None of the rules differ by gender.

The competition is governed by the official FECAPA regulations.

The rules set out below are exceptions or particulars that override the provisions of the regulations adopted as the governing framework.

The disciplinary committee has the final say in settling any rule changes.

All participants in the tournaments published on this website must be registered in its database and have accepted the rules set out here. In doing so, participants declare that they are aware of the risks involved in playing inline hockey and voluntarily assume, under their own responsibility, any property damage or personal injury they may suffer as a result in the matches they play in the tournaments published on this website, releasing both this website and all of the organizers from any liability for causing it.

This website recommends that all participants be covered by individual insurance.

The rink must meet certain minimum conditions and requirements for inline hockey to be played properly.

Layout of the area for the teams off the rink:

• All rinks must have a scorer's table.
• A team bench for the coach and players must be placed on each side of the scorer's table. Team benches may consist of individual chairs or a bench.
• No one without a valid license may be in the designated team bench area.
• A penalty chair or bench must be provided on each side of the scorer's table.

The scorer's table:

• It must have room for a rink delegate.
• The home team is responsible for providing a person to run the table.
• The table may be run by a player taking part in the match.
• This table must have the best possible view of the play.

Rinks must have locker rooms for both teams and the referees, with enough showers and restrooms.

All rinks where competitions are held must meet the following specifications:

• An electronic scoreboard showing playing time and goals, placed in a visible location.
• A tabletop stopwatch in case the electronic timing fails.
• Four used game pucks or two new ones available to the referee.

If, in the referee's judgment, the colors of the two teams' uniforms could cause confusion, the away team or the team listed second in the competition calendar must change uniforms.

To address this possibility, all teams taking part in the competitions must have two sets of jerseys in different colors, or else pinnies.

The referees of a match must always wear the same uniform.

In the competition, three points will be awarded to the winner of a match, zero to the loser and one to each team in the event of a tie, plus an additional point to the team that wins the shootout.

Teams must provide the Committee with the day and time of the matches at their rink so that the calendar can be drawn up.

Clubs may request changes to the competition calendar with the prior agreement of the opposing team and always notifying the Committee.

The competition has the following category: Veterans/Amateurs.
Teams in this category may be mixed.
The Committee will be made up of one delegate from each club and will have ultimate responsibility for all competition decisions (calendar, competition rules, …).

A medical checkup is not required to obtain a license.

A player's license must be processed before their first match.

Any player, coach or team may unilaterally withdraw from the competition without incurring any sanction.

Players must be of legal age (18+) to play in this competition.

Players (other than goalies) must not be federated or, in any case, must not have played a match in the current season with a FECAPA license.

Clubs may hold as many licenses as they see fit for players from countries outside the European Union.

Participating teams must have at least “six” licenses. In other words, the minimum to take part in the competition is six players per team.

If the goalie is injured or sent off during a match, they will be replaced by a skater.

A player may only belong to one team.

A goalie may play for other teams “on loan”.

If a player leaves a team, they may not play for another team once the season has passed its halfway point.

As a general rule:

• The age limit is 25+ and they must have gone at least 1 year without being federated.
• The age limit is 18+ and they must have gone at least 4 years without being federated.
• The age limit is 35+ and they cannot be federated in the current season.

Exceptionally:

• Aged between 18 and 24 and having gone between 1 and 3 years without being federated.
• Federated in ice hockey.

A maximum of 2 players may be fielded under the exceptional criteria per team per match.

If a player meets two exceptions (e.g., under 25 + federated in ice hockey), they are considered to take up both permitted exceptions.

A federated goalie cannot play as a skater.

A team that fails to comply with the lineup rules will be sanctioned with:

• Match lost.
• Penalty of -3 points.

The sanction may be applied retroactively.

Playing time consists of two 25-minute halves with a running clock.

One timeout per half is allowed for each team.

The half-time break is 5 minutes.

The referee must stop the clock when a player is sent off and an argument or time-wasting occurs.

A match must always end with a winner, so in the event of a tie it will be decided by a penalty shootout.

Each team will receive one point, plus an extra point for the team that wins the shootout. Three penalty shots will be taken and, if the tie persists, each team will take one penalty shot until one scores and the other misses.

Ties on points in the final standings of the competitions must be resolved.

If two teams are tied:

• Most points obtained in the matches played between the two of them.
• Best goal difference (goals scored minus goals conceded) in the matches played between these two teams only.
• Best goal difference (goals scored minus goals conceded) in all the competition matches they have played.
• Highest ratio obtained by dividing the total goals for by the total goals against in all the competition matches they have played.
• Tiebreaker matches at a neutral rink.

If more than two teams are tied:

• Most points in a separate standings table made up of the matches played between the tied teams.
• Best goal difference (goals scored minus goals conceded) in all the matches played between them.
• Best goal difference (goals scored minus goals conceded) of each team in all the competition matches.
• Most goals scored by each tied team in all the competition matches.
• Highest overall ratio obtained by dividing the total goals for by the total goals against in all the competition matches.
• Whenever playoff spots are being decided, if the tie between more than two teams persists after applying the above, a draw presided over by the Committee must be held.
  In any case, if after applying any of the successive tiebreaker rules only two teams remain tied, the remaining criteria in this section will not be taken into account, and the criteria set out in the first section for resolving a tie between two teams will automatically apply.

Every team is entitled to postpone a match provided that the following conditions are met:

1. The opposing team must have two or more weeks free of matches so that a date can be chosen.
2. The opposing team must be notified at least 24 hours before the match date.

