How to Start an ABA Franchise:

1. The costs to join the ABA are the following:

a. Regular teams = Either 1) a one-time $4,000,0000 fee or 2) a one-time $90,000 fee & a $5,250 annual league fee.
b. Federal Military Teams = A one-time $15,000 fee & a $5,250 annual league fee.

2. However, only the following ownership types are acceptable for both the “professional” & semi-professional teams:
a. A group of no more than 32 people per franchise, with one holding a minimum 30% stake (may be a religious group and/or non-
profit organization).
b. A publicly owned, non-profit corporation with a 7-member committee appointed by the board of directors :
i. No one is allowed to hold more than 200,000 shares.
ii. A share must cost at least $75 but no more than $250 2020 US dollars. all stocks do not include an equity interest, do not pay
dividends, cannot be traded, and has no protection under securities law.
iii. It also confers no season-ticket purchasing privileges. Shareholders receive nothing more than voting rights, an invitation to the
corporation's annual meeting, a 25% discount on official team merchandise, and an opportunity to purchase exclusive shareholder-
only merchandise.
c. A City and/or County Government.
d. The Federal Government (for the following military teams only – Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Merchant Marine,
Navy, & Space Force).
e. People are allowed to invest in the league itself in order to help bailout teams if they cannot support themselves financially:
i. As a result, all teams may have no more than 25% of the ownership rights go to the league.
f. All teams are required to release their financial balance sheet every year.
3. In addition, all ABA teams must have a stadium with all of the following:
a. A Combined Statistical Area or Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) of at least 300,000.
b. At least 2,000 total seating capacity (except for the Reserve & Federal Military Teams, who need at least 300).
c. Locker rooms with showers for both teams and officials.
d. PA system and scoreboard.
e. The ability to sell tickets and concession.

Roster & Salary Rules:

1. Roster Rules:
a. All ABA teams must have no more than 12 players, and all players are considered active:
i. All ABA teams with reserve teams can have a max of 2 additional players with “2-way contracts” for a total of 14 players:
a) All players with 2-way contracts are exempt from the Main ABA & the reserve team’s roster limits.
b) However, only players with 4 years of ABA experience or less are eligible for two-way contracts.

ii. Each team also has local tryouts in early September, and at least one player from the tryouts is assigned to the team.
iii. Player Numbers = any one-digit or two-digit number is acceptable (not both 0 and 00 on same team).
b. All ABA teams with reserve teams can call up eligible players & vice versa as many times as they choose:
i. All players with either of the following are eligible to be selected:
a) A 2-way contract.
b) College / International players = At least 4 years of experience playing professional basketball (both domestically & internationally).
c) High School players = At least 7 years of experience playing professional basketball (both in the g-league & internationally).
d) However, players with two-way contracts should be considered first before other players.

ii. After the regular-season for all reserve teams (or post-season, depending on each individual team) ends, the 2 players with 2-way
contracts can be brought up to the main ABA team to play in the final games of the regular-season as well as participate in the first
half of each post-season game, bringing the total roster to 14 players.
c. All ABA Teams are required to have at least 2 players that originated from within a 120mi / 193km radius of the team’s
metropolitan area. Eligibility requirements include the following:
i. Being born inside the aforementioned limit.
ii. Residing in the aforementioned limit for at least 5 years after graduating from college.
 iii. Playing high school basketball inside the aforementioned limit for at least 4 seasons.
iv. Playing college basketball inside the aforementioned limit for at least 3 seasons.
d. The Federal Military Teams can only have a max of 15 players from the following:
i. Air Force & Space Force = Air Force Academy.
ii. Army = US Military Academy.
iii. Coast Guard = Coast Guard Academy & Merchant Marine Academy.
iv. Marine Corps & Navy = Naval Academy, Merchant Marine Academy, & Virginia Military Institute.
v. Merchant Marine = Merchant Marine Academy, Naval Academy, & Coast Guard Academy.
vi. All Federal Military Teams = The Citadel, University of North Georgia ROTC, Norwich University Corps of Cadets, Texas A&M
University Corps of Cadets, Virginia Military Institute, & Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets.

