League Rules & Regulations

1. At all games, there must be a head coach or an assistant coach (whose name must appear on the coach’s roster online) present. If the coach or the assistant coach is not present, the game will be forfeited without rescheduling. Coaches may be added or modified at any point throughout the season and must be approved by the church fathers of their church.

2. Coaches are the models of this league. Any rule that appears within this set of rules has a much higher consequence if a coach or an assistant coach breaks it, whether it is noted or not. These consequences could be but are not limited to, suspending you as a coach or suspending your whole team. If foul language is heard from a coach/assistant coach, that coach is to be ejected from the game immediately.

3. At all games, a servant must be present for each team who is not bench personnel. This servant must be able to compose themselves and not root for a team while the game is occurring. This servant is tasked with maintaining the peace between the players and fans, along with maintaining the peace among the fans.

4. Foul language is not tolerated at all in the NA Coptic League. Foul language coming out from the mouth of any player will result in a technical foul. If it is heard again from the same player, it will result in the removal of that player for the rest of the game.

5. If a coach is ejected from a game and they are the only coach present, in compliance with rule #1, the game will be terminated and forfeited to the opposing team regardless of the score.

6. Any fighting caused by any team member or coach will result in that player or coach’s disqualification from the league.

7. Fighting or foul language coming from a spectator will result in removal from the premises by the referee and/or site coordinator. All churches will be held responsible for their spectators and may suffer consequences pending the severity of the spectators’ behaviors.

8. If a player, coach, or spectator is ejected from a game, they must leave the premises immediately.

9. Players and coaches must show respect to the referees and the scorekeepers at each game.

10.  People doing the book/clock are not allowed to cheer or say anything because they are considered officials. No one will be allowed at the table except ONE bookkeeper for each team and ONE person to do the clock. ONLY Referees and Coaches can speak to bookkeepers. ONLY referees can speak to the person doing the clock.

11. There will be no arguing with the referee. ONLY THE HEAD coach may speak to the referees only, if permitted by the referee. There may only be one head coach per team.

12. Referee fees are $50 per game for Junior High School, Girls, and High School Boys divisions.

13. Referee fees are $60 per game for the College and Men’s divisions.

14. Eligibility of coaches and players. Failure to comply with any of these mandatory rules listed below may result in the suspension or termination of your team.

Coaches and Assistant Coaches:

• • • • Must be approved by the priest of the church they are representing

      • Cannot be a player for the team that they are coaching

      • A legal head/assistant coach is one that is on the coach’s roster and approved by the priest of the church they are serving

      • Must be at least 18 years of age

      • Must be registered on the NA Coptic League app

Players:

6. 1. 1. • Must be of legal age and approved by the priest of the church they are representing

         • Is one that is baptized within the Coptic Orthodox Church or any of its sister churches

         • Cannot be a coach for the same team they are playing for

         • Cannot play for more than one team. No switching teams after the registration deadline

         • No Changes to the team roster after the April 6th deadline; only drops (unless approved by Fr. Yostos Bessada)

         • A legal player is one that is on that specific team’s roster

         • Must be registered on the NA Coptic League App

15. PLAYING UP: A player may elect to play in a higher division than their designated eligibility. Exceptions may be granted only with the expressed permission of the league, within established limits, and without guarantee of placement in a lower division.

16. PLAYING DOWN: A player may not elect to play in a lower division than their designated eligibility. Exceptions may be granted only with the expressed permission of the league, within established limits, and without guarantee of placement in a lower division.

17. ELIGIBILITY BY DIVISION:

• • • • Junior High School (JHS): 5th grade - 8th Grade

      • Girls: 8th Grade - Completion of College

      • High School (HS) Boys: 9th Grade - 12th Grade

      • College: 1st Year Undergraduate Student or at least 18 years old - Completion of Undergraduate degree or 23 years old

      • Men’s: Graduate from College or 24 years Old and Above

18. A player must play for the church they attend regularly. In the event the church they attend does not have a team, then they, with the approval of that team’s priest and coach, can join the requested team, but the league must be notified first, and the priest must be willing to take full responsibility for that player. It must also be approved by the player’s father of confession.

17. All bench players must always be seated during the game. Assistant Coaches must be seated the whole game. Only ONE coach, whether the head coach or assistant coach, may stand during the game. You will be warned once, and the referee will distribute technical fouls once a coach receives a technical foul. Whether a head coach or assistant coach, they must sit for the remainder of the game.

19.  Only registered coaches and suited players may be seated on the coaches/players' bench. All fans must be seated on the opposite side of the coaches/players' bench. No fans are allowed on the coaches/players' bench.

20. You may not cancel, postpone, or reschedule any game for any reason. Any game that is not played on its scheduled date and time will be considered a forfeit without rescheduling. The only exception to this rule is in the case of a death or a funeral. ONLY Abouna Yostos can approve the rescheduling to take place BEFORE the actual scheduled time of the game. Sunday, April 6, 2025, is the last day to submit an email to contact@nacopticleague.com for specific dates and times your team cannot have games scheduled. Not all requests will be granted, but the league will try accommodating each request. When you submit a game schedule request, you must note a reason for the request.