The team requesting the change must first propose a new match date.

A match cannot be postponed more than once per team.

If a match is postponed due to force majeure, it is up to the committee to declare the exception valid.

The team that is offered a new match date has 1 month to agree to it or propose another date.

The time allowed to respond is limited to the league end date.

A postponed match cannot be played more than one week after the league end date.

Matches may be suspended for the following reasons:

• Force majeure, as assessed by the Committee.
• Defects arising in the rink or the technical equipment that prevent normal play.
• Bad weather.
• Spectator behavior that disrupts or prevents the normal course of the match.
• Failure of one or both teams to appear.
• Insubordination or collective misconduct by members of one or both teams.
• Either team not having the minimum number of players required by the rules of play.

The result of a canceled match is 5-0 against the sanctioned team.

The home club must appoint a rink delegate.

The rink delegate must sit next to the scoring and timekeeping table and will have the following duties:

• Welcome the referee upon arrival at the venue and make sure that their instructions regarding the repair of technical defects or any matters of order they deem necessary are followed.
• Introduce themselves to the away team's captain and delegate before the match starts to offer their assistance.
• Make sure the referees' fees are paid.
• Keep track of the time and of players who are sent off.
• Ensure strict compliance with the provisions of these rules on the prevention of violence.
• Prevent anyone other than the match referees, the team delegates, and the captains and coaches (to sign the match report) from entering the referees' locker room. Under no circumstances may anyone not requested by the referees enter the referees' locker room.

In general, the rink delegate is responsible for good order and safety during the match.

The referee is the highest and final authority on the technical decisions made during the match. Consequently, the other participants must abide by their decisions without protest or argument.
Under no circumstances may the referee be a player belonging to one of the teams in the match.
Match participants must cooperate with the referee and support them in carrying out their duties.

The referee must show the spectators and the match participants all due consideration and respect, which is entirely compatible with the authority vested in them as a sports official. Under no circumstances should the referee address the spectators.

The referee is responsible for bringing the match report and a marker, pen or pencil to fill it in.

For players who show up without a license:

• This must be noted on the match report and, after verifying the player's identity with their national ID card (DNI) or a similar original document, the referee must have the player sign the remarks section of the match report, stating the number and type of document presented.
• If the player without a license does not present a DNI or similar document, they may not be entered on the match report and may not play in the match.

At the end of the match, the delegates have ten minutes to sign the match report. Signatures must be accompanied by each signatory's DNI number, and the signatories will be the persons entitled to file any subsequent complaints.

The referee must send the match report to the Committee, along with any supplementary documents or information, if applicable.

Given the presumption of accuracy that match reports enjoy, the referee is responsible for the truthfulness and correctness of the information recorded in them.

Clubs may submit a report or complaint about incidents that occurred and were not recorded in the match report, in writing to the Committee, without needing to protest the match report.

A “protest” of the match report must be limited to cases in which, in the opinion of the club filing it, the incidents that occurred are not recorded or are recorded inaccurately. The “protest” must be lodged by the delegate of the protesting team, as recorded on the match report, by writing the word “protest” next to their signature, and the delegate of the opposing team must write the word “acknowledged” next to their signature.

A signed match report may be amended within the following 24 hours, provided that the resulting document is approved by all three parties involved (home team, away team and referee).

A signed match report cannot be amended after 24 hours. In the event of a complaint, the disciplinary committee will decide whether the change is warranted.

The reporting team or referee will submit a report on the incident through one of the three available communication channels:

• BHL phone/WhatsApp (Hugo)
• Email: info@barcelonahockeyleague.com
• Web: https://www.barcelonahockeyleague.com/en/contacto

Any report may be accompanied by visual material or voice notes to support the account.

The disciplinary committee will review all the documentation provided.

Only complaints submitted through the official communication channels will be considered.

None of the parties involved may speak directly with members of the disciplinary committee about the incident.

If one of the parties involved is a member of the disciplinary committee, they must remain silent throughout the process and will not be entitled to vote.

If more information is needed to establish the extent of the facts, the disciplinary committee will obtain it through BHL's official representative (Hugo).

The maximum time to reach a decision is 7 calendar days.

The sanction will be communicated to the referee and the delegates of the teams involved.

If any of the parties wishes to file an appeal, they have 3 calendar days from the first decision. The appeal must be submitted through the official channels in a new report setting out the relevant grounds.

The committee will have 4 calendar days from the submission of the last appeal to issue a final decision and close the process.

For every 15 penalties committed by a player, regardless of the minutes of each penalty, the player will receive a 1-match suspension.

Sanctions for assault:

• First offense: 1 match.
• Second offense: 3 matches.
• Third offense: 5 matches.
• Fourth offense: Ban for the rest of the season.

If a player is banned for the rest of the season, the minimum number of matches to be served is 10.

The sanction for disrespecting a referee is 1 match (subject to review by the disciplinary committee).

If the season ends before a player has served all their suspension matches, the remaining matches will carry over to the following season.

A skater may take part in the tournament as long as they have played at least 6 league matches with the team they will be playing for.

A goalie may take part in the tournament if they meet one of the following rules, in ascending order:

1. At least 4 league matches played with the team they will be playing for.

2. At least 8 league matches played with one or more of the teams registered in the league.

If a team does not have a goalie, it may put one of its other players (from its playoff lineup) in goal or withdraw from the tournament.

If a playoff team withdraws from the tournament, its place will go to the next-ranked team in the league.