Our Purpose

The purpose of the Ontario Basketball League (OBL) is to create an inclusive, age- and ability-appropriate, province-wide league structure that promotes meaningful competition, develops sportsmanship, and focuses on athletic excellence for athletes of both genders in all age categories (U9 to U19). Ontario Basketball promotes safe and stage-appropriate athlete development according to Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) principles.

League Summary

The league will be open to all Ontario Basketball member club teams at both genders and at all ages (U9 to U19).

League Schedule

Teams will play a total of 12 games over the course of five weekends, with two to four games per weekend. Games will tip-off at 9:00 am, 10:30 am, 12:00 pm, 1:30 pm, 3:00 pm, 4:30 pm and 6:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays (game times may vary based on facility permits).

The dates below are the competition weekends for each age category for the 2025-26 OBL season.

Non-bolded are the scheduled 2 game weekends (on either Saturday or Sunday) and bolded are the scheduled 4 game weekends (on both Saturday and Sunday) for OBL pools.

Due to the complexity of the league, there is no guarantee that scheduling requests will be accommodated. We will consider team requests within the constraints of the league’s overall schedule. Please contact obl@basketball.on.ca should you have a scheduling request.

Please note that requests made after the schedule has been finalized and released may not be accepted.

2025-2026 Tentative League Schedule

Age CategoryWeekend #1Weekend #2Weekend #3Weekend #4Weekend #5
Female
U9 GirlsNov 8-9 (4-game)Jan 10-11 (4-game)
U10 GirlsOct 25-26Nov 15-16 (4-game)Dec 13-14Jan 17-18Feb 7-8
U11 GirlsOct 25-26Nov 15-16 (4-game)Jan 10-11Jan 31-Feb 1Feb 14-15
U12 GirlsOct 25-26Nov 22-23 (4-game) Jan 17-18Jan 31-Feb 1Feb 14-15
U13 GirlsNov 1-2Dec 6-7 (4-game) Jan 10-11Jan 31-Feb 1Mar 7-8
U14 GirlsNov 8-9Dec 13-14 (4-game)Jan 17-18Feb 7-8Mar 7-8
U15 GirlsNov 29-30Dec 13-14Jan 24-25Feb 21-22Apr 11-12 (4-game)
U16 GirlsNov 29-30Dec 13-14Jan 24-25Feb 14-15Apr 11-12 (4-game)
U17 GirlsNov 29-30Jan 31-Feb 1 (4-game)Feb 21-22Feb 28-Mar 1Apr 11-12
U19 WomenDec 6-7Jan 24-25Feb 7-8Feb 28-Mar 1Apr 18-19 (4-game)
Male
U9 BoysNov 8-9 (4-game)Jan 10-11 (4-game)
U10 BoysOct 25-26Nov 22-23 (4-game)Jan 10-11Jan 24-25Feb 14-15
U11 BoysNov 1-2Nov 15-16Nov 29-30Jan 31-Feb 1 (4-game)Feb 14-15
U12 BoysOct 25-26Nov 15-16Nov 29-30Jan 24-25 (4-game)Feb 14-15
U13 BoysNov 1-2Nov 22-23Dec 13-14Jan 17-18Feb 21-22 (4-game)
U14 BoysNov 8-9Dec 6-7Jan 10-11Feb 7-8 (4-game)Feb 28-Mar 1
U15 BoysFeb 28-Mar 1Mar 7-8Mar 28-29Apr 18-19 (4-game)Apr 25-26
U16 BoysFeb 28-Mar 1Mar 7-8Mar 28-29Apr 25-26 (4-game)May 2-3
U17 BoysMar 7-8Mar 28-29Apr 11-12May 2-3 (4-game)May 9-10
U19 MenMar 7-8Mar 28-29Apr 18-19May 2-3May 9-10 (4-game)

Fees

The registration fee for OBL is TBD (12 games). Instructions on how to register for the season can be found using the link: https://basketball.on.ca/competitions/obl/obl-registration/

U9 Fee and Season Format

The regular season for U9 Boys/Girls division will consist of two 4-game weekends (8 games total).
1) November 8th – 9th
2) January 10th – 11th
After the second 4-game weekend, pool champions will be crowned.

Please note: there will not be an OBLX division for the U9 age group and the traditional re-rank process will not take place.

The 2025-26 OBL Fee for U9 teams participating in the U9 age group is TBD.

