Section 1: Roster Break Down
9 Players Total in the VFL (3 lines)
9 Players Total in the AFL (If applicable)
1.1: Training Camp
Training camp players are to be used as ECU for either the VFL or AFL. They are limited to 2 games per week as an ECU or may be used as IR replacements Players and receive the standard games per week for their position during that time in the AFL. They cannot be used as an IR in the VFL. They may be called up to the AFL roster permanently to fill an empty roster spot. NOT to replace a currently active player. Once a training camp player has received a permanent call-up, they are no longer considered to be a training camp player.
They may freely participate in practices, locker rooms, and the community, and are otherwise considered as regular Free Agency players.
1.2: Eligibility
The player must be listed on the team’s roster to be eligible to play in VFL scheduled games.
Section 2: Retirement and Blacklist
Players have the right to retire and may do so through the proper channels. If the players plan on returning they must go through the procedure of contacting the PA and filing for reinstatement. If the player is reinstated they must retain the contract they had before they retired.
A player being blacklisted will be ineligible for retirement. They will also be removed from all other leagues they are involved in. If they return to the League in the future, they will do so as a Prospect. This negates the player’s current contract.
2.1: Procedure for Retiring or Blacklisting a player.
2.1.1: Retirement
If a player chooses to retire, they must do so for no less than the remainder of the season, and provide a valid reason for doing so.
There will be a public channel in the VFLPA section for players to declare their retirement. The player must inform their management of their intention to retire. After informing management, the player has 48 hours to post their retirement or arrange for a VFLPA representative to do so in their place. Failure to follow proper procedure may make a player ineligible for retirement and may result in them being placed on the blacklist instead.
When a player returns from retirement while under contract, it is the option of that player’s team to make room on their roster for them. If that team can not, or will not, they must place that player on waivers. This absolves that player’s team of any responsibility to the player. It is that player’s responsibility to garner enough interest for a team to place a claim. The player will remain on waivers as a free agent until waivers close for the season. If he remains unclaimed, his contract will be voided and he will be eligible for free agency in the following season.
2.1.2: Blacklist
Owners: May only Blacklist a Player for inactivity.
Inactivity is defined as either:
(1) Not showing up to scheduled games without contacting management for one week.
(2) Missing scheduled games frequently.
Owners must have documentation that a Player has failed to fulfill their commitment to the team.
The BOG or League Staff: The BOG and League Staff have the ability to Blacklist/Suspend a Player. They may do so for Rule Violations or Inactivity. This can be done at their discretion. If an Owner would like a Player Blacklisted, they will have to submit a request to the VFLPA and provide an evidence-based explanation.
There will be a channel in the Management section for Owners or League Staff to announce the Blacklisting of a player. Management must message the player and the VFLPA via Private Message (PM) to inform them of their intention to Blacklist them. This does not apply to players who have been banned from the site. A player has one week from the time of the post and the time of being contacted via PM, to make contact and resolve any issues with management, and/or begin an appeal process with the VFLPA.
A successful appeal will move that player back onto the team instead of the blacklist.
2.1.3: Blacklisting Management
When management is not fulfilling their commitment or duties, their Owner has the right to remove them from his team. The success or record of the team is not a valid reason for removal. The Owner should be able to provide evidence in the form of complaints or in showing that management was not fulfilling their duties or commitment.
When a player in management is removed by their owner, they will be blacklisted.
That player has one week to file an appeal with the VFLPA. Once he presents his case to the VFLPA, the VFLPA may then choose to file an appeal if they believe they have enough evidence to warrant a ruling. If this appeal is successful, that player will be placed back onto that team in his position
Section 3: Organizational Transactions and draft
3.1: Salary Cap
VFL Salary Cap: $20M
AFL Salary Cap: $20M
A player’s salary cap will be determined by their draft position in the draft.
For example
Round 1 – each player is worth $5M
Round 2 – each player is worth $4M
Round 3 – each player is worth $3M
Round 4 – each player is worth $2M
Round 5 – each player is worth $1M
Round 6 thru 8 – each player is worth $500k
3.2: Player Selection
3.2.1: Management Selection
Management will be required to be submitted for approval by a deadline set each season. There will be a post for selections in the Owner’s channel. Owners may submit a selection for the NFL GM, NFL AGM (if applicable), AFL GM, or AFL AGM (If appliable). Those selections will be voted on for approval by the BOG. Unapproved management may be re-selected before the deadline. Approved management will be exempt from the draft and carry a contract of 1 year.
Once the deadline has passed, no further management selections may be made. It is now the team’s responsibility to bid on and acquire those positions at a salary. Selections are still subject to approval.
It is recommended to make your selections as early as possible in case your first choice does not meet approval. It is also recommended that you make wise selections that will easily meet approval. Players who are in good standing and have previous management experience are encouraged. Good standing implies that you do not have a history of suspensions or bans for misconduct, and follow the rules.
The player’s ability or market value will not be determining factors in their eligibility or approval.
