2. League Match Format
3. Cup Match Format
4. Rosters
5. Wildcards
6. Cuts, Signs and Trades
7. Miscellaneous
General League Rules
1.1 If at the end of the season, or group stage in the cup, there is a tie in the tables. The order of the teams will be based on(in order) Goal Difference - Goals Scored - Head To Head Record.
1.2 Matches can be played on any host as long as both captains agree to it. Neutral hosts are preferred.
If a neutral host cannot be found then teams are recommended to play 1 half on each other's host or use the handicap feature to give the host a similar ping.
1.3 Subs can be only be made when a goal is scored/conceded or at half-time. Subs must not be made when the ball is in play.
1.4 A couple of subs are generally allowed in match rooms as long as both captains agree. If a captain asks the opposing team's players to leave the room then they must do so.
1.5 Match rooms should be set to hidden and the link passed securely to the other team, preferably via TeamSpeak.
1.6 It is a captain's duty to ensure that all of his/her players are legitimate and not being impersonated. Any proof of impersonation will likely result in a defloss for the offending team.
1.7 Abuse of any kind during matches will not be tolerated. Abusive & disruptive messages being posted in the chat while the game is being played will not be allowed unless they are to discuss the game tactically itself. If you are being abusive or purposefully disruptive you may be given a warning, continued abuse or disruption may result in you being removed from the room and a possible ban for future matches.
1.8 The only people who should have admin in an official room are the host and the two captains.
1.9 In the event of a player lagging or disconnecting, their captain is allowed to pause the game provided his/her team are not currently defending or the opposing captain gives permission for the game to be paused.
1.10 If a player disconnects they should be given a reasonable amount of time (~2 minutes is fair) to re-connect after the game has been paused. If they do not re-join after this length of time the team can make a sub to replace them.
1.11 Before resuming the game after a pause captains should ensure that the other team is ready.
1.12 Before kicking off at the start of a half the red team should give the blue team chance to get in position and state that they are ready.
1.13 A lag test should be done to see if the ping is fair for both teams. Both captains must agree to play the game before it can be started.
1.14 Once the half has been agreed to play by the captains, it will be played until the end of that half unless it is unplayable for the majority of both teams. In the event of a host switch during a half the game will be reset and the score will start again at 0-0. Should there be a host switch during the second half, only that half will be reset meaning the first half score will still be valid.
1.15 Goals scored after 7:00 do not count. The half lasts 7 minutes, not 7.01 minutes. The game is programmed in such a way that this shouldn't be an issue. If the goal is scored in time and the timer says 7:00, the game has another kick off and the timer always rolls back to 6:59. If it is not scored in time the game usually either begins overtime or ends stating the victorious team depending on the scoreline at the time.
1.16 A goal shall be credited to the offensive player who last touched the ball before it went into the goal. Obvious own goals will be credited as an own goal.
1.17 An assist shall be credited to the second-to-last offensive player to touch the ball before it went into the goal, provided that the ball was not played or possessed by any player of the defensive team between the time he last touched it and the goal being scored.
1.18 Players must always use their forum names when participating in official league & cup matches. Failure to do so may result in the fixture being voided or result being reversed. Should there be any doubts about player impersonation before the game starts, the player in question must confirm their identity on the forum chatbox.
1.19 Impersonating a player is not allowed and if caught doing so you will be banned from league participation for the rest of the season.
1.20 If a team can only provide three players, and they are out of wildcards or do not wish to use one, the match will be played 3v4.
1.21 If a team can only provide two players(forcing a 4v2), and they are out of wildcards, the match will be forfeited 3-0.
1.22 Any match played using a different format to the official for that competition (league 4v4 big, cup 4v4 big easy) will be subject to a score cap of 8 goals to avoid stat padding. Any goal scored while the difference between the two teams' scores is greater than 8 will not be counted (along with the scorer & assister stats).
1.23 After matches captains should post the replay along with goal times in the relevant thread in the Captains Area.
1.24 A replay of every game must be supplied for the result to count. Failure to supply a replay will result in the match being replayed.
League Match Format
2.1 League matches are 4v4 big, with two 7 minute halves and no score limit. Draws are allowed.
2.2 League matches will use the 3-man defence rule. The 4th defending player must always stay clear of any of the other teams attacking 3 players until their team is in complete possession of the ball. If the defender who picks up the ball has the ability to try and make a forward play then they will be considered the attacking team, if all they can do is retain possession in the corner then they are still in defence.
Consult this image for help;
Some examples;
The forward will not be allowed to hassle opposing players and must always steer clear of attacking moves.
2.3 In the case of situations where a captain feels the 3-man defence rule has been broken, they can submit the replay and the relevant times to an admin after the game.
Small offences will be taken note of for future games; small but repeated offences may result in 1 game ban; a clear goal-scoring opportunity being blocked will likely result in a goal awarded to the attacking team.
In the event of serious repeated offences a defloss may be given to the offending team.