2. The Salary Caps:

a. With the exception of the Federal Military Teams, All ABA teams cannot give guaranteed player contracts.
b. All ABA teams have a hard salary floor of $4 million & a hard salary cap of $25 million per season similar to the NFL for all 12
players on the roster:
i. The minimum salary for all players straight from high school not in 2-way contracts is $19,000 per season.
ii. The minimum salary for all players from college and/or international leagues not in 2-way contracts is $26,000 per season.
i. The maximum salary for all players is 25% of the team’s salary cap per season .
c. A hard salary cap means that all contracts which cause a team to violate a hard cap are subject to major sanctions, including
any of the following while breaching salary cap rules:
i. 1st offense = reduction of $1-5 million in their salary cap for the next season.
ii. 2nd offense = reduction of another $3-10 million their salary cap for the next season in addition to the previous reduction.
iii. 3rd offense = reduction of another $4-12 million in their salary cap for the next season in addition to the previous reductions & the
voiding of violating contracts.
iv. 4th offense = reduction of another $5-15 million in their salary cap for the next season in addition to the previous reductions, the
voiding of violating contracts, & the stripping of championships won.
e. Signing bonuses for drafted players is guaranteed money that's given regardless of whether the player stays or not (i.e. gets
cut):
i. Singing bonuses cannot be larger than $3 million.
ii. Example Contract = a basketball player right out of college signs a deal worth $22.1 million over 4 years, plus a $1.5 million signing
bonus. To minimize the impact on the salary cap, the team spreads the bonus over the life of the contract, in this case, $375,000
each year.
iii. However, all of the bonus money that was being prorated throughout the length of the contract still has to be paid if the player quits,
is released, traded or waived.
f. The Federal Military Teams:
i. All players can only play for a max of 5 years while also concurrently serving at their branches’ service academy as a tutor /
teacher’s assistant in a reserve capacity (i.e.at least 1 weekend a month); after this, they must serve for at least 3 years in active
duty.
ii. All players will be paid according to their rank (i.e. an O-1 playing for any of the Federal Military Teams will still earn the same pay
as any other O-1).
iii. All players cannot be promoted above O-3 Captain / Lieutenant until after their professional sports career is over.

The ABA Draft:

1. The ABA Draft is a 3-round draft:
a. The ABA Draft takes place in the final Thursday of June.
b. The selection order is based on 1) a lottery selection & 2) whether each team reached the playoffs:
i. Ping-pong balls numbered 1 through 8 for each level will be placed in a lottery machine:
1. All ping pong balls are placed in the lottery machine and they are mixed for 20 seconds; then the first ball is removed.
2. The process repeats until all teams have been assigned a pick.
3. The teams that failed to make the playoffs & the ones that did make it will have their own separate lottery, with the ones that didn’t make
it drafting first.

