Summer 2026/27.

Registration is managed through your club, not directly with WBA. Choose a club from the Find Your Club section above, click their Register on PlayHQ link, and follow the steps. Once registered, the club will allocate your child to a team and let you know about training.

Age groups are determined by birth year for 2026/27 — see the Age Groups & Date of Birth section above. If your child is on the boundary between two age groups, contact your club — in some circumstances a player may be eligible to play up an age group.

The season opens Monday 5 October 2026. The regular season runs 15 rounds, followed by Semi-Finals (11–16 March 2027) and Grand Finals (18–23 March 2027). There is a break over the Christmas school holidays from 20 December 2026 to 29 January 2027.

Competition nights depend on age group and gender. Monday: U19 Boys. Tuesday: U14 & U16 Boys. Thursday: U10 Girls, U12 Boys (D1), U12 & U14 Girls, U16/19 Girls (combined). Friday: U10 Boys, U12 Boys (D2–D5). Saturday mornings: U8 Boys & Girls. See the Weekly Draw section above for full detail.

No — the Junior Domestic Competition is part of WBA’s Participation Stream, not the performance pathway. Its purpose is player development, enjoyment and retention through to adulthood. The representative pathway (Junior Warriors / Country Rep / VJBL) is a separate program. Programs like Future Warriors Academy help bridge domestic players toward the representative pathway.

WBA uses a three-stage approach to ensure fairer draws. Stage 1 — Grade (Rounds 1–3): regular games used to assess team strength; no ladder yet. Stage 2 — Validate (Rounds 4–6): the official ladder is active from Round 4, and the Association and clubs can move teams for more even, competitive matchups. Divisions lock after Round 6. Stage 3 — Season (Rounds 7–15): divisions are locked; every result counts; finals eligibility applies. For Summer 2026/27, with the largest player and team numbers on record and limited court space, grading is played on regular games (not mini-games) across six rounds, with the ladder active from Round 4.

The top 4 teams in each division qualify for finals. Semi-Finals run across two weeks (11–16 March 2027): 1st v 4th and 2nd v 3rd. Winners advance to the Grand Final (18–23 March 2027). Finals are played in the same locked divisions as Stage 3. There is no home-court advantage — venues are allocated based on competition needs.

A player must have played at least 6 qualifying games across the season to be eligible for finals. Grading games count toward that total, and every game — including the grading rounds — counts as one game in the usual way.

Competition is played across four venues: WARLC, Bellbird Park Indoor Centre Drouin (BPIC), Bunyip Recreation Reserve (BPR) and Neerim South Basketball Stadium (NSBS). Your specific venue and time for each game is confirmed in PlayHQ and communicated by your club ahead of each round.

Games may occasionally be rescheduled due to referee availability, venue conflicts or special events. Any changes will be communicated through your club and updated in PlayHQ. Check the fixture notes above for known events that may affect scheduling — such as Melbourne Cup week and the Warragul Tournament.

For Summer 2026/27, Under 16 and Under 19 Girls play in a single combined U16/19 Girls competition. Bringing the older girls together keeps a strong, competitive girls’ competition through the teenage years, where team numbers can be tighter. Your child still registers in her own age group (U16 or U19) and eligibility by birth year is unchanged — the combined competition is about how the games are run, not who your child registers as.

Yes — a player can play up while continuing in their own age group. It’s set up as a Play-Up Registration, and no special exemption is needed for the standard case. A few key points:

• One age group only — never two or more (e.g. a U12 cannot play U16).
• You register in both — playing up is in addition to the natural age group, not instead of it. The player registers (and pays) in both, and is allocated to both teams at the start of the regular season.
• Your natural age group still comes first — a play-up player must keep meeting minimum games in their own age group across the season (see the next question) — this is a firm requirement, not a formality.
• The cost — the Play-Up Fee is 50% of the competition component of your primary junior registration fee. Governing-body levies, participant licences and insurance are not charged again where you’ve already paid them in your primary registration that season. Your club may also charge a club fee.
• Fixture clashes — if a natural-age game and a higher-age game fall in the same round, the natural-age game takes priority. The one exception: if the higher-age team can’t field a side without your child, that game may be prioritised — and the missed natural-age game still counts toward the minimum below.
• Division limits apply — there are restrictions on which division a play-up player can enter, and representative players have additional restrictions. Full detail is in the WBA Junior Playing Conditions.

