1.1 The League shall be known as the Poole and District Friendly Badminton League (here in after referred to as the "League").

1.2 The League shall be formed to organise Badminton on a fixtures basis in the area, and its principal object will be to promote the playing of the game in a friendly and sporting manner.

1.3 The Poole and District Friendly Badminton League reserves the right to review annually at its A.G.M. the question of affiliation of the League to the B.A. of E.

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2. MEMBERSHIP.

2.1 ENTRY. Membership is open to any organised badminton team. Acceptance of applications will be based on (i) suitability of playing venue which must have a minimum ceiling height of 15 feet over the centre of the court, (ii) distance to be travelled, (iii) acceptance of these rules by the applicant, (iv) clubs being responsible for arranging their own public liability insurance relating to the hall in which they play their matches. If no vacancy exists, the application will be kept until one occurs.

The P.D.F.B.L. Committee shall be in no way responsible for any injury or loss, however incurred, by a player in a League or a Cup match.

2.2 WITHDRAWAL. Notice of impending withdrawal must be given to the Secretary as soon as possible. Outstanding dues must be paid. Any team(s) of a club withdrawn from the League has to be the lowest team(s) of that club, unless approved by the Committee. Any club withdrawing a team will not be allowed to reapply for two years.

2.3 EXPULSION. The Committee will place an application before the Representatives Meeting (AGM) for the expulsion of any club or player where they consider this to be the proper course. If a player uses abusive language or threatening behaviour to an opposing team member on court, the League will give TWO warnings and then suspend the offending player from League and Cup matches.

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3. REPRESENTATIVES MEETINGS

3.1 ANNUAL MEETING

3.1.1 Each member club must send a representative to this meeting, where the previous and the future season’s business is discussed. It is normally held in May. Any club not sending a representative to the Annual General Meeting will be fined £10.

3.1.2 Agenda items, including proposed rule changes, must be submitted to the Secretary by the 1st April. Changes must be proposed by one club and seconded by another, or by the Committee, before being placed on the agenda of the League A.G.M. Any motion, amendments, additions or alternatives will be deemed to have been carried if supported by at least two thirds of the clubs present.

3.1.3 Nominations for election to the Committee must be by bona-fide members of a League club.

3.1.5 A quorum exists when 50% of member clubs are represented.

3.2 FIXTURES MEETING

This will be arranged by the Fixtures Secretary for mid-July. One delegate for each team playing in the forthcoming season must attend, with sufficient home dates for the next season. The Committee will impose a fine of £10 on any club not sending a delegate for each team to the Fixtures Meeting.

3.3 EXTRAORDINARY MEETINGS

May be called by a minimum of 6 clubs or by the committee at any time. Any meeting will take place within 6 weeks of written notification reaching the clubs.

4. MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

4.1 The Committee shall consist of the following who will be required to manage the League’s affairs, and ensure the smooth running of all events:

Honorary President Appointed
Chairman A
Vice Chairman B
Secretary A
Treasurer B
Fixtures Secretary A
Social Secretary B
Tournament Secretary A
Results Secretary B
Committee Members Elected Annually

A = Elected for a two year term

B = Elected for alternate two year term.

4.2 CO-OPTION.

The Committee may co-opt a club member (in a non-voting capacity) to fill a vacancy or to assist with any specific topic.

4.3 DUTIES

The Chairman will preside over all Committee meetings and the Representatives’ meetings and in Committee shall have the casting vote in addition to his own. The Vice-Chairman shall act in the absence of the Chairman and shall also be Chairman of the Disciplinary Sub-Committee.

The Secretary shall keep the minutes of representatives’ and Committee meetings, and shall maintain an up to date copy of the League Rules.

The Treasurer shall maintain an accurate record of all financial transactions for inspection when requested.

The Social Secretary shall organise the Annual Dinner Dance or any other function which is mutually agreed.

The Fixtures Secretary shall organise the Fixtures Meeting and be responsible for the publication of fixture lists, the Knockout Draw, address lists and results sheets. The Tournament Secretary shall organise tournaments during the season as required.

The Results Secretary shall receive completed results sheets, check players’ names, compile league tables and be responsible for publication of these.

The Disciplinary Sub-Committee consisting of the Vice-Chairman and two Committee members shall be called upon to consider interpretation of the rules and disputes. It has the power to recommend the suspension of any player in breach of the rules, or the imposition of suitable penalties upon offending clubs, and has the authority to take action if it feels the game is not being played in the spirit of the Friendly League.

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5.1 GAMES

Are played to the B.A of E. Laws of Badminton with Restricted Time Rules agreed if necessary. (See 6)

5.2 TEAMS

Consist of three mixed couples playing nine rubbers. The order of play for the home team should be 123, 231, 312.

5.3 LEAGUE STRUCTURE

The league is split into seven divisions, Premier, 1,2,3,4,5 ,and 6. Each division consists of nine teams playing eight home and eight away matches where possible.

5.4 PROMOTION AND RELEGATION:

Premier 1 down
Division 1 1 up 2 down
Division 2 2 up 2 down
Division 3 2 up 2 down
Division 4 2 up 2 down
Division 5 2 up 2 down
Division 6 2 up

Refusal of promotion will result in the dismissal of the whole club from the League.

