Who may participate in the League???
FSBL is open to all students in grades 3 - 12 who reside anywhere in Loudoun County. The primary schools in the Farmwell Station Middle School system are Farmwell Station Middle School, Ashburn Elementary, Discovery Elementary, Dominion Trail Elementary, Steuart Weller Elementary and Broad Run High School (**players on Broad Run's interscholastic basketball teams may not participate in FSBL).
In addition, any children (grades 3 - 12) who reside anywhere in Loudoun County who are home schooled or attend private school may also participate in the FSBL. Students from other Loudoun County schools, including those players who did not get into the Ashburn Youth Basketball League (AYBL), may participate in the house league on a space available basis. Those players who live outside the Farmwell Station Middle School boundaries are not permitted to play on any of the FSMS travel teams.
When does registration, practices, and game begin and end???
FSBL registration opens on August 1st of every year and closes in mid October. House league teams for grades 3-8 are formed at the end of October and practices begin in November. The regular season usually begins the first weekend of December and runs through the first week of March. The high school league conducts evaluations and team drafts the weekend before Thanksgiving. Play takes place between the first week of December and runs through President's Day weekend in February. In addition FSBL offers a Summer League.
How do I contact a board member???
To contact one of the FSBL Board members go to our website at (fsbl.org) and click on Board of Directors on the left hand menu and scroll down to where you see photos of the board members. Under each photo is the position and the email address they can be contacted at.
What is the value of the registration fee???
Your child will play in at least eleven (11) games and participate in at least thirteen (13) practices. From the time your child is drafted until the championship game he/she will be involved in the league for approximately eighteen (18) weeks. $225 divided by 18 = $12.50 a week. Between practices and games your child is involved at least three (3) hours per week. $12.50 divided by 3 = $4.17 per hour. This is an absolute bargain at today's prices.
I live on the border between Farmwell and Eagle Ridge. I attend Eagle Ridge but would like to play in the Farmwell Station Basketball League. Can I do that???
We accept any player from anywhere in the county. A player who lives outside of the FSBL boundaries is permitted to play in the House league as long as there is availability for players. That same player would not be permitted to play on the Farmwell Station Middle School travel teams. A player has to reside in Farmwell Station MS district to play on the travel team.
How do I register my player???
Player registrations may be completed online at the secure site used by the league. The link to the online registration site can be found on the leagues home page. You must have a valid debit card or credit card to register online. The FSBL will no longer accept paper registrations. The FSBL will accept cash and checks on a very limited basis.
What are the Registration Fees???
$225 for the first player in a family. A second child from the same household or family costs $210, the third child is $195. There is no charge for 4th child and subsequent children. To receive discounts, all players must register at the same time.
What does the registration fee cover???
The registration fee covers jerseys, referees, basketballs, scorebooks, trophies and other assorted equipment. Each player is responsible for any additional items such as basketball shoes and shorts.
What type of uniform will my child receive???
Each player will receive a reversible mesh jersey with their last name on the jersey. All players must wear plain black shorts with no stripes, piping, large logos or writing. The league has plain black shorts for sale at $10 a pair. The shorts will be on sale during house evals, scrimmage Saturday madness and the first two Saturdays of the season. HS shorts will be on sale during HS evals and the first Sunday of the season.
Why does the league require plain black shorts???
Basketball is a team sport and part of being on a team is looking like a team. The definition of uniform (as listed by Webster’s Dictionary) is below:
1. identical or consistent
2. without variations in detail
3. to make uniform or standard
4. identifying outfit or style of dress worn by the members of a given organization
Is there financial assistance available???
Please contact the FSBL Commissioner as these types of situations are addressed on a case by cases basis.
If I miss the sign up dates, can my child still play???
There is a physical limit to the number of players we can accept as this is governed by the availability of gym space for practices and games as well as the number of volunteers we have to coach and provide instruction. Registrations are accepted on a FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED basis through our online registration service. In addition, all players must be evaluated so that we can attempt to make the teams as balanced in talent as possible. If you miss the late registration deadline we cannot guarantee your child a position on a team.