ii. The lowest level teams will draft first, with the highest-level teams drafting last.
2. All potential players must be at least 18 years old and meet the following requirements in order to become eligible to play in
the ABA:
a. High school players, but only if they have graduated from high school and have not yet attended college or junior college (similar
to the MLB First-Year Player Draft).
b. College & Junior College players - Options to meet the playing requirements:
i. Play at least 3 years of collegiate basketball (either in the US and/or Canada).
ii. Play at least 3 years of professional basketball outside of the ABA (for foreign players & domestic players skipping college by
signing with an international team only).
iii. At least 1 year of collegiate & 2 years of professional basketball internationally.
iv. At least 2 years of collegiate & 1 year of professional basketball internationally; Junior college players fit into this category.
c. All college players who declare for the draft and are not drafted remain eligible for college basketball unless and until they sign a
professional contract.
3. Ties between teams with identical records are determined by the following tiebreakers (in order):
a. Strength of schedule:
i. Strength of schedule is defined as the combined win-loss record for all 18 of the team's opponents in the previous season.
ii. Ties count as a half win and half loss).
b. The team with the lower strength of schedule (i.e. their opponents compiled fewer wins) is granted the earlier pick:
i. Teams with 6 wins or less participate in the first lottery for the top supplemental draft picks.
ii. The second group consists of non-playoff teams and follows the same weighted system.
iii. The third group consists of last season's 2 playoff teams and, again, follows the same lottery system.
iv. The team that posted the worst record among that group is given a weighted advantage over the following team, with each team's
"weight" being decreased on down the line until reaching the team with the best record in the group.
c. Record in common games against division opponents (if the teams are in the same division).
d. Record in common games against conference opponents (if the teams are in the same conference).
e. Coin flip(s), which occur(s) at the pre-draft ABA Combine.
4. The ABA Draft uses a territorial system:
a. All teams can only draft players that are born in and/or played high school / college basketball (regardless of division) in their
respective zones:
i. Example = San Antonio Spurs being only able to draft players south of Kentucky’s southern border (except for California & Nevada)
AND west of the Mississippi River (i.e. the blue area on the map below).
ii. All international players (including American players who have played abroad) can be drafted by any team.
b. Key for the map below:
i. Red = Northeast (Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New
York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, & Wisconsin).
ii. Green = Southeast (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee,
Virginia, the Virgin Islands, & Washington DC).
iii. Blue = Southwest (American Samoa, southern Arizona, Arkansas, California, Guam, Hawaii, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico,
Oklahoma, & Texas).
iv. Purple = Northwest (Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon,
South Dakota, Utah, Washington State & Wyoming)
c. However, all teams can trade players that they have already drafted to other teams outside of their respective zones in exchange
for players outside of their respective zones (in addition to being able to trade draft picks).
Court Dimensions:
1. Court Length = 94' x 50' (28.65m x 15.24m).
2. Size of Lane = 19’ x 16’ 8" (5.7912m x 5.08m).
3. Rim Height = 10’ (3.05m).
4. No Charge Zone Arc = 4.1’ (1.25m).
5. Center Circle Diameter = 11.81’ (3.6m).
6. Three-Point Arc Dimensions:
a. Arc Radius/FG Distance from the basket:
1. Top of the arc = 22’ 2”.
2. In the corner = 21’ 8”.
3. Minimum distance from sidelines = 4’ 1”.
Ball Dimensions (FIBA Rules):
1. The ball must use the same color pattern as the old ABA.
2. Circumference = 74.9-78 cm (29.5-30.7").

Timing Rules:
1. Duration of the game is 4 10-minute quarters.
2. Overtime periods are 5 minutes in duration:
a. There are no overtime periods during the preseason & the Summer League.
b. There is a max of 2 overtime periods per game during the regular-season.
c. There are no limits for overtime periods during the postseason.
3. The length of halftime is 15 minutes.
4. Rest Time Between 1st / 2nd and 3rd / 4th Periods = 2 minutes.
5. The shot clock is 24 seconds:
a. When play resumes with less than full amount on shot clock (e.g., defense taps ball out-of-bounds), shot clock does not start
until team establishes control inbounds.
b. The shot clock is not reset on a double foul or an alternating possession situation when the same team retains possession.
c. After an offensive rebound, the shot clock reverts to 14 seconds
d. The shot clock resets when the shot is released or the FG attempt hits rim.
e. The shot clock is reset after most fouls (personal or technical). 
f. The shot clock will reset to 14 seconds (instead of 24) after any of the following occur:
i. an offensive rebound of an unsuccessful field goal or free throw attempt which contacted the basket ring.
ii. a loose ball foul is called on the defensive team in the sequence immediately following an unsuccessful field goal or free throw
attempt which contacted the basket ring.
iii. the offensive team gains possession after the ball goes out of bounds in the sequence immediately following an unsuccessful field
goal or free throw attempt which contacted the basket ring.

6. The back violation occurs after 8 seconds; Count is not reset if ball is deflected out of bounds by defense or if possession is
retained because of an alternating possession throw-in.
7. The game clock stops after a successful FG during the last 2 minutes of the 4th period and any overtime period.
8. When play resumes with less than full amount on shot clock (e.g., defense taps ball out-of-bounds), shot clock does not start
until team establishes control inbounds.