3.2.2: Selection Restrictions
The League may select any player to fill an Ownership position. Being selected as an Owner negates that player’s contract. If the League selects an Owner who is under contract to your team during the season, the League will make you a trade offer before taking that player off your roster. You will be presented with three options:
1. You may release that player freely.
2. You may select a player of equal or lesser value. (Contract years x Salary is the determination of a player’s value. Rounded up to 500k).
3. Any player removed that is management will carry a value of 2 Million.
During the off-season, teams have no rights to a player who is selected for Ownership.
Owners may only select ANY player to be their management depending on the Board of Governor approval of that player through the interview process.
ALL management contracts are for 1 season only. After that season, management may re-apply for any other management position, with any other organization, or choose to enter free agency. All management is subject to re-approval during the off-season.
Owners may not step down from their current team and attempt to acquire ownership of another team.
3.2.3: Player Draft
Teams will enter a player draft each with several drafts picks that reflect a player’s salary depending on when they are selected.
3.2.5: Random Assignment
All VFL Players that were not selected in the VFL Player draft or Players leftover from AFL Bidding will be randomly assigned once the AFL Bidding is over.
During the Season any new Sign Up will be Randomly Assigned as well.
They will be placed on a team by a Staff member based on Position Need Only. You may not ask to be placed on a team.
All VFL Players that were Randomly Assigned will have a 1 year 500 thousand dollar Contract.
3.2.6: Staff as a Player Restriction
To eliminate potential bias, staff are not permitted to vote on issues related to their team. To avoid situations where there are not enough eligible voters on an issue, the following restrictions apply to the numbers of VFL staff within your organization:
Commissioner’s Office Limit: One
Board of Governor Limit: Two
If you have the maximum allotted Staff within your organization, you are not permitted to acquire another, by any means, until you have reduced the number you currently have. The most you may have at any one time is 2 Staff Total.
3.3: Team Transactions
3.3.1: Team Picking Procedures
Each season we will have a team selection draft for the owners. The team selection draft will be different each season by the determination of the commissioner staff and board of governors. The team draft is to occur before the player draft however, the first owner to select a team in the team draft will have the last pick in the players draft and vise versa for the last owner who picks a team in the team draft, they get the first pick in the player draft.
3.3.2: Team Trading
Owners may trade their team away to another Owner until the start of the player draft. They made do a trade once. They may not select a team that was not picked by an owner.
Section 4: Player Contracts
Contracts are mandated by the league. When a player is drafted, the league requires a certain number of contract years to be assigned. The number of contract years assigned to each player is at the discretion of management. Management is encouraged to hold their contract negotiations with their players. Players can be contracted for 2 seasons until they have to renter the draft. Contract negotiations can be made between management and the player. If a player is to have an extended contract, management loses a draft pick in which the player was drafted. For example, if management extends a contract for a second-round pick, they lose a second-round pick in the player draft.
4.1: Required Contracts
Teams will be required to assign a mandatory number of contracts at the beginning of the season.
The mandated requirements are only in effect at this time.
A team’s number of contract years may fluctuate via player transactions after their initial assignments.
4.1.1: VFL Contracts
VFL teams will have up to 10 contract years to divide amongst all newly contracted players and must assign all of those years by the first day of the Season. The number of contracts required is based on a scale dependent on the number of roster spots filled through bidding.
4.2: Contract Restrictions
The minimum contract term for a player is 1 year. The maximum is 2 years.
4.3: Contract Extensions
Management may offer a limited number of contract extensions at the end of the season. They must contact the player they wish to extend, and receive a response via PM of the player accepting the extension, to be submitted with their re-signs for the year.
The player has the right to refuse an extension.
4.4: Management Contracts
Management contracts are 1 year but do not count towards the total contracts for their team.
They are always considered to be free of their current contract at the end of the season. Should they choose to seek a new position or free agency, they are free to do so.
Management that steps down to become a player must go to free agency, they cannot be re-signed.
Management that steps down or is removed, is not eligible to play until the next season, as they have not fulfilled the terms of their contract, and the League now owns their contract and will not allow them back until that contract has expired.
GM’s salaries are worth $1M.
Section 5: Roster Transactions
5.1: Player Releases
Buyouts must be informed via PM and the transaction must be posted, including a quote of the message to the player. You may only release a player during the off-season transaction window, or during the Waiver Period for that season.
5.2: Waiver Wire
The Waiver period for each week will start on Thursday at 11:00 PM Eastern after all games and will end on Saturday at 11:59 PM. The Waiver period for each season opens at the end of week 1, Thursday at 11:59 PM EST, and closes one week after the trade deadline, Thursday at 11:59 PM EST. After that time, the only call ups and send downs that are permitted, are movements made within 48 hours to make room for a player from the waiver wire (claimed or cleared players), and to fill an empty roster spot.
Claims not filed by the time the waiver wire closes are invalid, and unclaimed players are considered to have cleared waivers at that time.
ECU and IR transactions will continue as normal.
