Affiliation
All clubs entering the Lothian League must be affiliated to Badminton Scotland.
In addition, players participating in the Lothian League should also be individually affiliated to
Badminton Scotland either via a club or directly
Promotion and Relegation
Teams are promoted and relegated at the end of the season based on final table positions. In most cases, one team will move up and one team down, but sometimes two teams will move to balance out divisions. Teams will be informed of this before the new season starts.
Format
Each match is made up of 18 ties with each tie consisting of two sets to 21, with setting (win by 2 clear
points up to 29-29). A team is made up of three couples with fixed partnerships and each couple will play each couple of the opposing team. For a match to go ahead teams must have a minimum of two couples. A team can turn up with only two couples but will have to forfeit six games to the opposition.
Points
Teams get 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and none for a loss. There is no bonus point this season for a win by more than 16 games. The League Tables are decided by BWF group rules ordered by points, sets won, sets lost.
Players
Players cannot play the same event (MD/WD/XD) for 2 different clubs. They can however play level doubles for one club and mixed doubles for another club.
Locking to Teams
For clubs with more than one team in an event, players can play up to two matches above but a player that has played more than two matches for a higher team cannot then play down. In exceptional cases where clubs are struggling to field a team, please submit a request to the League committee and this will be reviewed for fairness. Please can clubs pick and play their teams in the best spirit of the competition.
Match Timings
Matches start at 8pm and finish at 10pm. Any games that do not finish by 10pm are not counted in the final result even if they have been started. Teams must have two pairs ready to start by 8:10pm at the latest and the third pair must be ready to play by the time either of the first two matches have completed. We expect clubs to be flexible and adjust playing order if required to begin the first two matches. If a team’s third pair are not ready to play when either of the first two matches have finished and the match does not finish on time, all unfinished matches are forfeited to the opposition. If teams don’t get all matches finished teams can agree to arrange to complete the match on their own terms and within three weeks post fixture date. The same players would need to be involved to make it a valid result.
Match Cancellations
As part of the terms and conditions for booking Meadowbank we are unable to cancel any courts. If there are any dates you would be unable to play, please let us know as soon as possible and we will do our best to re-arrange fixtures.
Shuttles
Teams are responsible for supplying feather shuttles for the match and these shuttles should be of an appropriate standard – recognised brand. We will be reaching out to the teams to find out what shuttles you plan to use but please check with the Lothian League Committee if you have any doubts on the quality of the shuttles to be used.
Previous approved brands:
RSL Silver Feather,
RSL Tournament,
Ashaway Black,
Yehlex Tournament,
Yehlex Championship,
Yonex AS50s, AS40s, AS30s and AS20s
Victor Gold Champion
Each team should put out 6 shuttles at the start of the match and an equal number following that if more shuttles are being used.
Scoresheet
download scoresheet
Each team is to sign the scoresheet following completion of the match. The winning team must take a photo of the sheet and send to Lothianleague@gmail.com.
More information about fixtures will be shared with team contact points. Results and league positions are available on the Results and League Tables page.
Please send any queries or issues to Lothianleague@gmail.com.