Rules

LAWS OF BADMINTON

http://www.worldbadminton.com/rules/

MSDBA REGULATIONS FOR ALL SENIOR COMPETITIONS (Amended 2026)

1) These competitions shall comprise such league competitions as the committee shall determine, and, subject to the discretion of the committee, shall be confined to clubs within the Mid Sussex area. Competitions are restricted to affiliated clubs only.

2) The competitions shall be managed on behalf of the committee by its appointed nominees.  The nominees shall have the power to decide all questions relating to competitions. Any club being dissatisfied with any decision shall have the right of appeal to the committee, whose decision shall be final and binding.

3) Entry fees shall be fixed by the committee. Clubs wishing to compete must apply to the League Secretary by the 15th of August each year or any alternative date specifically announced by the League Secretary, giving information about the playing strength of the team(s) they wish to enter, as will assist the sub-committee(s).

4) The arrangement of divisions in any of the league competitions shall be made by the sub-committee(s), on or before the first of September in each season, and copies shall be circulated to clubs as soon as possible thereafter. Current League scores and positions will be available on the MSDBA Website for all competitions as soon as the first matches are played.

5) The League Secretary shall organise a Fixtures Evening to take place in September each season. The Match Secretaries of participating clubs shall attend and agree with the appropriate Match Secretaries of the other clubs, the dates, start times and venues for all the matches to be played by clubs’ teams. The Match Secretaries shall also pay any club affiliation and entry fees during the Fixtures Evening.

All fixture dates must be received by the committee within one calendar month of the fixtures meeting. Any club not supplying a list of their fixtures by this time may risk being removed from the division concerned.

6) Each club shall play home and away matches with each of the other clubs in the same division. When a club has two teams in the same division, matches between these teams shall be played as soon as practicable and prior to any matches against other clubs. Subject to any regrouping that may be necessary, one club will be promoted and one club relegated between all of the divisions in all competitions at the end of each season. In the event of a club, with several teams in the league, withdrawing one or more of these they shall remove their most junior team.

7) In all matches, each team shall score one point for each rubber won (ie . maximum of three games between the same pairs). If two, or more, clubs have the same number of points at the end of the season, final positions will be decided in favour of the club winning the highest number of matches, then games and finally, points won.

8) Qualification to play for a club shall be bona-fide membership of that club, including payment of the usual subscription for playing members for the current season. Except where clubs are entering a joint team with another club in the MSDBA, in which case players must be bona-fide members of either club.

A player should not represent more than one club in any division.

9) In each competition, participating clubs who enter more than one team in the same league (e.g. Mens, Combi, Ladies Combi etc). shall nominate the players they propose to play for their first team and any lower team, except their lowest.

  1. a)       When two teams from the same club are playing in the same division (e.g. Men’s Combi Division 1, Fusion Division 1 etc) a player nominated for one team cannot play for the other.
  2. b)       A list of nominated players will be made available to any affiliated club by the League secretary on request.
  3. c) A player who has played more than 2 matches in any division will no longer be eligible to play in any matches in a lower division in that league. (e.g. A player can play a maximum of 2 matches in Men’s division 1 before becoming ineligible to play any future matches in Men’s division 2).
  4. d) The Fusion Leagues are unique to the MSDBA and provide an inclusive opportunity for members to participate in competitive matches where traditional team structures may present barriers to entry, for example due to the availability of female players within a club.

Fusion teams have no prescribed composition and may include any combination of any gender or age. However, in the interests of fairness, inclusivity, and transparency, the Committee provides the following guidance:

  • Clubs entering teams into Fusion Division 1 should aim to include at least one female player within the team.
  • Teams entered into Fusion Division 2 may consist of up to four players of the same sex (e.g. four male players) if the intention is to enter one or more youth players (under 16) as part of that team. Clubs should notify opposing teams of such arrangements in advance, preferably at the fixtures meeting.
  • To promote the completion of fixtures and minimise forfeited matches, any variation from this guidance should only take place where it has been agreed in advance with the opposing club.

10)     Rally Point Scoring System – The side winning a rally shall add a point to its score in every rally and keep or gain the service. The rules of play, lets and faults apply. If the score reaches 20-all setting shall be used and the winning side shall be the side that gains a two point lead. If the score reaches 29-all the side scoring the 30th point shall win the game.

11) Teams shall be ready to play within five minutes of the matches scheduled start time. Teams who are 15 minutes late may forfeit any rubbers that cannot be completed. If a match starts on time and it is not completed, e.g. venue closes etc, the home team will forfeit any incomplete rubbers.

  1. a) If a match is not played due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control e.g. severe weather or venue closure, the committee will adjudicate as to whether it should be re-scheduled or what result should be recorded.

12) Postponement of a match shall be made at least 7 clear days before the date arranged, If a postponed match cannot be rearranged, points will be allocated by the league sub-committee. Postponement of a match within 7 days of the date arranged may result in a walkover for the opposing club. The home team must send an e-mail or letter to the League Secretary explaining the reason for the postponement or cancellation. In every case, costs incurred by a postponement or cancellation are to be paid by the cancelling club, unless shared by mutual agreement.

  1. a) To safeguard the integrity of league standings, any team that concedes more than two matches within a single season shall be withdrawn from that division. In such circumstances, all results involving the withdrawn team shall be deemed null and void and shall not be taken into account for league purposes.

 

13) The home team must offer their opponents at least two dates. Offers to begin before 6.45pm on weekdays or on Saturday and Sunday afternoons shall not be regarded as an offer unless agreed in advance by the league committee. The home team shall provide and bear the cost of the court and shuttles. League matches shall be played with cork-based shuttles. All matches shall be played according to the Laws of Badminton.

14) Secretaries, or match secretaries, of home teams are responsible for ensuring that all match results are sent by e-mail or post (on MSDBA score sheets) to the League Secretary, within forty eight hours of the match being played. Failure to do so may result in the loss of league points.

  1. a) During the season, the committee must be informed of any changes to matches including:
  • Changes to match venue and / or timings
  • Postponed matches – including the new date / time
  • Cancelled / forfeited matches

If a club changes any match details, they are responsible for notifying any opposing clubs this may affect as well as the committee.

 

15) Membership
“All clubs and players must be affiliated to Badminton England”
(Updated addition to Rule 5 in the Constitution as voted during the EGM held on 22nd September 2015)

 (A requirement of affiliating to Badminton England is that clubs & players must also affiliate to their county association i.e. Sussex)