General Rules for Girls' Basketball

While names like Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Kobe Bryant have dominated the history of professional basketball, youth leagues include girls on mixed teams as well as with their own teams. The rules for youth basketball vary greatly from the professional sport, and having an understanding among players and coaches can make the difference between winning and losing.

  1. Players

    • Each girls' basketball team has five players on the court at one time, like professional basketball. According to the United States Specialty Sports Association rules, tournament rosters for youth basketball can contain 15 players.

      The age limits for girls' basketball vary depending on the division and the grade level. In general, parents or coaches must present proof of age (birth certificate, adoption papers, etc.) for a child to be allowed on the roster. In official tournaments, opposing teams can protest a roster decision they feel is illegal for the division.

    Timing

    • According to USSSA tournament rules, the time length of games varies by grade level. Girls in grades three through six play two 14-minute halves. These youngest players also play with a smaller size ball than the other levels.

      Girls in grades seven and eight play two 16-minutes halves. High schoolers play four 8-minute quarters.

      In regulation play, the clock stops each time the official blows her whistle, which can include fouls, injuries and timeouts.

      The mercy rule is the exception to the timing regulations. If at any point one of the teams leads by 30 or more points, the clock continues to run during whistle stoppages. At this point the only time the clock will stop is if one team calls a time out or if there is an injury on the court.

      If the team’s lead drops below 20 points, timing regulations return to their normal state.

    Fouls

    • Like professional basketball, girls' basketball is regulated for overly violent or aggressive play. Officials can call a foul against a player when one player initiates illegal contact against an opponent. This can include running into a player, tripping or grabbing a player, and other forms of contact.

      Both offensive and defensive players can be called for fouls. Common fouls in basketball include elbowing, charging (running into another player), holding and tripping. These fouls can be flagrant (violent) fouls, intentional fouls, technical fouls that disrupt game flow and shooting fouls, where a player makes contact with an opponent shooting for the basket.

      In girls' basketball, as in other incarnations of the sport, penalties for fouls can include free throws or loss of possession, depending on the type and severity of the foul.