Six leagues, one Constitution. Overview · All APL league constitutions
Each league plays a round-robin schedule: every club plays every other club, home and away unless staff set a single round. The schedule is split into matchdays shown on the Fixtures page. Staff mark which matchday is current.
The two clubs arrange a kick-off time through the forum or messages and play before the end of the matchday window set by staff. If staff have set a kick-off time on the fixture, that time applies. Clubs may agree a different time in writing if both GMs agree and it is inside the window.
The home club creates the match lobby unless the two GMs agree otherwise. The host invites the other club's players and sets up the match to the game settings in Section 10 before inviting.
Each club plays its submitted line-up. Both GMs should check the other club's players against the line-up before kick-off. A club may start a match with fewer than 11 humans under the minimum in 9.6.
A club that is not ready at the agreed kick-off time has a grace period of 15 minutes. The waiting club should tell staff in the match thread or by message at kick-off time and again if it ends up waiting.
A match can start if each club has at least nine human players. The game fills the remaining places with AI players. With goalies OFF, the AI goalkeeper is not counted as a missing human. A club with fewer than nine humans after the grace period forfeits under 9.7.
A club forfeits a match if it:
Staff award the other club a 3-0 win. A forfeit counts as a win and a loss in the table and in the power rating. A club that forfeits twice in a season may be sanctioned under Section 21.
Staff may postpone a match for a reason such as a server outage, an EA outage or a large number of players being away. Clubs can request a postponement from staff at least 12 hours before kick-off. A postponed match is rescheduled inside the same season when possible.
If neither club turns up, staff record a postponement or a double forfeit, whichever staff decide fits the case. A double forfeit gives neither club points.
Staff set a final date for every matchday. A match not played by that date is decided by staff: a forfeit if one club was at fault, otherwise a replay or void.
A match is replayed only when these rules or staff say so. The replay uses the same line-ups unless a player is no longer eligible.
League matches are played as 11 versus 11 online friendly or Pro Clubs matches with both clubs' human players, using the lobby the home club creates. Both GMs should agree before kick-off that the lobby settings below are in place.
These are the standard match settings. Staff can change them for a league or tournament and will say so:
Players use their own controller and control settings. Assists and settings built into the game are allowed as long as they are part of the unmodified game. Anything that changes the game's behaviour outside the game's own menus is cheating (Section 22).
Players on different platforms can only play in the same lobby if the game's cross-platform feature allows it. A club should not depend on a platform that cannot join the home lobby. Staff decide any problem about platforms and will announce a platform policy where one is needed.
Clubs play with the squad and kit the game gives their Pro Clubs or friendly setup. Player ratings in the game do not matter to the league's rules. The league's own player ratings are not used in match play.
Before kick-off the host checks the player list and the settings. If a setting is wrong, the match is restarted at 0-0 as soon as the mistake is noticed. A setting wrongly set that is not noticed until later does not cancel the match unless staff decide it changed the outcome.
Both GMs should be able to prove the result. The final score screen and, where the game offers it, the match stats screen should be captured by at least one club. See Section 11.
After a match one GM (or AGM) reports the score on the Fixtures page. The other club's GM then confirms it. A result counts, and updates the table and ratings, only when it is confirmed or when staff enter it.
Report within 24 hours of the match ending. If the other GM does not confirm within 24 hours of the report, they should be reminded and staff may confirm it. Staff can confirm a result with evidence even if the other GM did not respond.
If the other GM thinks the reported score is wrong they press Dispute. The match goes back to scheduled and staff decide it using the evidence from both clubs. Both GMs must send what they have within 24 hours.
The most useful evidence is a screenshot or clip of the final score screen with both club names visible, and the match stats screen if the game shows it. A GM who cannot provide evidence for a disputed score should expect the other club's evidence to be accepted.
In knockout matches, if the score is level after normal and extra time, the penalty shoot-out score is entered too. The shoot-out must have a winner.
Once a result is confirmed it is final. A GM who made a mistake should tell staff straight away. Staff can correct a result and every correction is recorded in the audit log.
Reporting a score you know is wrong is a serious offence under Section 22. Both clubs can be sanctioned if both agree a false result.
Match scores are the official league record. Goals, assists and other individual statistics are tracked only if staff open a stats system. Until then individual statistics are not official.
Results entered by staff, including forfeits, count the same as played matches. A forfeit is recorded as 3-0.
Online games drop connections. The rules below aim to be fair to both clubs and to stop anyone gaining from a disconnection. A disconnection is not a reason to blame the other club or the league.
If a player disconnects, the game continues with an AI player in his place. The club should rejoin the same player if he comes back, or bring on a bench player in line with 14.4. The match is not stopped.
With goalies ON, if the goalkeeper disconnects the AI takes over. The club may bring on the bench goalkeeper at the next stoppage. A club with no bench goalkeeper plays on with the AI.
A bench player listed on the submitted line-up may join a vacant human slot at a stoppage of play. A club may use at most the bench slots it has on the line-up and may not bring on a player who is not on the line-up. The two GMs should agree on when to bring a player on so play is not disrupted.
A match is replayed from the start (0-0) in these cases:
If the match ends because of a server or game crash after half-time, the score at the time stands as the result if both clubs agree. If they do not agree, staff decide, and may order a replay.
If a club falls below nine human players for more than five real-time minutes because of disconnections, the other club may ask staff to rule. Staff may award a forfeit to the other club if the shortage is not fixed. A club that falls below nine because of a game or server problem is not punished.
A club that claims a technical problem must report it to staff within 24 hours with whatever evidence it has, such as screenshots of an error message, the time and the platform.
A player who keeps disconnecting, or whose connection regularly makes matches unfair, may be asked to fix the problem. If it continues, staff can move him out of the line-up or the club. Staff can look at patterns of disconnects at times that help a particular club.