Gameplay Rules:
1. Players are limited to 5 fouls (any combination of personal and technical):
a. All fouls involving contact, even when play is stopped, are personal fouls.
2. Bonus Free Throws:
a. A team is "in the bonus" after either of the following occurs:
i. 4th team foul per quarter (2 FTs).
ii. 2nd team foul in the last 2 minutes of the quarter.
b. Team fouls include all personal fouls and player (not coach) technical fouls. 
c. Extra periods are extensions of the 4th quarter.
3. Technical Foul = 1 free throw and possession of the ball at center.
4. Jump Ball = Yes:
a. On all held ball/jump ball situations during the game, play resumes with a (tossed) jump ball.
b. If the offense retains possession after a jump ball, the clock is reset to 14 seconds or remains the same if there were more than
24 seconds on the clock.
5. Legal Alley-Oop = Yes.
 6. Touch Ball On/Above Cylinder = Yes (Once the ball touches the rim or backboard, it's fair game):
a. Any player(s) can reach up and swat it away or tip it in.
b. All players are prohibited from touching the ball on its downward flight toward the basket before it hits the rim if it still has a
chance to enter the basket.
c. Reaching through the basket to play the ball is also a violation.
7. Closely Guarded For 5 Seconds = Yes (While holding or dribbling the ball within 3' (1m) anywhere on the court; not a
combination of both).
8. Number of Referees = Three (3).
9. 3-Point Shot (Status Change):
a. Once a 3-point shot has been released, if the ball is touched by any player in the 2-point area, the status of the shot changes to
a 2-point shot.
b. Note: If a shooter is fouled in the act of shooting for a 3-point goal and the shot is not successful, 3 free throws will be
awarded; the status of the shot does not change the status of the shooter.
10. Injured Player:
a. A 20-second timeout is automatically called and no team is charged with a time-out; 
b. Referee stops play at an appropriate time to deal with injury. 
c. If an injured player is entitled to free throws and must leave the game, the substitute shall attempt the throws.
11. Rebounding Own Shot Allowed = Yes (provided that the refs judge that it was a shot at goal).
12. Ball over Backboard:
a. The ball is still in play if it passes over the backboard in either direction, provided it does not hit a basket support.
13. Goaltending/basket interference:
a. No blocking a ball in downward flight towards the rim.
b. Once the ball strikes the rim, any player can play the ball (i.e. swat it away or tap it in).
14. All types of zone defenses are allowed, just like in NCAA and high school basketball without the 3-second restriction in the
key.
15. Once a player touches the frontcourt, that player has frontcourt status; the same applies to the backcourt. It is possible for a
player to have dual status as that player progresses from the backcourt to the frontcourt, so once the player touches the
frontcourt as a ball holder/dribbler, the player must continue to proceed to the frontcourt. 
Free Throw Rules:
1. The number of players permitted on free throw lane is 5 (3 opponents of shooter, 2 teammates). 
2. Rebound places, if left vacant, cannot be used by opponents.
3. Players in rebound places may leave on release of the free throw; others must remain behind the free throw line extended and
behind the 3-point line until the ball strikes the ring.
4. A violation by the free throw shooter overrides all other violations; if the free throw is successful and the shooter does not
violate, all other violations are ignored and the free throw counts.
5. All players have 5 seconds to attempt the free throw.
Timeout & Challenge Rules:
1. Each team gets 2 time-outs in first half, 3 in second half, and 1 per extra period:
a. One 60-second in each of the 1st three periods, two 60-second in 4th period.
b. All time-outs are 60 seconds in duration, & they do not accumulate.
2. All timeouts can only be called by the head coach at the scorer’s table during dead-ball situations.
3. The time-out will be granted on next play stoppage or, if requested in time, after the next field goal scored against the team
that requested the time-out.
4. No time-outs are allowed once a set of free throws has started (ball at disposal of free thrower for first or only free throw).
5. All ABA teams have 2 official challenges per game:
a. If the coach's challenge is successful -- that is, the ruling on the court is overturned -- then his team isn't charged with a timeout.
However, if the second challenge is successful, the team retains its timeout but no longer has a challenge.