Why does FSBL charge a late fee???
The league reserves, through Loudoun County Parks and Recreation, the use of the school gyms for practices and games. This, combined with the need to make the teams as balanced in talent as possible, makes it very difficult to accept late registrations. To discourage parents from registering their child late we charge a $50 late fee. Some leagues charge a 100% late fee and other do not accept late registrations at all. We encourage everyone to register early!
What is the League's refund policy???
The League will refund all monies paid, including the processing fee, when it is unable to assign a player to a team. No refund request will be addressed unless it is received in written form via email. (The refund policy is quite specific. You must submit a request for refund via the online “Refund Request Form”, which is automatically routed to the Commissioner. The form must be received by the league before midnight of the deadline dates specified on the website. No communication from anyone can alter this policy. Disregard any statement (verbal or written) from anyone that indicates you will get a refund. The refund policy will be strictly enforced and is the final word. The ONLY way to get a refund is to submit the online “Refund Request Form” before the deadline date. Nothing that may be communicated to you, in any form, by anyone can alter the policy. If you meet the criteria within the refund policy you will receive a refund.)
Registration fees will be refunded as follows when a player voluntarily withdraws from the League: (No refunds for involuntary withdrawals) **In all circumstances listed below, refunds will be rounded up to the nearest half-dollar.
Winter House League, Summer League and Travel Leagues.
Opening registration date (as posted) until the last day of make-up evals: (If no make-up evals are scheduled then the last day of posted registration)
One Hundred percent (100%) minus fifteen percent (15%) for winter and twenty-five percent (25%) for the summer processing & handling fee.
After the last make-up eval date:
(If no make-up evals are scheduled then the last day (as posted) of registration)
Zero percent (0%) - No refunds for any reasons Travel League.
Opening registration date until the last day of travel tryouts:
One Hundred percent (100%) minus fifteen percent (15%) processing & handling fee.
After the last day of travel tryouts:
Any Player who tried out for the travel team and was not selected and then wants to withdraw from the league will receive a refund as follows:
Fifty percent (50%) minus fifteen percent (15%) processing & handling fee. **Exception = If a player who tried out for travel and was not selected and has a medical reason that restricts them from playing can receive a refund as follows:
(The medical restriction must be in writing from a licensed medical practitioner.)
One Hundred percent (100%) minus fifteen percent (15%) processing & handling fee. In the event a player is not selected for one of the travel teams then their registration would automatically roll over to the House league. rule 9.2.a.1
High School League
Opening registration date until the day of HS evals:
One Hundred percent (100%) minus fifteen percent (15%) processing & handling fee.
After the date (as posted) for HS evals:
Zero percent (0%) - No refunds for any reasons
No refunds will be made for “ignorance of” or “non-compliance with” any league policy.
No refunds for loss of games as a result of (ibnlt) an “Act of Nature” .
No refunds for loss of games in the event we are unable to obtain gym facilities from PRCS nor if the gym facilities are not in playing condition.
Refunds can only be requested by the person who actually paid for the registration. We must receive an email from the person whose name appears on the credit card charge in our system. A relative cannot request a refund if another relative paid with their own credit card.
Is there an additional cost or registration to try out for on of the travel teams???
There is only one registration for FSBL. Once a player is registered they may try out for a travel team. If they are not selected for a travel team then they are automatically considered for house league. No need for any additional registration or cost.
When do activities start and finish???
Registration begins on August 1st. Travel Team Tryouts and House League Evaluations take place from the last weekend of September through mid-October. Official practices start in November and games generally begin the first Saturday in December. To make up for any “lost” weekends due to inclement weather, each team may play one or more games on Sunday afternoons throughout the season. All players are expected to be available for all games. We ask all families to consider this when signing up and making any plans that might prevent a player from participating in a game....their absence impacts their whole team! The season ends in late February and playoffs and All-Star games are conducted in early March.
Why does FSBL conduct evaluations???
House League players (elementary school aged players, middle school aged players and high school aged players) will be evaluated so that we can evenly distribute players based upon basketball skill, athleticism and size.