21. Each team will have a 10-minute grace period after the starting time of games. After the grace period is up, whichever team delays will lose the game. No rescheduling will be allowed in this case. PLEASE BE ON TIME!

22. The Junior High School Boys Division, High School Boys Division, & Girls Division will play 8 minute quarters. The clock will run throughout the game, with the exception of free throws and timeouts. The clock will also stop in the 4th quarter inside the last 4 min of the game on EVERY whistle.

• • • • There are four 1-minute timeouts per game. In the case of overtime, you are awarded one 1-minute time out for each overtime period.

      • Overtime for the JHS/HS Boys/Girls division will be a period of 4 min, with the clock stopping on every whistle within the last minute of the period. 

23. The College Division and Men’s Division will play 20-minute halves. The clock will run throughout both halves, with the exception of free throws and timeouts. The clock will also stop in BOTH halves inside the last 5 min on EVERY whistle.

• • • •  There are four 1-minute timeouts per game. In the case of overtime, you are awarded one 1-minute time out for each overtime period.

      • Overtime for the College/Men’s division will be a period of 5 min, with the clock stopping on every whistle within the last minute of the period.

24. After a made basket, the clock does not stop. The clock is still live unless the referee calls an official timeout.

24. Players are allowed only 5 seconds to inbound the ball.

25. Players are given only 10 seconds to get the ball across the half-court line.

26. During free-throw shooting, the shooter is allowed 10 seconds to shoot each free throw.

27. When a player receives their 5th foul, they will immediately be removed from the game.

28. When a technical foul is called, it is 2 free throws, and possession of the ball is turned to the team that shot the technical foul shots.

29. A technical foul is considered a team, and a personal foul is awarded to a player. If awarded to a coach or a team bench, it is just a team foul. A player on the bench can receive a technical foul, which is considered a team and personal foul.

30. For JHS, Girls, and HS- the penalty will begin on the 5th foul of each quarter, at which point there will be a double bonus.

31. For College and Men's division- One-and-one shooting will commence on the team's 7th foul in a half, with a double bonus occurring once a team has fouled 10 times in a half.

32. All boy's teams will play with a full-sized basketball (29.5), while the girls will play with a girls-sized basketball (28.5).

33. Full- court Press:

32. 1. For JHS- Full-court press is only allowed during the last four minutes of the game unless if you are up by 20 points. If you are up by 20, you must remain behind the half-court line.

    2. For Girls, HS, College, Men's- Full- court press is allowed at all levels unless if you are up by 20 points. If you are up by 20, you must remain behind the half-court line.

35. Players must wear the team uniform.  No one will be allowed to play with undershirts or a different T-shirt than what the rest of the team is wearing. Failure to play with matching jerseys may lead to a technical foul at the discretion of the referee.

37. At the responsibility of the registered church coordinator for each church, the following must be completed via league app and complying with the respective deadlines:

• Submit Church Team Registration Form by 4/15/2026 11:59 PM

• Notify your coaches, assistant coaches, and players to register on 4/16/2026 8:00 AM - Deadline for app registration: 4/30/2026 11:59 PM

• Attend the Pre-Season Annual League Meeting on 4/18/2026 at St. Mina Church, Holmdel, NJ

• Submit blackout dates by 4/19/2026 11:59 PM

• Verify all coaches, assistant coaches, and players are registered and filled out all waiver and agreement forms while ensuring all team rosters on the app are accurate and finalized by 4/30/2026 11:59 PM

• Ensure check payable to "NA COPTIC LEAGUE" [or Zelle to Fr. Yostos Bessada at 917-533-8508] of $800.00 for each team participating from your church has been made

37. The 2025 season will begin on Saturday, May 2, 2026. The season is expected to conclude with the championships by July 26, 2026. All dates are subject to be changed.

38. After the final game of the day, all players, coaches, assistant coaches, and spectators of the final game must help in the cleaning of the gym and must leave the premises within 20 minutes after the game has ended.

39. After each game, the winning team must send the score via the forms available (only accessible to coaches, assistant coaches, and church coordinators) on the NA Coptic League app within 24 hours.

40. Point differential will no longer be the first tiebreaker used for playoff seeding. Head-to-head will be the first tiebreaker, then point differential will be the second tiebreaker. Each game will be capped for point differential purposes at 25 points. 

41. JHS, College, Mens, and Girls playoffs set up as top 8 teams to qualify.

42. HS Division Playoffs will be set up as 8 teams from each division reach the playoffs. Each conference will play through the playoffs as they did the regular season, with the winner of the NJ division facing the winner of the NY division in the championships.

43. All these rules are subject to change with or without notice. Players and coaches are still responsible for abiding by the rules, if changed, at any given time throughout the season.