b. If it's unsuccessful, it costs the team a timeout. A coach can't challenge any ruling if he doesn't have at least one timeout
remaining.
c. An unused challenge carries over from regulation to overtime and from one overtime period to the next overtime period, but a
team out of challenges at the end of regulation does not gain a new or additional challenge.
d. Within these time constraints, a team’s head coach may challenge the following select NBA replay triggers:
i. Not reasonably certain whether a successful field goal was released or a called foul was committed prior to the expiration of the 24-
second shot clock.
ii. Not reasonably certain as to which team should be awarded possession after a ball goes out-of-bounds or whether an out-of-bounds
in fact occurred.
iii. Not reasonably certain whether a called common foul or called clear path foul met the criteria of a clear-path-to-the-basket foul.
iv. Not reasonably certain as to which player should attempt free throws on a called foul.
v. Not reasonably certain as to whether the defender was inside or outside the restricted area (after the referees called a block or
charge foul in the vicinity of the restricted area).
vi. Not reasonably certain whether a goaltending or basket interference violation was called correctly.
vii. Not reasonably certain whether an off-ball foul occurred prior to any of the following:
1. an offensive player beginning his shooting motion on a successful field goal if the off-ball foul is committed by a defensive player.
2. a defensive foul committed prior to the ball being released on a throw-in.
3. the ball being released on a successful field goal or a double-foul if the off-ball foul is committed by an offensive player.

viii. Not reasonably certain whether a team had an improper number of players on the court while the ball is in play.
e. Referees will possess the sole and exclusive ability to initiate the following replay triggers at any point during the game:
i. Player altercation.
ii. Not reasonably certain whether a called foul met the criteria of a flagrant foul.
iii. A field goal is made with no time remaining on the clock at the end of any period.
iv. A foul is called with no time remaining on the clock at the end of any period.
v. A play concludes (i) with no time remaining on the clock (0:00) at the end of any period or (ii) at a point when the referees believe
that actual time may have expired in any period; and the referees are reasonably certain that the game clock malfunctioned during
the play.
f. Referees will possess the sole and exclusive ability to initiate the following replay triggers during the final two minutes of the
fourth period and at any point during overtime:
i. Not reasonably certain whether a successful field goal was scored correctly as a 2-point or 3-point field goal, or in the case of a
called shooting foul, whether the player was attempting a 2-point or 3-point field goal; and
ii. Not reasonably certain whether the ball touched the rim and thus whether the shot clock should be adjusted.

6. Procedures to Initiate a Challenge:

a. To initiate a challenge, the head coach must call a legal timeout in a timely manner:
i. For a timeout to be considered “timely”, the challenging coach must call the timeout prior to live play resuming including, for
example, prior to a referee handing the ball to the thrower-in, a referee handing the ball to a free throw shooter, or a referee tossing
a jump ball.
ii. Once these windows of opportunity have closed, any subsequent timeout no longer will be considered timely for purposes of
triggering a challenge; and, as a result, a team is no longer permitted to challenge a previous event.
b. Immediately after calling a timeout to initiate a challenge:
i. The coach shall press a button that will illuminate a blinking light positioned at the end of the scorer’s table closest to the challenging
team’s bench; and
ii. After the referee approaches the head coach following the stoppage in play, the coach shall explain to the referee the specific event
that he/she would like to challenge.
iii. If a team calls a timeout to challenge an event that may not be challenged, it will retain its challenge but will be charged with the
timeout.
iv. If a team calls a timeout to challenge an event but does not have any timeouts remaining, it will be charged an excessive timeout,
resulting in a technical foul, and no challenge review will take place.
 c. Standard of Review:
i. The Replay Center will help facilitate the review, but the on-court referees will make the final determination on all reviews.
ii. For each reviewable matter (regardless of whether it is triggered by a head coach or referee), the current reviewable matters as set
forth by NBA rules will apply.
iii. To overturn the call on the floor via a challenge, the visual evidence available on replay must be clear and conclusive. If the video is
inconclusive, the challenge will be deemed unsuccessful.
iv. If the replay equipment is not functional or the challenged event is not captured on video, the call on the floor will stand and the
challenging team will retain its challenge and timeout.

