the term. Where more than two fixtures in a term are cancelled by Foxes Club and cannot be rescheduled, a pro-rata credit will be applied to the team’s next term’s fees. Single cancelled fixtures are absorbed by the term fee and are not refunded or credited. Where a fixture is cancelled because one team fails to arrive, fails to field the minimum number of players, or is otherwise unable to fulfil its obligations, the fixture is forfeited per Section 4.4 and is not rescheduled — this is not treated as a Foxes Club cancellation for the purposes of this section.

9.1 Age. Players must be in the school year group of the division they are playing in. Players may be permitted to play up into an older age group, subject to prior confirmation from Foxes Club. Requests to play up should be submitted by the team organiser before the start of the term.

9.2 Open to all. The Foxes Netball League is open to boys and girls. Teams may be all-girls, all-boys or mixed, provided all players are in the same school year group.

10.1 Submission window. Any formal dispute must be submitted in writing to the Foxes Club Netball League coordinator within 48 hours of the fixture in question. Disputes submitted outside this window will not be reviewed.

10.2 How to submit. Any disputes regarding umpiring decisions, forfeit awards, league standings or conduct breaches must be submitted in writing to the Foxes Club Netball League coordinator. Include the fixture date, teams involved, and a clear account of the issue.

10.3 Review. Disputes are reviewed by the Director of Football. Decisions are communicated in writing and are final.

10.4 Informal channels do not constitute a dispute. Issues raised through WhatsApp groups, verbal comments to coaches, or social media do not count as a formal dispute and will not be reviewed under this process. Please use the channel above.

11.1 Data handling. By registering, teams agree to the data handling described in the team registration form, including the privacy note covering operational contact (fixtures, cancellations, safety notices).

11.2 League table and statistics publication. Match statistics — including goals scored and player of the match — are used to compile the public Foxes Netball League tables on foxesclub.com, where parental consent has been given. Where consent is not given, the child’s statistics are tracked internally but not published under their name.

11.3 Full privacy policy. The full Foxes Club privacy policy is available at foxesclub.com/privacy.

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By registering a team for the Foxes Netball League, the team organiser confirms agreement to these rules on behalf of all players and parents associated with the team.

SEE YOU ON COURT.