5.5 PLACING.

The following system is adopted. The winning team in each section shall be the team with the most points at the end of the season. In the event of a draw on points, the winning team shall be the team, winning the most rubbers, then the most games. (In games to 21 points, 14 or more points will be the equivalent of a game). The teams which finish 8th are considered better than the 4th placed teams in the division below, but not as good as the 3rd placed. The teams which finish 9th are considered to be better than the 5th placed in the division below but not as good as the 4th placed.

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5.6 VACANCIES

The teams selected to fill any vacancies which occur before the fixture lists have been printed will be decided on merit. (i.e. firstly the team with the most points, secondly the team with the most rubbers, thirdly the team with the most games) from the teams in the division below. If one team has played fewer matches due to a lower number of teams in the division, a calculated average will be used to determine the promotion place. After the fixtures have been printed, vacancies will not be filled. In such cases, the team which withdrew is considered to have finished 9th with no points, even if some matches have been played. Points awarded to their opponents are deducted.

Any team breaking away from its "parent" club will be deemed to be a new club and as such will be put in the lowest division of the League for the following season if a vacancy exists.

5.7 POINTS

Winning teams score two points. A walkover scores two points. Any team conceding has four points deducted. A draw scores one point for each team. The losing team scores no points.

5.8 FIXTURES AND RESULTS

5.8.1 Lists are distributed by the Fixtures Secretary before the start of the season, which normally begins in September and ends by the 30th April

5.8.2 The only valid reason for changing a league fixture is the non-availability of the venue hall or severe weather conditions. The Results Secretary and the away club, must be informed of any rearrangements by letter. Where there is a clash of fixtures between League and County matches, any club having two or more players involved in County Junior, Senior or Veteran matches may ask for a postponement of any League fixture on a Saturday or Sunday. Permission should not be normally withheld by the opposing team. Any rearranged dates must be before the 30th April and any difficulties in agreeing on a new date will be resolved by the Chairman of the Disciplinary Sub-committee.

5.8.3 Results must be returned by the home club immediately after the match. The Results Secretary will penalise any home team which is guilty of sending results in late as follows: If the results sheet reaches the Result Secretary more than 7 days after the date of the match, the home team will lose one point, more than 14 days the home team will lose two points and so on

5.8.4 Match costs are borne by the home club (unless otherwise agreed).

5.8.5 League tables appear in local papers and in Sports Centres when possible.

5.8.6 Shuttles are the choice of the home club, but they must have a cork base whether nylon or feather flights.

5.8.7 Disputes should be referred to the Vice Chairman (Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee).

5.8.8 Any away club causing the cancellation of a fixture, except because of bad weather, shall be liable to reimburse the hire cost of the hall to the home team within one month of the match date.

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5.9 PLAYER ELIGIBILITY

5.9.1 A player is only eligible to play for ONE club in league matches.

5.9.2 Club registration is completed when players’ name appears on the results cards for their first match.

5.9.3 At the beginning of the season a player can only play for ONE team until:- 
1) if a club has two teams, both have played two matches.
2) if a club has three or more teams, the teams where the move of the player is to be made have both played two matches.

5.9.4 A player may play TWICE in any higher team before losing his or her lower status, and may only revert as detailed in 5.10.6. (Note: Where a club has two teams in the same division, "higher" relates to alphabetical order, irrespective of their league position.)

5.9.5 A minimum of two eligible pairs must be present to constitute a team.

5.9.6 A player wishing to change clubs, or to drop to a lower team of his or her club, will be eligible to play in the THIRD league match of the new team subsequent to notification of the dates of the two matches missed for the new team being received IN WRITING by the Results Secretary.

5.9.7 A player playing league matches for one club cannot transfer to another club after the 1st February of that season.

5.10 UNFINISHED MATCHES

In the event of a match being abandoned, through no fault of either team, the following will apply. If fewer than six rubbers have been completed, the match must be replayed at a later date. If six or more rubbers have been completed, all unfinished rubbers will be null and void.

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6.1 These apply to all clubs playing in the League.

6.2 Clubs with restricted playing time must advise the Fixtures Secretary of this at the Fixtures Meeting.

6.3 Matches should start promptly at specified starting time. Actual start time to be entered on results sheet before the beginning of the match.

6.4 Warm up (Knock up)  time to be limited to maximum of two minutes per rubber.

6.5 At the "cut off point" (i.e. one and a half hours remaining on one court, three quarters of an hour on two courts, half an hour remaining on three courts), if there are three or more rubbers un-played, the remaining rubbers will be played as a single 21 point game, changing ends at 11 points, NO SETTING.

6.6 At the finishing time the match will be concluded as follows:

6.6.1 If a club is guilty of causing a late start (15 minutes or more after the stated arrival time),  then any unfinished rubbers at the end of the evening will be awarded to the other team. The arrival time is the time stated on the published list of match secretaries. Clubs with restricted time must ensure that the actual arrival time is agreed and noted on the results sheets before the beginning of the match.

6.6.2 If the match started promptly then the score will stand on completed rubbers only. All unfinished rubbers will be null and void.

6.6.3 Rubber = best of three games or one single game of 21 points.

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