Substitution Rules:
1. A "substitution opportunity" begins when the clock is stopped and the ball is dead (i.e. after a whistle or after a field goal in the
last two minutes). It ends when the ball is placed at the disposal of a player making a throw-in, or placed at the disposal of a
free throw shooter for the first or only free throw. One major effect of this is to prevent substitutions during free throws.
2. Either team may sub on any foul, violation, alternating possession situation or time-out.
3. A sub for the free throw shooter must report before the free throw activity begins, and the opponents may send one
matching sub provided the sub reports before the ball is at the disposal of the free throw shooter for the last free throw:
a. These players may enter only if the last free throw is successful.
4. After a basket in the last 2 minutes of play, the team scored upon may initiate a substitution provided the substitute(s)
request is communicated to the officials (through the scorer) before the ball becomes live after the scoring of the basket:
a. If the team scored upon makes a substitution, the opponents may do so also.
5. Referee’s stoppages are included as substitution opportunities.

Season Structure:
1. Conference & Division Format:
a. Conference Format:
i. The Eastern Conference = teams east of the Mississippi River (except for Illinois & Wisconsin).
ii. The Western Conference = teams west of the Mississippi River.
b. Division Format:
i. The North Division = teams north of Kentucky’s southern border / The Missouri Compromise Line (except for Kentucky & Virginia).
ii. The South Division = teams south of Kentucky’s southern border / The Missouri Compromise Line.
c. There are 20 teams per level, with 5 teams from each division.
2. Promotion & Relegation Format:
a. The top 3 teams in each division in Level-2 / B-League will be promoted to Level-1 / A-League.
b. The bottom 3 teams in each division in Level-1 / A-League will be relegated to Level-2 / B League.
c. The same will apply to all of the other levels as well.
d. Reserve teams will play in the same league system as the senior team, rather than in a separate reserve team league:
i. However, they must play at least one level below their main side, and thus are ineligible for promotion to the A-League.

3. Uniform Rules:
a. Both teams must wear their dark color uniforms during games (similar to rugby or this NAL Championship Game) unless either
of the following occurs (i.e. mandatory “Color Rush”):
i. The teams share similar colors.
ii. If someone is colorblind (i.e. teams with red or green uniforms will not participate).
b. If that is the case, the designated home team will wear their dark color uniforms and the away team will wear either of the
following:
i. Their lighter color uniforms.
ii. An alternative darker color uniform.

4. Each team will receive premier points for entry into the postseason:
 a. Points are now used to determine which teams will advance into the postseason. Points are being implemented in order to
encourage attacking play throughout a game and to reward teams for "coming close" in losing efforts.
b. 3 points for winning a game in regulation.
c. 2 points for winning a game in overtime.
d. 1.5 points for drawing a game.
e. 0 points for losing a game.
f. 1 bonus point for losing by 10 points (or fewer) and/or in overtime.
g. 1 bonus point for scoring at least 100 points.
h. All teams can only have a max of 2 bonus points per game.
5. At the end of the regular season, the team with the best regular-season record (i.e. highest point total) is awarded the Maurice
Podoloff Trophy (Top Level/League), or the Supporter’s Shield (Lower Levels/Leagues):
a. For those who don't know, it echoes the practice of the top European soccer leagues in which the
team with the best regular-season record is the champion, similar to the Supporter’s Shield in
MLS.
b. The Supporter’s Shield winners are guaranteed home-court advantage in all rounds of the playoffs
they compete in, including the ABA Level championships.
c. However, the awards can just be a certificate in a frame.
d. Tiebreaker criteria when competitors are level on points:
i. The team that won the head-to-head match (if applicable) is ranked first.
ii. If this game was a draw, then the team with the more wins is ranked first.
iii. Point difference (PD) = is the number of points scored in all league matches minus the number of points conceded.
iv. Points for (PF) = is the total number of points scored by a team over the course of the regular-season.
v. Points against (PA) = is the number of goals scored against them by their opponents over the course of the regular-season.
vi. Fewest disciplinary actions.
vii. Strength of schedule = two-third (66 2/3%) for the opponent's record and one-third
(33 1/3%) for the opponents' opponents record.
viii. Total number of points scored on the road.
ix. Road point difference.
x. Total number of points scored @ home.
xi. Home point difference.
xii. If still identical, a play-off is required.
xiii. Coin toss (2 teams) or drawing of lots (at least 3 teams).

