Pro tour · Rules
Pro tour rules
How a Clutch21 Pro tour game is won, how the season is won, and what it takes to be on the card.
Season format & points
The season runs across six city stops and a Finals. Every stop is a sixteen-player single-elimination bracket.
- Entry. Eight seeded professionals per stop, plus eight qualifiers from the open bracket held the previous day.
- Points. Winner 100, runner-up 70, semi-finalists 45, quarter-finalists 30, round of 16 15.
- Qualification. The top eight of the season table after Stop 06 advance to the Finals.
- Finals. Straight knockout from the quarter-finals, seeded by season position. The champion is decided on the night.
- Tie-breaks. Season ties are broken by stop wins, then head-to-head, then point difference.
- One season, not a rolling window. The Pro table starts at zero in March and every stop counts. That is the opposite of the Am World Series, and deliberately so: a tour with six events cannot afford to discard any of them.
Pro tour eligibility
These are the requirements to enter the Pro tour — the signed field playing the six city stops and the Finals. They are professional-tour conditions, and they do not govern the Am World Series.
- Age. Pro tour players must be 18 or older on the date of their first game. An athlete who turns 18 during the season is in the Elite class from the start of that season, but does not take the court on the Pro tour until the birthday itself.
- Registration. A completed league licence, a valid passport or ID, and a signed participation agreement are required before a first game.
- Medical. A physician’s clearance dated within twelve months of the first game must be on file.
- Club commitments. Players under contract to a club must supply written release from that club before entering a stop.
- Under-18s. Youth brackets run on the Am World Series side, never the Pro tour, and a guardian’s consent is required before a minor competes. Youth sign-ups do not open until that consent flow is in place.
The game
The same game in both competitions
Everything below this line is identical on the Pro tour and in the Am World Series. What differs is above it: the format, the points and who may enter.
The game
Twenty-one is played half court, one against one, on a regulation half court with a size 7 ball.
- Scoring. A basket made inside the three-point arc is worth one point. A basket made with both feet behind the arc is worth two.
- Winning. First player to 21 points wins, and must win by two clear points. There is no ceiling on the score: a game can finish 23–21 or longer.
- Time cap. Regular playing time is ten minutes of game clock. If a player is ahead when it expires, that player wins. If the score is tied, an overtime is played.
- Overtime. The first player to score two points in the overtime wins the game. That is one basket from behind the arc, or two inside it — so an overtime can be decided by a single shot, and cannot end level.
- Start. A coin toss decides the opening possession. The player who wins the toss checks the ball at the top of the arc.
Possession & clearing
Clutch21 is make it, take it. Scoring keeps you on offence — runs are part of the sport.
- Make it, take it. The scoring player keeps the ball. There is no change of possession after a basket — the scorer checks it at the top of the arc and goes again, for as long as they keep scoring.
- Clearing. After a change of possession, the ball must be taken behind the three-point line before a shot attempt. A shot taken without clearing is waved off and the ball turns over.
- Checks. Every dead ball restarts with a check at the top of the arc. The ball is live once it is returned to the offensive player.
- Out of bounds. The sidelines, baseline and half-court line are live boundaries. It is a turnover if the ball touches one, or if a player touches one with any part of the body while in contact with the ball. Stepping on a line without the ball is nothing.
Clock & shot clock
Two clocks run: a ten-minute game clock and a twelve-second shot clock. Both are operated by the table, not the players.
- Shot clock. Twelve seconds from the check. The ball must hit the rim; failing to do so is a turnover.
- Stoppages. The game clock stops for a time-out, and for nothing else. It runs through checks, fouls, free throws and reviews.
- Time-outs. Each player has one time-out of one minute per game. Unused time-outs do not carry over.
- Delay. Two delay-of-game warnings result in a turnover; a third awards a point to the opponent.
Fouls & free throws
Contact is expected. Fouls are called by the officials, never by the players — the pick-up game convention does not apply here.
- Personal fouls. The first four fouls by a player result in a check for the opponent. From the fifth onward, the opponent shoots one free throw worth one point and retains possession.
- Shooting fouls. A foul on a one-point attempt gives one free throw; on a two-point attempt, two. A made basket plus a foul adds one free throw.
- Disqualification. Eight personal fouls, one flagrant, or two unsportsmanlike fouls end a player’s game and forfeit it 21–0.
- Free throws. Taken from the regulation line. The shooter keeps possession after the final attempt.
Officiating & reviews
Every league game is worked by two officials and a table crew, with video available on request.
- Crew. One lead official on the baseline, one trail at the arc, plus timekeeper and scorer.
- Reviews. Each player may request one video review per game. A successful challenge is retained; an unsuccessful one is lost.
- Automatic reviews. Two-point line, game-winning baskets and flagrant contact are reviewed by the crew chief regardless of challenges.
- Final say. The crew chief’s decision after review is final and not subject to protest.
Conduct & integrity
One-on-one is personal by design. What happens between the lines stays competitive, not hostile.
- Respect. Abuse directed at officials, opponents or spectators is an unsportsmanlike foul on first offence and a disqualification on second.
- Betting. Players, officials and staff may not wager on any Clutch21 event. Breach ends participation for the season.
- Anti-doping. The league follows the WADA prohibited list. Testing is conducted at every stop and at the Finals.
- Media. Finalists are required to attend the post-event media session.
Court & equipment
The playing surface and equipment are standardised so results carry across cities.
- Court. Regulation half court, 50 ft × 47 ft, with a three-point arc at 23 ft 9 in.
- Ball. Official league size 7 composite ball, provided at every stop.
- Kit. League-issued jerseys are worn in all bracket games. Personal footwear is permitted.
- Warm-up. Players get eight minutes on court before their first game of the day, four before subsequent games.
Think you can go to 21?
Two ways in. Open qualifiers run in every host city the day before each Pro stop — sixteen spots, no seeding, no favours. The Am World Series is open to every licensed athlete, and it starts in your own city.