Late Fee

Teams who register past the registration deadline date will be subject to a late fee of $150 on top of the registration fee. This late fee extension will be applied for one week past the original deadline date. Teams will not be accepted after the late fee deadline passes. This is implemented to ensure that we maintain an organized and efficient registration process.

Registration Deadlines

The following below is a summary of the registration deadlines.

Date Age Groups
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2025 Registration opens for all age groups
Friday, September 26th, 2025 U9 – U12 Girls & U9 – U12 Boys Registration and Payment Deadline
Friday, October 3rd, 2025 U13 – U14 Girls & U13-U14 Boys Registration and Payment Deadline
Friday, October 31st, 2025 U15 – U19 Girls/Women Registration and Payment Deadline
Friday, January 30th, 2026 U15 – U16 Boys Registration and Payment Deadline
Friday, February 7th, 2026 U17 – U19 Boys/Men Registration and Payment Deadline

Division Breakdown

When registering through RAMP Interactive, teams must select a competition level (A, AA, AAA, OBLX). After the registration deadline, pools of 6-7 teams are aligned prioritizing the competition level selected while also taking into consideration how teams finished at the Provincial Championships/Ontario Cup from the previous season. If a team did not participate in the Provincial Championships/Ontario Cup from the previous season, they will be aligned with teams based on the competition level selected.

We do not take into consideration off-season transactions or game results from sanctioned leagues, tournaments and exhibition results when aligning pools at the beginning of the OBL season.

When registering through RAMP please use a valid coaches’ e-mail address as that will be the primary method of communication for anything OBL related.

Schedules are released approximately 1-2 weeks prior to the competition weekend.

After the first 6 games, the OBL re-rank takes place where teams move up and down based on the results of the OBL season and pools are re-aligned and schedules are created for the last 6 games.

The OBL re-rank only takes into consideration OBL games. Sanctioned leagues, tournaments and exhibition game results are used towards the final rankings for Ontario Cup.

The team with the best record post re-rank are crowned Pool Champions and winning teams will be delivered medals.

Locations

Ontario Basketball has secured various venues across the province to host OBL games throughout the season. Teams are expected to travel.

If you are interested in hosting OBL games, please fill out the inquiry form here.

Re-rank System

Like many other leagues, the Ontario Basketball League (OBL) strives to keep games as close, and as competitive as possible. In previous years, we’ve adopted a re-rank system, where teams who have been in pools that don’t match their skill level, are allocated to different pools, in order to play more competitive basketball. This year, we will be taking that a step further by adopting the basis point (BP) method – which will not only provide transparency to clubs, but ultimately aid in making more objective decisions.

To calculate a team’s basis points – we will be taking one metric into account; win and loss margins.

1,000 basis points will be allocated in total to each game based on the following

  • 1-9 point win = 600 points
  • 10-19 point win = 700 points
  • 20+ point win = 800 points
  • 1-9 point loss = 400 points
  • 10-19 point loss = 300 points
  • 20+ point loss = 200 points
  • Forfeit = score will be recorded as (2-0) for the favoured team

Take a look at the example pool below.

After 3 weeks of basketball, right before the re-rank, the standings are as follows.

Now, using the results from each game, we can complete the basis point (BP) calculation.

Looking at the first game of weekend 1 – Club C beat Team B by 10 points, meaning Club C would be awarded 700 basis points, and Club B would be awarded 300.

After completing this for each matchup – the calculations are as follows.

From here, we would average the pool’s total basis points, as well as find the standard deviation, to determine if there are any outliers. (Note: Outlier cutoffs are found by adding/subtracting one unit of standard deviation to the pool average.)

Looking at this, we can objectively tell that Team B is an outlier, and to have more competitive weekends in the future – it would be best to reassign them to a lower pool.

Notice that while Team F is also an outlier, it is unlikely that they will be reassigned to a higher pool due to their number of losses. (More than one loss shows competition within the pool.)

Please Note
Participation in the Ontario Basketball League is now mandatory for all teams hoping to participate in Provincial Championships but not mandatory to participate in the Ontario Cup.

All U9 teams are permitted to join Ontario Cup; however, they will be placed in the U10 Ontario Cup age group and grouped accordingly based on the results submitted.

Due to the increase in number of teams who registered for OBLX at some age groups, at the beginning of the season Pool A and Pool B will be designated as OBLX pools.

Post OBL re-rank, teams in OBLX (Pool A) will be eligible for Provincial Championships. Pool B winners (team with the best record post re-rank) will also be eligible for Provincial Championships.