When a team sends a player down, that player will be placed on the waiver wire, for 24 hours, for any other team to claim, before the movement will be completed. Players called up on ECU or IR are exempt from waivers. Prospects are waiver exempt.
The waiver order will begin with position of the player draft with the last pick being first. Waiver orders will then be reset to the current standings at the end of weeks 1, 3, and 5.
The waiver wire will be closed for the season after week 6 and will re-open on the first day of the next season.
A team may only place a claim on a player if they intend to place him on the roster of the league he is being waived from or higher. There are uncommon instances where an AFL player must be placed on waivers due to salary cap restrictions. Those players may be claimed for either an NFL or AFL roster.
To place a claim on a player, teams must post the corresponding transaction, as well as the empty slot or player movement they will make to place that player on their roster.
Teams may NOT retract a claim once it has been placed.
The winning claim will be determined to be the team with the highest waiver priority that has posted a legitimate transaction. If your claim does not provide a spot for that player or causes a salary cap restriction, it will be denied, and you will still have lost your spot in the waiver priority.
Once a team has successfully won a player, they will be moved to the bottom of the waiver priority until the next reset. The transaction they made to acquire that player will then be processed.
If a player goes unclaimed, the original send down will be processed, provided there is room for that player on the corresponding roster. If there is not, that team will be required to send down a Prospect. If they cannot, they will be required to place a different AFL player on waivers every 24 hours, until another team successfully claims their extra player. You cannot place the same player on waivers twice to correct this situation.
Due to logistical constraints, players passing through waivers may be exempt from their minimum games requirement for that week.
5.3: Call Ups
5.3.1: Call Up Eligibility
AFL players may only be used as an ECU, IR, or permanent call-up for the NFL.
Training Camp players may only be used as an ECU, IR, or permanent call-up for the AFL.
5.3.3: ECU (Emergency Call Up)
Teams must add a new post to their weekly lines thread when they are required to use an Emergency Call Up (ECU). The type of call-up, Gamertag, Date, Time, and Opponent, must be listed.
(ie, (ECU) xXFATALXxATTACK: Thursday 9 pm vs. Houston)
An ECU may be used for a single game as a substitute for a missing player.
It does not matter what league a player is being used as an ECU for, they count toward the season total.
A player may be used for 5 ECU’s in a season.
NFL players cannot be used as an ECU for either the AFL.
Training camp players cannot be used as an ECU for the NFL.
5.3.4: IR (Injured Reserve)
A player may be placed on injured reserve for up to two weeks per season if they are unable to participate in VFL games during that time. A player placed on IR may not participate in games until they have been recalled from the IR.
It does not matter what league a player is being used as an IR call-up for. It counts as their 1 week allowed for the season.
You may use an IR call-up. A player who will temporarily be called up to your roster and play in the IR player’s place for the entire week. At the end of the week, that player must be sent back down and does not pass through waivers. A different player must be called up if the player will be gone for a second week.
A player participating in an IR call-up is not eligible to play games for his regular team.
Each player may only play 1 week as an IR call-up per season.
Each player may only be placed on the IR 2 weeks per season.
NFL players may not be used as IR call ups for the AFL.
Training camp players may not be used as IR call ups for the NFL.
5.3.5: Call Up (Permanent)
A player may be called up to fill an empty roster spot, or to replace a player that is being sent down. Once a player is called up in this manner, they must pass through waivers when being sent down.
Training camp players may only be called up to the AFL to fill an empty roster slot.
5.4: Send Downs
5.4.1: Send Down Eligibility
Any player may be sent down, at their management’s discretion, with the following restrictions:
Training Camp players may only be sent back to training camp to make room on the AFL roster for a player being sent down from his NFL team.
5.5: Trading
Final Trades of the Week are due by Thursday at 9:00 PM EST of Every Week and do not become official until Friday at 11:59 PM EST of Every Week. All parts, of all trades, must be both submitted and confirmed, by all parties, with a timestamp equal to or less than the 9:00 PM EST deadline.
If any part of a trade is submitted at 9:01 or later, it will not be processed until the following week. If a trade is submitted past the trade deadline for the season, it will NOT be processed.
Once a trade is submitted and confirmed by all parties, it is final. You may not revise or cancel a trade after that point.
All trades must be salary cap compliant. If you exceed your salary cap through trade, you have 24 hours from the announcement to post a transaction that will bring you back under the cap. Otherwise, the trade will be reversed.
Players are not to be informed of being traded until it is officially approved and announced.
If a player does not show up for his new team after being traded, that player will be blacklisted for the season. The team losing that player may request that the entire trade be reversed. This will not occur until Thursday at 9 pm EST of that week and will reverse the entire transaction as it was originally submitted.
You may only trade a player between teams, not between leagues. The league they are in before the trade is the league they must go to after the trade. They may then be called up or sent down as normal.
(If a player is on an NFL roster, you cannot send him to an AFL roster via trade.)
Players involved in trades, will not be permitted to participate in games with their new team until the appropriate transactions have been completed to provide that player with a roster spot. Teams have 24 hours from the announcement of trade, to post the appropriate transactions.