6. The 4-game (2h/2a) preseason is a domestic exhibition series that starts in the first week of October and ends in mid-October:
a. All ABA players must play in at least 2 games during the preseason/international exhibition games at home before the start of the
regular season.
b. There must be a 2-day break in between games during each tour, a 3-day break in-between tours, and another 3-day break
between the end of the preseason & start of the regular-season.
c. All preseason tickets (including national team exhibitions) must not cost more than 2017 US$35 (must be adjusted for inflation).
7. The regular season is a 50-game (25h/25a) season that starts in Late October and ends in Early February:
a. Each team plays 10 games (2h/2a) against all of the other 4 teams in their division (40 Games).
b. Each team plays 6 games (3h/3a) against 1 team from the other in-conference division at their level based on the final division
standings from the prior season (i.e., Eastern South #1 plays Eastern North #1, etc.) (6 Games).
c. Each team plays 4 games (2h/2a) against 1 team from the other conference at their level based on the final division standings
from the prior season (i.e., Eastern South #1 plays Western South #1, etc.) (4 Games).
8. Playoffs - the post-season for all levels is an 8-team Best-of-Series tournament:
a. There must be a 3-day break in-between the end of the
regular-season and the start of the postseason tournament.
b. The 4 teams that enter the tournament are the top 4 teams
from each conference:
i. The top 4 teams in each conference are ranked in order
by their amount of premier points, & teams are never
"reseeded".
c. The 1st Round (Conference Semifinals):
 i. 1v4 & 2v3 for each conference
ii. The first round is a best 2-of-3 series in a 1-1-1 format.
d. The 2nd Round (Conference Finals):
i. 1/4 vs 2/3 for each division.
ii. The second round is a 3-of-5 series in a 2-2-1 format.
e. The 3rd Round (ABA Level/League Championships):
i. Eastern Finalist vs Western Finalist
ii. The final round is a 4-of-7 series in a 2-2-1-1-1 format.
iii. The lower-ranked team hosts the second 2 games, and the teams alternate between the final 3 games.

9. Order of Season (# of Games):

a. ABA preseason / international crossover (6)
b. ABA Regular Season (50)
c. ABA Postseason (9-15)
d. ABA Interleague Cup (6)
e. Total Games = 71-77

Pricing Minimums:
All revenue from each game will directly fund that specific branch of the military.

Tickets:
All ticket prices are in 2017 US$ & must be adjusted for inflation.
All current servicemembers (including ROTC & Service Academy students) & veterans will receive a 50% discount for all games
associated with the Federal Military Teams, regardless of branch;
Type: Individual: Full-Season: Group (1 game):
Upper Sections/Endzones = $10 Upper Sections/Endzones = $78 Upper Sections/Endzones = $8
Middle Sections = $20 Middle Sections = $135 Middle Sections = $12.50
Adults (18-64) Lower Sections = $30 Lower Sections = $180 Lower Sections = $22.50
Club & Suites = $75 Club & Suites = $315 Club & Suites = $56.25
Children (5-17; 4 & under are free) & Upper Sections/Endzones = $63 Upper Sections/Endzones = $8
Upper Sections/Endzones = $8
Middle Sections = $120 Middle Sections = $10
College students (if sharing stadium) Middle Sections = $12.50
Lower Sections = $170 Lower Sections = $12.50
Lower Sections = $22.50
Club = $245 Club = $22.50
Seniors (ages 65 & up) Club & Suites = $56.25
Suites = $405 Suites = $33.75
The group must include at least 5
Includes only a single game Includes all 9 home games
people, regardless of their ages

Concessions:
Item: Main Professional Pyramid Price: Semi-Professional Pyramid Price:
Hot Dog No more than $3.91 No more than $3.09
Soda No more than $3.43 No more than $2.96
Beer No more than $6.12 No more than $4.58
Programs No more than 83¢
Parking No more than $4.67 No more than $2.89