The Ontario Basketball League (OBL) is an inclusive, age- and ability-appropriate, province-wide league structure run by Ontario Basketball designed to provide meaningful competition for male and female athletes in all age categories (U10 Novice to U19 Junior) and all levels of play (OBLX, AAA, AA and A) to promote safe and stage-appropriate athlete development according to Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) principles.
Note: OBL participation is not mandatory to participate in Ontario Cup Provincial Championships.
Levels of Play
OBLX
AAA
AA
A
When registering for OBL, coaches have to declare their level of play (OBLX, AAA, AA and A) based on where they feel their teams will thrive. Once all teams are registered, previous Ontario Cup rankings and coaches’ suggestions will be used to rank teams and to create the league pools and schedules, with the goal of making games as competitive as possible.
For OBLX, the top 8 teams from last season’s Ontario Cup will receive an automatic invitation into the pool.
Competition Structure
OBLX
OBL
Age Categories: U13 Bantam to U16 Major Midget
Level of Play: Elite
Teams per Pool: 14 teams (maximum)
Games: 14 games (Based on a 14-team division)
Competition Weekends: 5 weekends
Games on Weekend 1: 2 games (1 day)
Games on Weekend 2: 4 games (2 days)
Games on Weekend 3: 3 games (2 days)
Games on Weekend 4: 4 games (2 days)
Games on Weekend 5: 1 guaranteed game in single-elimination tournament to determine OBL X Champion (1-2 days, depending on individual team results)
Games per Day: 2 games (maximum)
Game Days: Saturdays and Sundays
Game Times: 9:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 3:00 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 6:00 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. (Saturdays only)
Game Schedules: Games will be scheduled at locations across the province. Teams participating in OBLX should expect to travel for their competition weekends.
Award for OBLX Champions: The #1 seed at the 2017 Ontario Cup Provincial Championships
Age Categories: U10 Novice to U19 Junior
Levels of Play: AAA, AA and A
Teams per Pool: 7 teams
Games: 12 games (6 games within your initial pool, re-ranking, then remaining 6 games determine Pool Champions)
Competition Weekends: 5 weekends
Games on Weekends 1, 2 and 3: 2 games (1 day)
Games on Weekends 4 and 5: 2 games (1 day) on one weekend and 4 games (2 days) on the other weekend
Games per Day: 2 games
Game Days: Saturdays and Sundays
Game Times: 9:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 3:00 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 6:00 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. (Saturdays only and for U13 Bantam teams and older)
Game Schedules: Games will be scheduled in an effort to accommodate teams from outside the GTA. For example, teams traveling from Kingston or London will not have games scheduled until late morning and later afternoon on Saturday (and Sunday morning for the 4-game weekend) to ease travel arrangements.
Award for Pool Champions: Team featured on OBA website
2017-18 Season Schedule
The following are the confirmed competition weekend dates for each age category:
| Age Category | Weekend 1 | Weekend 2 | Weekend 3 | Weekend 4 | Weekend 5 | Ontario Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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| U10 | Nov 4-5 | Dec 2-3 | Jan 13-14 | Feb 3-4 | Feb 24-25 | March 23-25 |
| U11 | Nov 4-5 | Dec 2-3 | Jan 13-14 | Feb 3-4 | Feb 24-25 | March 23-25 |
| U12 | Nov 4-5 | Dec 2-3 | Jan 13-14 | Feb 3-4 | Feb 24-25 | March 23-25 |
| U13 | Nov 18-19 | Dec 9-10 | Jan 20-21 | Feb 10-11 | March 17-18 | April 13-15 |
| U14 | Nov 18-19 | Dec 16-17 | Jan 27-28 | Feb 24-25 | March 24-25 | April 13-15 |
| U15 | Dec 2-3 | Jan 13-14 | Feb 3-4 | Mar 3-4 | April 14-15 | April 27-29 |
| U16 | Dec 2-3 | Jan 13-14 | Feb 3-4 | Mar 3-4 | April 14-15 | April 27-29 |
| U17 | Dec 9-10 | Jan 13-14 | Feb 3-4 | Mar 3-4 | April 14-15 | May 4-6 |
| U19 | Dec 9-10 | Jan 13-14 | Feb 3-4 | Mar 3-4 | April 14-15 | May 4-6 |
|
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| U10 | Nov 11-12 | Dec 2-3 | Jan 20-21 | Feb 10-11 | Feb 24-25 | April 6-8 |
| U11 | Nov 11-12 | Dec 9-10 | Jan 20-21 | Feb 10-11 | Feb 24-25 | April 6-8 |
| U12 | Nov 11-12 | Dec 9-10 | Jan 20-21 | Feb 10-11 | Feb 24-25 | April 6-8 |
| U13 | Nov 25-26 | Dec 16-17 | Jan 27-28 | Mar 3-4 | April 7-8 | April 20-22 |
| U14 | Nov 25-26 | Dec 16-17 | Jan 27-28 | Mar 3-4 | April 7-8 | April 20-22 |
| U15 | March 17-18 | March 24-25 | April 14-15 | April 21-22 | April 28-29 (OBLX only) | May 11-13 |
| U16 | March 17-18 | March 24-25 | April 14-15 | April 21-22 | April 28-29 (OBLX only) | May 11-13 |
| U17 | March 24-25 | April 7-8 | April 28-29 | May 12-13 | May 5-6 (OBLX only) | May 25-27 |
| U19 | March 24-25 | April 7-8 | April 28-29 | May 12-13 | May 5-6 (OBLX only) | May 25-27 |
Locations
Cost
Ontario Basketball has secured numerous quality venues across the GTA to host OBL games throughout the season. Additionally, several member clubs have committed to hosting OBL games outside of the GTA.
Check out the list of confirmed OBL facilities.
Note: This is not a complete list. As facilities are confirmed, they will be added to the list.
If you are interested in hosting OBL games, please contact Tyler Harding to discuss becoming an official OBL host.
- OBL: $1,800 (12 games)
- OBLX (U13-U15): $2,100 (14 games*)
- OBLX (U16): $2,500 (14 games*)
*Based on a 14-team division
Registration Deadlines
U10 to U12 Boys & Girls
Oct. 9
U13 to U14 Boys & Girls
Oct. 23
U15 to U19 Girls
Nov. 6
U15 to U19 Boys
Feb. 5
Benefits
- Not-for-profit league managed by sport governing body
- Standardized cost structure
- Inclusive model
- Competition divided to cater to varying skill levels
- Re-ranking after first 6 OBL games to provide most relevant competition for remaining games
- Automatically eligible for Ontario Cup Provincial Championships
- Increased opportunity to have accurate ranking for Ontario Cup Provincial Championships
- Less administrative responsibility for coaches and administrators
- OBL Pool Champions featured on website
- Winner of OBLX in each age category receives the #1 seed at Ontario Cup Provincial Championships
- Select U16 OBLX games will be livestreamed
- All-Star Game Showcase for top U10 Novice to U19 Junior players
Ontario Cup Ranking & Seeding
All OBL teams will be eligible for Ontario Cup Provincial Championships, but OBL participation is not mandatory to participate in Ontario Cup. The Ranking and Seeding Committee will consider game results from all OBL games and sanctioned tournaments and games (submitted online by the appropriate deadlines) when determining the final rankings for Ontario Cup.