Yes — and this is important. A Play-Up Registration comes with a minimum-participation requirement in the natural age group across the regular season (grading games count toward the total):

• 2 games by the end of Round 3
• 4 cumulative games by the end of Round 8
• 6 cumulative games by the end of Round 13

Miss a checkpoint and the consequences step up: Round 3 — a written warning to the club and parent (registration continues); Round 8 — the Play-Up Registration is suspended, and any higher-age game played while suspended is recorded as a 0–20 forfeit; Round 13 — the Play-Up Registration is revoked for the rest of the season, higher-age finals eligibility is lost, and the player can’t apply to play up next season without WBA Board approval.

Byes and forfeits count toward the total where your child was registered/named for that round. Written exemptions can be granted by Association Operations for documented injury or illness (medical certificate within 7 days of the first game missed), State Development Program (U16+), Vic Country or BVC commitments, or where the natural-age team couldn’t field a team that round.

Only in specific, limited circumstances — and “player development”, “safety” or “competition structure” are not grounds on their own. Sole Higher Age Group Registration may be approved by Association Operations only where:

• the child’s natural age group doesn’t run a competition at WBA that season; or
• the natural age group has too few teams to field a viable division and Operations has determined the child can’t reasonably be accommodated there.

Separately, the WBA Board (not Association Operations) may approve sole higher registration for a player currently selected by Basketball Australia in a national team, squad or development program — applied for in writing by the club, with documentary evidence. In every other case, the path is the play-up-and-keep-your-own-age-group option above.

This isn’t part of normal registration and isn’t available on request. We’ll consider it only where there’s a clear, supportable reason for that individual child — for example a diagnosed disability, developmental or medical circumstance, or a welfare or safety need — where playing in their own age group isn’t in the child’s best interests. These cases are looked at individually and usually require supporting documentation. Raise it with your club so the circumstances can be considered properly.

For a standard play-up, there’s no exemption to seek — your child simply registers in both their natural age group and the higher one through your club and pays the Play-Up Fee; the natural-age participation minimums above then apply. For a Sole Higher Age Group Registration (the limited exceptions above) or a play-down, your club applies in writing to Association Operations on the player’s behalf, with any supporting evidence, and approval must be in place before the player takes the court. If you’re unsure where your child fits, ask early — we’d rather get it right up front.

Every transfer — between WBA clubs or coming in from another association — starts with one online form: the Transfer Request, lodged by you (the parent or guardian), not by a club. Your club can help you through it, but the application itself is between your family and the Association. Lodge it before the final date for player registrations — ideally at least three weeks before, so there’s time to process it ahead of the opening rounds. Two things must be sorted first: nothing owed to a club or the Association, and uniforms returned in good condition. These are the most common reasons an application stalls.

Most transfers simply proceed. A transfer gets an extra review — a Restricted Transfer — if either applies:

• the player was in a Division 1 domestic team (at WBA or any association) and played 5 or more Division 1 games in either of the two most recently completed seasons — summer or winter, any age group; and/or
• the player holds a representative points value under clause 6.2 (Tier 1, 2 or 3, before any discounts).

You don’t need to work out which one you are — the form asks the questions and Association Operations makes the call. Restricted Transfers are reviewed by the Junior Committee before they proceed (this protects competitive balance across clubs); everything else is processed in the ordinary course.

For an ordinary WBA-to-WBA transfer, PlayHQ prompts your previous club to accept or deny the clearance within 10 days — no response and it’s automatically accepted. For a Restricted Transfer there’s a short review: both clubs are notified within 2 business days, the releasing club is given your non-confidential reasons and 5 days to respond, and a written decision follows within 10 days of a complete application. Note the automatic PlayHQ acceptance does not apply to a Restricted Transfer — silence won’t clear it. You can mark any reason confidential — to Operations only; the releasing club is told a confidential reason was given, but not what it is.

A Restricted Transfer can be approved, conditionally approved (which can include placement restrictions), or refused. If you disagree, appeal in writing to the WBA Board within 7 days of the decision. Your family, the receiving club and the releasing club each have standing to appeal any outcome. The Board’s decision is final.

Requests submitted after the Grading Round are at Association Operations’ discretion. A mid-season transfer that meets the Restricted criteria is still reviewed — there’s no mid-season exemption — so lodge as soon as practicable. One important heads-up: playing an uncleared player results in a forfeit of any game they take part in, so wait for the clearance or decision before your child takes the court. Full detail, the points table and the application form are all on the Transfer Request page.

Game lengths vary by age group. All games have a 2-minute half-time break.