2.4 League games should start at 20:00 GMT unless a different time has been agreed between the two captains.
2.5 Each matchday will feature two 'top matches' (1 from each division) that will be streamed. The division 2 top match will take place at 20:30 and the division 1 top match will be streamed at 21:00. Top matches will be selected by the admins.
2.6 The bottom two teams from division 1 will be relegated and the top 2 teams from division 2 promoted. Please not that this may be subject to change depending on the number of teams available for the following season.
Cup Match Format
3.1 Cup matches are 4v4 big easy with two 7 minute halves.
3.2 The 3-man defence rule does not apply to cup matches.
3.3 During the group stage, draws are allowed.
3.4 During the knock-out stage of the cup, matches can only end in a win or loss.
3.5 If after two halves the knock-out match is still tied at whatever score it is, the game will then have continuous 5 minute periods of overtime where the winner will be the team who scores first.
3.6 The cup final will be played with two 10 minute halves, with 7 minute overtime periods if they are required.
Rosters
4.1 Rosters must have minimum of 5 players and a maximum of 10 players.
4.2 Captains count towards this total, managers do not.
Wildcards
5.1 Each team has 3 league wildcards they can use at any time during the season. It will be up to the captain wanting to use the wildcard and the captain of their opponents to discuss a suitable date to replay the game. Once a suitable date is arranged the captain must report the date change in the Wildcard HQ forum.
5.2 Each team will be granted 1 additional wildcard for use in the cup only. This can only be used in the group stage; knockout stage games can not be postponed.
5.3 You can not use a wildcard on the last game of the season. All final day games can not be postponed.
5.4 Wildcarded fixtures must be played within two weeks of the original scheduled date. Failure to play a fixture will result in the game being voided and both teams having -3 added to their goal difference.
5.5 All games that have been wildcarded must be played before the final day of your division.
5.6 All fixture changes must reported the day before the game(midnight, British time will be the cut off). Failure to report a fixture change in time will result in the fixture going ahead anyway.
Cuts, Signs and Trades
6.1 Free agents will be allowed a degree of control over where they would like to play. If a team announces their intention to sign a player from free agency, there will be a 24 hour period whereby other teams will be allowed to submit offers, too(must all be in the same thread). Should the player not wish to listen to any other offers they have the right to do so and the signing can be made instantly. After the 24 hour period is over the player will be able to choose which team(from those who submitted an offer in time) they would like to play for.
6.2 Players signed from free agency must stay on the team for 2 games. If a player is traded to a team they must stay with that team for a minimum of 2 games before they can be traded out or released to free agency.
6.3 Only team captains will be eligible to retire to a managerial role.
6.4 Should a captain/manager wish to step down and leave their team, they must provide 2 games notice before it goes ahead. This is to give the new captain replacing them time to settle in to their new role.
6.5 Newly elected captains must confirm they wish to take over the role in the thread before it will be accepted.
6.6 There must be a 4 game period between becoming manager and re-entering the squad. If your roster is full when you want to come out of management, a player must be cut to make space. If you have no players that are eligible to be cut then you must stay in management until space can be made via trading or releasing(when eligible).
NOTE: Of all the above. Games does not mean match days. It means that your team must have played the minimum number of games. In previous season we did use match days, however that is no longer possible due to the staggering of the schedule and the ability to circumvent this rule by using wildcards.
NOTE: In the following rules 'finalised' is defined as: When a sign has been fully completed with the captain's and player's agreements; when a cut has been fully completed with the captain's agreement; when a trade has been fully completed with both captains' agreement.
6.7 On match days a sign or trade must be finalised before 19:00 GMT for the player to be eligible for that night's games.
6.8 All pending cuts, signs or trades involving a player must be finalised before the player can finalise any other deals.
6.9 Cuts, signs and trades can be made at any point during the season.
6.10 A team can make unlimited cuts and signs throughout the season.
6.11 If a player wishes to come out of retirement the team they were previously on will have first choice on whether to keep them or not. If the captain chooses not to keep them they will be eligible to sign up to Free Agency and be signed by other teams.
Miscellaneous
7.1 Impeaching your captain/manager is allowed but the whole team has to agree to it and has to agree on who the new captain will be. During an impeach until it is settled will result in the roster being locked meaning nobody can be cut/signed/traded during this time. If an impeach hasn't been settled in 1 week the captain/manager remains the same and roster is opened. Admin's have the final decision in an impeach.
7.2 Macro's are not allowed in the league and anyone caught using them will be suspended for 4 matches, second offence ends in a full season suspension and third offence ends in banishment from the league forever.
7.3 Anybody who multi-accounts(the multi will be deleted) will be suspended for 5 matches and then if repeated rest of the season and third time forever.
DISCLAIMER: We reserve the right to modify, add and remove rules as we see fit during the course of the season. Rule changes, additions and removals will be posted in their own post(as well as being added to the first post) to give notification of the change, so make sure to read this if there is a new post as it may effect you during the season.
We also reserve the right to step in and block/deal with situations that may not technically be against the rules but could be seen as morally wrong and taking advantage.
Last edited by Ghost on Tue 31 Jul 2012, 13:39; edited 2 times in total