Does FSBL guarantee each team a practice each week???
FSBL will schedule every team to have at least one practice every week. However, if the schools close due to inclement weather ot any other reason, we are unable to conduct practices and usually will not reschedule practices. There is no guarantee of weekly practices.
Where do practices and games take place???
Mostly at Ashburn-based schools: Ashburn Elementary, Discovery Elementary, Dominion Trail Elementary, Steuart Weller Elementary, Hillside Elementary School, Farmwell Station Middle School, Trailside Middle School and Broad Run High School. There are also some practices and games held at public schools located in neighboring Sterling. “Away” games for our Travel teams take place at other middle schools in Loudoun County.
When do practices and games take place???
House league teams typically have one 90 minute practice session per week. During weeks where we have known blackouts due to school unavailability practices may be reduced to 60 minutes. The younger players (Grades 3 and 4) will typically practice from 1815- 1945 hrs (6:15-7:45 PM) and the older players (Grades 5, 6, 7 and 8) will typically practice from 1945-2115 hrs (7:45-9:15PM). High School players typically practice from 9:15-10:30pm. (these times can change without notice) Thus, if your player is in Grade 5 or higher it is very, very likely that they will practice from 1945-2115 hrs (7:45-9:15PM) ..... so be prepared. If this is unacceptable, then it's probably best that your player does not register for the FSBL league!
House League games generally take place on Saturday and they can start as early as 0830 hrs (8:30am) or as late as 1930 hrs (7:30pm). There may be times during the regular season that house league games may take place on Friday night or Sunday afternoons.
The High School division typically plays its games on Sunday afternoons and evenings. The Travel teams have two 90 minute practice sessions per week. Travel League games typically take place on Sunday afternoon or early evening.
I’d like to Coach, but I have never coached before???
The FSBL website has the link for coaches to use to register as a coach. New coaches are welcome in the FSBL. NBA coaches had to start somewhere! This would be a great time to start and a chance to do something positive with children. We will conduct some clinics for our coaches and some of the “veterans” are always willing to help. The web site also has pointers to some very informative websites.
Must I attend one of the MANDATORY Coaches Clinics if I want to coach???
Yes. If NBA Hall of Fame Coach Red Auerbach was still alive and wanted to coach in the FSBL, he would also have to attend the mandatory Coaches Clinic! The information presented at these sessions will make the time invested extremely worthwhile.
Can my child play on his friend's team???
Because the league conducts a draft, we cannot guarantee that friends will be picked by the same coach. Our primary goal is team parity. If we can honor the request without creating unbalanced teams, we will try to be accommodating. Your son or daughter is going to make a lot of new friends no matter what team they play for.
My child has other commitments on certain nights of the week but really wants to join the league. Can something be worked out???
Please note this when you register your player. Email the appropriate deputy commissioner as well to ensure that this request gets captured. The FSBL will make every effort to get your child on a team that practices on a night they are available. Again, we cannot guarantee this.
My player has commitments on Saturdays that would force him to miss up to half of the games unless his games can be scheduled first thing in the morning. Can this request be honored???
NO! When you sign your player up WE EXPECT ALL PLAYERS TO ATTEND EVERY PRACTICE AND EVERY GAME! Sure, kids get sick, emergencies come up, injuries happen. That we understand. But part of what we are trying to teach the players is a sense of commitment, working towards a team goal and putting their team before themselves. Help them make good decisions and help them keep the commitment they are making! Don’t sign them up for the FSBL if they aren’t committed to playing basketball.
What is the composition of teams and how are teams made up???
Our divisions are set up by school grades and gender. In our House League, we have 6 Boys divisions for each grade: Boys 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8. We have 3 Girls divisions for Grades 3 & 4, 5 & 6, and 7 & 8. The High School Divisions are Boys 9 & 10, Boys 11 & 12, and Girls 9 - 12. The League then conducts player evaluations to facilitate the formation of teams of "roughly" equal playing ability, experience, skill and size so as not to create a "stacked" team. Coaches typically draft the players that will be on their team.