• U8: 2 × 12-minute halves
• U10: 2 × 18-minute halves
• U12, U14, U16 & U19 (Boys & Girls): 2 × 20-minute halves

For regular season games, the clock runs continuously during most of the game. It stops on all whistles during the final 2 minutes of the second half only.

Under 8 is different: the clock runs continuously throughout the entire game — it does not stop in the final 2 minutes and there are no time-outs.

For U10–U19, each team gets one time-out in the first half and two in the second half (maximum one minute each) — a change from one per half last season. Time-outs are not permitted in the final 2 minutes of the first half, but are permitted in the final 2 minutes of the second half. Unused time-outs don’t carry over between halves, and the clock keeps running through a time-out (except in the last 2 minutes of the second half, when it stops on all whistles). Under 8 teams have no time-outs.

Games must start on time. A team may receive 1 penalty point per minute late. Late starts include delayed player readiness, delayed coach readiness, and delays entering players into the iPad scoring system. Please ensure your team is warmed up and ready well before your scheduled tip-off.

No — WBA runs single-sex U8 competitions, and this is a deliberate policy. Research consistently links single-sex settings to stronger girls’ participation in sport, including findings published by the Australian Sports Commission Clearinghouse for Sport — one of many supporting sources.

In Winter 2026, with too few girls to form viable standalone club teams, WBA chose not to run a mixed competition. Instead, girls trained and played together as a single WBA squad in red & black each week — a girls-only environment preserved through a different structure. We are planning for a standalone girls club competition again for Summer 2026/27, but will remain open to the same WBA squad model from Winter 2026 if numbers require it, to ensure girls always play in a girls-only setting.

Aussie Hoops remains mixed — the single-sex approach applies to the domestic competition only.

Yes — and this season the cap works the same way in both age groups. Under 8: no player may score more than 6 points in a half (12 in a game). Under 10: no player may score more than 12 in a half (24 in a game). Once a player is capped, further baskets are simply not added to the score and no violation is called; any free throws awarded to a capped player are taken by a nominated teammate. The score bench alerts both benches when a player is two points from the cap, and again at the cap. Half-time free throws count toward the score but not toward a player’s cap.

When it applies: in Under 8, the cap applies to every game; in Under 10, it applies from Stage 3 and in finals. Note the old Under 8 rule that let a capped player score again once all teammates reached 6 no longer applies.

Each team in U10 competitions receives 10 half-time free throw attempts. Half-time free throw points do count toward the game score, but do not count toward the individual player scoring cap. The referee enters successful free throws into the iPad as team points, and the scorebench manually adds them to the stadium scoreboard.

The mercy rule applies to U10 and U12 competitions. It does not apply to U14 and above, and it starts from Stage 3 — the mercy rule, the Under 10 scoring cap and half-time free throws don’t run during the grading rounds (Rounds 1–6).

At a 20-point margin: the leading team must retreat to the back one-third of the court and defend man-to-man only.

At a 40-point margin: the 20-point rules still apply, plus all five players of the leading team must touch their defensive baseline before they can defend. The mercy rule promotes fair play, sportsmanship and a positive experience for all players.

For Summer 2026/27, Under 8 games are played on rings set at 2.6 metres at venues with adjustable rings. Where a venue’s rings can’t be lowered, games are played at standard height (3.05 m) and the usual Under 8 free-throw line applies unchanged. The Game Day Official is responsible for making sure the rings are set before each Under 8 session. This is a one-season pilot — it lapses at the end of the season unless renewed, and Association Operations will report on it to the Board as part of the end-of-season review.

Yes — but fill-ins exist for one reason only: to prevent a forfeit. A fill-in is not a way to strengthen a lineup or field a preferred team. Association Operations reviews fill-in patterns across the season.

Key rules: the fill-in must be from the same club; maximum team size with a fill-in is 6 players; each player is capped at 2 fill-in games per season; games played as a fill-in do not count toward that player’s own finals eligibility.

The fill-in must report to the Game Day Official (GDO) with their details before taking the court — a coach or team manager cannot enter fill-in details onto the score sheet.

Filling in within own age group: must play in a division equal to or lower than their registered division.

Filling in one age group higher: play-up division rules apply — same division as registered or one lower. A fill-in may never play in a division lower than their own registered division — no exceptions, even to avoid a forfeit.

Points cap note: a fill-in’s rep points count toward the receiving team’s 9-point cap (Section 6.4). Players with over 9 rep points are not eligible to fill in.

