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Player Eligibility

Consideration of Eligibility

Per the NWBA Policies and Procedures, Article One - Field of Play and Section One - Player Eligibility:

1) To be eligible for play in the NWBA, a player shall have:

a. A permanent physical disability which consistently reduces the function of the lower limbs to a degree where they cannot run, pivot or jump at the speed and with the control safety, stability and endurance required to play running basketball as an able bodied player;

b. A disability that must be of a nature that it can be objectively verified by acknowledged medical and/or paramedical investigations such as measurement, X-ray, CT, MRI, etc.;

c. Including, but not limited to hip or knee joint replacements, and have provided confirmation of the relevant surgery from their attending physician or surgeon, and supporting X-rays/scans;

d. In the instance of amputation, at minimum total removal of the first ray of one foot;

e. In the instance of a leg length discrepancy, a minimum of a 6 cm difference in leg length as measured from the greater trochanter to the ground, as is verified by standing X-ray or confirmed by a measurement taken by a NWBA Classifier, except that the 6 cm minimum shall not apply to players for participation in the Junior Division.

2) Findings such as soft tissue contracture, edema or disuse atrophy, or symptoms such as pain or numbness without other objective findings shall not be considered a permanent lower extremity disability. Degrees of pain and/or numbness are not considered measurable and permanent disabilities within the meaning of Article 1, Section 1 of the NWBA Polices & Procedures.

3) An otherwise able-bodied player with a temporary disability is not considered eligible.

4) To be eligible to participate in any NWBA competitions, a player who does not have a lower extremity impairment which can be clearly established by observation alone will need to apply for consideration of their eligibility to the NWBA in accordance with Article 1, Section 5 of these policies and procedures. This application will be forwarded to the Classification Player Eligibility Committee for determination.

5) A player deemed eligible to play by the NWBA Eligibility Committee shall receive a letter confirming his/her eligibility. At the first official competition where a classification panel is present the player will present a proposed classification and will be observed during game situations. At the end of the competition the player will receive their certified classification if there was sufficient observation time.


Intercollegiate Women's, Intercollegiate Men's & Women's Division

The NWBA Bylaws Section 4.2 Eligibility outline the details for eligibility for Intercollegiate Women's, Intercollegiate Men's & Women's Division:

2. Within the Intercollegiate Division of the NWBA, able-bodied athletes will be permitted to participate as 4.5 classification players. 

a. Intercollegiate Women’s Division 
b. Intercollegiate Men’s Division 

3. Within the Women’s Division of the NWBA, able-bodied athletes will be permitted to participate as 4.5 classification players.


Questions about Classification or Eligibility? Contact Jayne Chilutti

NWBA Classification Committee Chair