Competition Regulations
Each year we review the regulations for our national competitions and release them during the summer period. We also produce appeals and complaints procedures which must be used for all County and Regional Competitions that progress through to a National Final and is recommended for use in any competition. The wording varies depending on the type of the competition – league or tournament – and the templates for both can be accessed at the bottom of this page. England Netball is committed to providing amazing netball experiences and the regulations help to support this by balancing playing opportunities alongside a strong competition structure.
Age Banding
The England Netball Age Banding process ensures that talented young players have the ability to play up into a higher level or age group whilst also safeguarding them against the challenges of these higher levels. For any participant who wishes to play outside of their age band, the participant’s coach, parent(s) or guardian and the Club or School Safeguarding Officer must complete the Age Banding Form (available in the list below) and sign, having read the Age Banding Guidance provided, to confirm that the player in question is suitable to play out of their age band. This form should be submitted to the competition organiser alongside any entry or registration forms.
Please note that forms should only be submitted to England Netball when we are the competition organiser (eg Premier League, National School Finals only, National U14 and U16 Club Finals). For all other competitions the Age Banding Form must be sent to the competition organiser.
England Netball recommends that competition organisers adopt this process in their competition regulations, however this is not mandatory and where competition regulations state a different process, this will take precedence for that competition.
Accident Reporting
If an accident occurs at a netball match where a player, coach, spectator or staff member is injured, the accident reporting procedure should be followed for ALL injuries and accidents, regardless of whether or not medical treatment is given.
A team official – i.e. coach, team manager or other team representative – should complete the Accident Report Form (listed below), making sure to include as much information as possible. This may include a diagram or further explanation which may be completed on a separate piece of paper or on the back of the form. Additional pages should be stapled or clipped securely to the original form.
The names, addresses and contact details of any witness present should be recorded. It may also be necessary, in some circumstances, to obtain an Umpires Report as evidence. This is essential for any follow up queries England Netball or its insurers may have.
The form should then be copied and a copy sent to the Membership Department at England Netball within three days of the incident taking place. One copy should be kept by each of the home and away teams and filed for future reference. The home team venue may also require a copy of this report for their records.