Any breach of fill-in rules results in an automatic forfeit of the affected game.

Fill-ins in finals require a written request to Association Operations at least 5 days before the finals game. If a team has 5 or more qualified players, no fill-ins are permitted. Same-day injury exemptions are at Association Operations’ sole discretion and must be approved before the player takes the court.

From 1 October 2026, FIBA replaced the Unsportsmanlike Foul with two new fouls, so WBA games now use five foul types:

TF — Technical Foul: a rules breach — delay of game, too many players, hanging on the ring, illegal substitution (at WBA also faking a foul, swinging elbows, or a hand near an opponent’s eyes). 2 free throws + possession from the one-third mark; a player TF counts as a personal and team foul. No conduct consequence, and it doesn’t count toward the BTF tally.

DF — Disruptive Foul (new): contact that stops a fast break, stops the clock late in a half, or comes from behind or the side on a clear path to the basket. 2 free throws + possession; personal and team foul. Never counts toward disqualification.

FF — Flagrant Foul (new): contact that isn’t a basketball play, is reckless or dangerous, or is excessive and hard — even when playing the ball. 2 free throws + possession; personal and team foul. Two in a game = disqualified (the player leaves the court; venue ejection only if the conduct also earns a BTF or DQF).

BTF — Behavioural Technical Foul: dissent, abuse, disrespect, offensive language or gestures, baiting, taunting or intimidation. 2 free throws + possession, and for U10–U19 and all adults it means ejection plus a suspension of at least one week (U8 players: education only). Referees warn first wherever they can; no warning is required for severe, aggressive or threatening behaviour or any hostile approach to a junior referee, and a BTF without a warning must be explained in the incident report.

DQF — Disqualifying Foul: fighting, physical aggression, extreme abuse, or conduct putting others at risk. 2 free throws + possession, immediate ejection, an incident report, and referral to Association Operations for further sanction. Cannot be appealed.

The old Unsportsmanlike Foul (UF) no longer exists — referees now decide whether contact was disruptive (a tactical foul) or flagrant (not a basketball play).

Dissent is always a BTF — never a technical foul. Arguing a call, showing disagreement, sarcastic gestures, questioning an official after they’ve answered, or commentary on the officiating — directed at a referee, the Game Day Official or the score bench — is a BTF, which means ejection and a suspension of at least one week. A courteous question from the head coach at a dead ball isn’t dissent.

Yes — warnings are personal. A warning to a coach does not transfer to a spectator, and vice versa. Each person owns their own warning and BTF tally. Bench technicals are charged to the person responsible, not automatically to the head coach.

This season every warning is recorded: the referee tells the other referee straight away and tells the Game Day Official at the next dead ball, describing the behaviour and any language used, and the GDO writes it on the run sheet at the time. So if you’re warned, it’s written down — there’s no later dispute about whether a warning was given. To support this, WBA is rostering a Game Day Official on every court this season (up from one per two courts), so there’s an adult official alongside every junior referee.

Team warnings (U10+): referees can issue a team warning where collective bench behaviour warrants it — this counts as the individual warning for everyone present at the time.

A player under 18 who is ejected leaves the court and bench area immediately and waits in an area designated and supervised by the Game Day Official — away from the court and spectators — until a parent or guardian collects them and leaves the stadium with them. A junior player is never sent to wait outside unsupervised. An ejected adult must leave the stadium immediately.

A BTF suspension applies to the person, not the team. It starts at ejection and ends at whichever is later: seven days after the ejection, or the next fixtured game the person’s team plays — so it’s always at least a week. A bye, forfeit or washout doesn’t count as a game played.

During that period the person may not play, coach, assist, manage, fill in or sit on a bench for any WBA team, in any age group or division — even if their other teams are playing that week. An ejected spectator may not attend any WBA fixture during the period. Clubs are responsible for ensuring a suspended person takes no part; if they do, the game is a 0–20 forfeit against that team and the suspension period restarts.

Yes on both counts. A suspension from the last game of a season carries over and is served at the start of the person’s next registered season. Repeat BTFs across a season escalate (winter and summer are counted separately), on top of each one-week suspension:

• 2 BTFs — written warning to the club
• 3 — one extra game suspension and a formal warning to the club president
• 4 — two extra games and a General Manager meeting before returning
• 5+ — season ban, possible referral to the BV Tribunal, and a review before any return

Suspensions cannot be reduced, deferred, waived or overruled by anyone — the only avenue is the referee feedback process, which is separate and does not affect the sanction.