National Wheelchair Basketball Association

The following is application for Player Exemption Application for the NWBA Junior Division. This application allows athletes of the Junior Division to submit petitions and exemptions for consideration of eligibility and team placement.

The following is the eligibility for membership as outlined in the Junior Division Guidelines, Article II. Membership, Section 2.01 Eligibility of Membership.

Section 2.01 Eligibility for Membership
1. Team Eligibility

a. Any National Wheelchair Basketball Association junior club which only rosters junior players is eligible for membership in this division.

2. Individual Player Eligibility

a. Any athlete age 21 years or under as of September 30, may be eligible under the following conditions

i. Junior players shall have an eligibility period of four years from the time they enter 9th grade, or the season of their 15th birthday, whichever is first, and
ii. Once a season begins, each rostered player will have used one year of eligibility, and
iii. Athletes shall petition the Executive Committee annually for an additional year of eligibility due to circumstances beyond their control related to their disabilities.
iv. Any athlete age 19 and above on September 30, who still has eligibility, must be currently enrolled in a registered, state high school documented program of the state in which (s)he resides and/or attends school. (Proof will be required)

1. Players not yet in ninth grade and/or younger than 15 are not affected by the four year eligibility rule until the year they enter ninth grade and/or turn 15.

b. For a player to be eligible for play within the Junior Division, the player must have a Junior Division Minimal Disability Certification Form completed by Physician or NWBA Certified Classifier on file with the Junior Division Commissioner and NWBA front office. The Junior Division Minimal Disability Certification Form is attached as Addendum 1.
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c. Eligible players are required to play with the nearest geographical, age appropriate team, with the following exceptions.

i. The player has moved away from the original team and wants to finish his/her last year of Junior Division eligibility with the original team (similar to a grandfather clause).

1. Player shall petition the Executive Committee for waiver.
2. Petition must be submitted to the Commissioner on or before the NWBA Registration Deadline or within 15 days before player’s family moves if during the season.
3. No petition will be required if the player moves after January 15, the deadline for finalizing rosters.

ii. In rare instances, a player may petition the Junior Division Executive Committee to play for a team other than his/her nearest geographical team. Petitions will only be considered if:
1. petition is received on or before January 15. NO EXCEPTIONS!
2. the transfer is significantly in the benefit of the player.
3. the transfer will have minimal impact on either team.
4. the transfer is approved by the conference commissioner.
iii. The Executive Committee shall have final jurisdiction on all petitions.
iv. Players with a petition pending shall not play for the new team until transfer is approved and received by the petitioner. Any game played with the new team before approval shall be deemed a forfeit.
v. The Executive Committee will render its decision within 15 days of receipt of petition.

d. A Prep eligible player may be rostered with a Varsity level team provided it is the nearest geographical Varsity level team.
e. A player is eligible for Prep play if they meet the following requirements:

i. Males 13 years and under as of September 30th
ii. Females 13 years and under as of September 30th
iii. Class 1 or 1.5 (defined herein by an NWBA classifier or an injury level of T8 or higher), 13 years and under as of September 30th

f. All roster additions as well as final post season rosters must be submitted to the Commissioner no later than January 15th.

i. A new/novice player that meets all other eligibility requirements may be added to a Junior Division roster at any point during the season provided that player has never been rostered on any NWBA team in the past.
ii. Teams may not roster the same player on two 10’ teams in the same tournament at any time. Coaches/players must choose which team the player will play for and that player can only play for the one 10 foot team that he/she is rostered for in that event.

g. An NWBA Official Player Application and Certification Form is not utilized for Junior Division play.

For the complete Junior Division Guidelines please visit https://www.nwba.org/divisionguidelines.

Please direct questions to: