Six leagues, one Constitution. Overview · All APL league constitutions
Every player has one primary position and up to three secondary positions. The positions are:
The goalkeeper slot can only be filled by a player who lists GK as his primary or secondary position. A goalkeeper cannot be picked for an outfield slot unless he also lists an outfield position.
For outfield slots the league uses one of three position modes, set by staff for each league:
The line-up page shows only the players who are allowed in each slot under the league's current mode.
A line-up must use one of the formations listed in the line-up page: 4-4-2, 4-4-2 (defensive midfielder), 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, 4-1-4-1, 4-5-1, 3-5-2, 3-4-3, 5-3-2 and 5-4-1. Every formation has exactly 11 starting places including the goalkeeper.
The formation shown in the league is the formation the club must use in the match. See Section 5 for how a line-up is submitted.
A player may change his primary or secondary positions by asking staff. Staff may refuse changes that look like they are made to get around the line-up rules, for example swapping positions after the deadline to be eligible for a slot.
In the match, the player picked for a position must play that position. Swapping positions with a team-mate during a match is allowed only if the in-game shape and the line-up are otherwise unchanged and it is done for tactical reasons rather than to exploit a rule. Staff decide if a swap was abuse.
Players are expected to play their positions as in real football: defenders defend, midfielders link, forwards attack. Deliberately standing in the wrong area for the whole match to exploit the game is covered by Section 13.
A line-up (the edit line) is the club's team sheet for one matchday: a formation, 11 starters and the substitutes. The GM or AGM builds it on the Edit line-up page.
Starters are chosen slot by slot on a pitch. Every slot of the formation must be filled with a player who is allowed to play there. A player can fill only one place.
A complete line-up has 11 starters. With goalies ON that includes a goalkeeper. With goalies OFF the goalkeeper slot is greyed out and left empty (the game's AI plays in goal), so 10 outfield starters are enough.
Each league has a bench size (shown in the live league settings). Substitutes are named in order SUB1, SUB2 and so on. A bench player is a back-up in case a starter does not show up or disconnects (see Section 14).
A line-up can be saved as a draft while it is incomplete, but a draft is not final. Only a submitted line-up counts. To submit, all required starting places must be filled and every pick must be legal.
A club with only a draft when the deadline passes is treated as having no valid line-up for that matchday under 5.8.
Staff set a line-up deadline for each matchday. After the deadline the line-up is locked: GMs can no longer change it. Staff can unlock a line-up for a good reason (for example a player emergency). Late changes are never automatic.
Only active players signed to the club can be picked. Suspended, injured and leave-of-absence players, free agents and players of other clubs cannot. A player who is released or leaves is removed from every line-up that is not yet locked.
The Copy button copies last matchday's line-up forward as a draft, leaving out anyone who is no longer eligible. The GM must check it and submit it. Copying never submits by itself.
The club must play the match with the line-up that was submitted: the same players in the same positions and the same formation. If a listed starter cannot play, a bench player takes his place (Section 14). Fielding a player who is not in the line-up and is not a signed member of the club is a breach under Section 22.
If a club has not submitted a valid line-up by the deadline, staff will take the last submitted line-up for that club, if there is one, and use it. If there is none, the GM must have a legal line-up ready before kick-off, otherwise the club may forfeit under Section 9.7.
A club that thinks the other side played an illegal player can report it to staff with evidence within 48 hours of the result being confirmed. Staff will compare the match to the submitted line-up.
Each league has a Goalies ON / OFF switch that staff control. It exists in case a league does not have enough human goalkeepers to give every club one. The current state of each league is shown in the live league settings at the top of this page and on each league page.
Staff can change the switch for one league or for all leagues at once. A change takes effect for matchdays that have not started. Staff will announce a change and, where possible, give clubs at least one full matchday of notice. A switch change never cancels a result that was already played.
Under goalies ON, a club that cannot keep a goalkeeper should tell staff early. Staff can help find a free-agent goalkeeper, but are not required to switch goalies off for one club.
Every league has a salary cap. The total of the salaries of all active contracts on a club may not go above the cap when a contract is signed. The cap, minimum salary, maximum salary, longest contract and roster size are shown in the live league settings, and staff can change them.
A contract offer must be at least the league minimum and no more than the league maximum. Salaries are in whole dollars of league money. League money has no real-world value.
A contract lasts a whole number of seasons from one up to the league maximum. Each season rollover takes one year off every contract. When a contract reaches zero years it ends and the player becomes a free agent.
A GM or AGM makes an offer to a free agent with a salary and a number of seasons. The offer is checked against the cap, the salary limits, the contract-length limit and the roster limit when it is made and again when the player accepts. Only one pending offer from a club to the same player is allowed; to change the terms, withdraw the old offer and make a new one.
An offer is open for the league's offer period (shown in the live league settings, 48 hours by default). After that it expires and the cap space is not held. A player can accept or decline an offer at any time while it is open.
When a player accepts, he signs and joins the club, his contract starts and other offers made to him are cancelled. If something has changed so the deal is no longer legal (for example the club has used up its cap space), the signing does not happen and the player is told why.
A club must have at least the minimum roster and may not go above the maximum roster shown in the league settings. A club that cannot sign a player because the roster is full must release someone first.
A GM can release a player at any time. The contract ends, the salary is removed from the cap straight away and the player becomes a free agent. A released player is also removed from every line-up that is not locked. Releasing a player does not by itself allow a club to break any other rule.
A club cannot sign anyone that would put it over the cap. If a cap change by staff leaves a club over the cap, the club cannot sign new players until it is back under, but its existing contracts stay in place.
At the end of a season staff run the rollover for the league. Every contract loses a year, contracts that reach zero end, pending offers expire and the league moves to the next season. Players whose contracts end become free agents and can be re-signed through a new offer.
Staff can close contract offers for all leagues, for example at a transfer deadline or during a tournament. While offers are closed, GMs cannot make new offers. Staff can also close player sign-ups.
Staff can sign or place a player directly to fix a mistake or a special case. A staff signing is still recorded in the audit log.
Anyone who is not signed to a club is a free agent. Free agents appear on the Free Agents page with their positions and the league they prefer. New members join the pool when they sign up.
GMs must make offers in good faith. Making and withdrawing offers over and over to block another club from a player, or to tie up a player, is not allowed. Staff can restrict a GM who does this.
All signings happen on the site. Side deals, bribes, or promises outside the contract system, such as promising a player a different salary from the one on the offer, are not allowed and are not binding.
A player decides which offers to accept. A club cannot force a player to stay or go. A player who does not want to play for a club can ask for a release; the GM should answer within a reasonable time and staff can step in if there is a problem.
A GM may not contact players that are under contract with another club to persuade them to leave. Players may contact whomever they like about their own future when their contract is ending.
Roster moves should not be used to avoid a suspension. A player who is suspended stays suspended if he is released and signed by another club.
Players are expected to play their club's matches and answer contract offers. A player who has not played, set a line-up or logged in for a season may be marked inactive by staff.
A player who will be away tells his GM and staff. Staff can set a leave of absence. A player on leave cannot be picked in a line-up. A club cannot be punished for a player's leave that staff approved.
A player on leave tells staff when he is back so his status can be set to active again. His contract continues to count against the cap during leave.
A player may retire. He leaves the league, his contract ends and the cap space is freed. A retired player can ask to come back, and staff may place him in the free-agent pool.
A GM who has not set line-ups, reported results or answered messages for a full matchday window may be removed under 3.4.