Source: http://pslsite.forumotion.com/t139-psl-rules
Timestamp: 2019-04-23 02:50:16+00:00

Document:
i. Each week there will be games played on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday either at 8:00PM or 9:00PM. Refer to the Official Schedule posted in the forums for exact dates and times.
- From Sunday to the next Sunday, each team will play the teams they were assigned to play.
- Reschedules can still happen, but there is a change. If you make an agreed upon time with the other team for Thursday, you can still reschedule it by posting 24 hours before. However - you do not get the full week. You only get until the same Sunday, there are no extensions.
- If an agreement cannot be made by the 2 teams within the game week, League Officials will get involved. First we will do our best to determine if one team was simply not putting in the effort to reschedule. If this is the case, that team will receive the loss and the team that put the effort in to try and make a date would get the win. If League Officials feel that neither team put in sufficient effort to reschedule, it will be a double forfeit. To try and avoid any issues with this, it is recommended that you do all of your reschedule talks on the forums so League Officials know of any attempts made.
i. Each General Manager, along with their 2 Co-Captains, will form a "Player Core", with limitations based on Captain Tier levels. The maximum your core can be is 2 tier 1 one players and 1 tier 2 player, while the minimum requirement is to have 2 tier 1 players a 3rd player (no requirements for this player, they can even be tierless). League Officials also reserve the right to accept / deny core groupings that do not meet these requirements. These Player Cores will select their remaining teammates through a draft. The picking order for this draft is 1-2-3-4-5-6-6-5-4-3-2-1-1-2-3-4-5-6-1-2.. etc.
ii. During the season trades can occur between 2 or more teams just like professional leagues. The only requirements for the trades is that a GM from both teams agree, and the trade is approved by the League Official(s). This would mean that players cannot leave a team join another on their own free will. If you you want off your team, let your captain know and hopefully he/she can arrange a trade. If not, let a League Official know and they will try to help as well. In the end you will not be forced to be on a team, but if a trade with another team cannot be worked out you will only be allowed to play on the team you were on before you left.
iii. There will be no unbalanced number of players in trades. This means if you're trading for 3 players, you're giving 3 players.
iv. A player can only be dropped if they are deemed inactive by the LOs. A player who is dropped for inactivity may not rejoin through the waiver system. If the player becomes active again it is possible for them to rejoin their original team.
v. Players who join the season to replace dropped players must be dealt with via waivers. This means whichever team is lowest in the standings will have first dibs on new players that wish to sign up.
vi. To claim a player via waivers a team must make a post in the waivers section on the PSL Forums that they wish to pick up said player. After that point, for 24 hours, any team with a lower overall standing in the season may overrule the original post with their own. Once the 24 hours are up, the team with the lowest standing to request the player will have the player added to their roster.
i. Each team consists of 1 or more Captain and a roster of 8 or more players. Maximum players for each roster is 10 people. The only way you can be removed by a team is by trade or dropped due to inactivity. Each of these will have their own sections below (Trades - Section TBD, Inactivity - Section TBD).ii. Eventually during the season the rosters will lock and no more dropping / signing / trading players will be allowed. This date is TBD and we'll be released later in the season.iii. A Captain cannot sit a player more than 6 halves. This will ensure the everyone gets the chance to play, while not allowing an inactive to just randomly show up to whatever game they please and be forced to play. Basically if you show up regularly, you're going to play.iv. The number of halves sat will go along with a player when they are traded. This will add another aspect to trading and will keep it fair for people who are sat.v. It will be the PLAYERS job to notify an League Official when they are sat. It cannot be expected of anyone else to monitor it, as there is no way to easily do so.
i. Each team consists of 1 or more Captain and a roster of 8 or more players. Maximum players for each roster is 11 people. Adding/Dropping players are entirely up to the discretion of the captain and players may willingly change teams as they see fit. There are no stipulations regarding being sat.
i. The results for the matches will be converted to a point system as follows: A win = 3 points for the winning team; A loss = 0 points for the losing team. If the score is tied at the end of regulation, then the game will continue on to golden goal. In this period, the first team to score at any point is the winner of the match, although the losing team will be awarded 1 point.
ii. In the event that a team cannot field 6 players for a match by the 10 minute grace period allowed, the team can either play the match 5v6 or receive a forfeit loss for that match. A forfeited game will be reported as 0-1. At the end of the season, if necessary for tie-breakers, an actual score will be used by taking the teams average goals per games instead of the “1”. Any matches not played (neither team shows up) will result in a loss for both participating teams.
1. The first tie breaker will be the number of wins. Theoretically, Team A could finish with 7 wins and 2 losses (21 total points) while Team B could finish with 6 wins and 3 ties (21 total points). In this event, the team with the most wins will finish with the higher rank (which would be Team A in this case).2. The second tie breaker will be based on the number of wins between the two teams in consideration. For example, Team A could finish with 7 wins and 2 losses while Team B could finish with 7 wins and 2 losses as well. In this case, we will look at the record for Team A v. Team B for the entire season. Since these two teams will play each other two times, one of them may have 2 wins. So if one team wins both matches against the other team in question, they will finish with the higher rank.3. The third tie breaker will be based on the goal differential (goals for minus goals against) for the two matches against each other. The team with the better goal differential, of the two matches in question combined, would have the higher ranking.4. The final tie breaker will be based on the overall goal differentials for the entire season of the two teams in question. The team with the better overall goal differential would have the higher ranking.
i. Playoffs will take place at the end of the regular season and exact dates will be decided at a later time. The following setup is subject to change in the event that 6 teams do not finish the season.
ii. Playoffs will be played in a modified double elimination style tournament with the 1st place team facing the 4th place team and the 2nd place team facing the 3rd place team. The winners of each series will advance to the winners bracket and the losers will drop to the losers bracket. The two teams in the winners bracket will face each other and the two teams in the losers bracket will face each other. The team who loses in the losers bracket is eliminated from the play-offs, and the winner of that match will face the loser of the two teams in the winners bracket. The winner of the winners bracket moves into the championship match, and faces the winner of the losers bracket. The championship match is a best out of 3 series.
i. Matches are played either on Sunday, Tuesday, or Thursday at 8:00PM EST or 9:00PM EST.
ii. All matches will be played in the PSL Match Server (64.74.97.107:27015).
i. For any given match, each team will have 1 reschedule opportunity for that match (i.e. a team can’t reschedule a match over and over again, only one reschedule is allowed per team, per match).
ii. In order for a reschedule request to be official, the requesting team MUST make a post about the reschedule in the forums by midnight (EST) of the day before the match is to be played. For example, if a team has a match on Monday at 8:00 PM EST, but they can’t make that time, then a reschedule post must be made by Sunday at midnight (11:59 PM EST). If the post is made at 12:00 AM EST, it will NOT count and the match must be played or a forfeit will occur for the squad not having enough players come match time.
iii. There is a 3 day grace period for rescheduling. For example: If your team cannot make a Thursday match, you may reschedule it for any time prior, and 3 days after the scheduled match date.
iv. Regardless of reschedules, the match MUST be completed within the 1 week deadline originally given in the schedule.
v. Reschedules must be done on the forums in the appropriate area. You may discuss your reschedule with the other team using a different method, but for anything to be official it needs to be posted on the forums. An agreed date and time must be posted by a GM from each team to finalize the reschedule.
i. On the schedule, each team will be assigned as either the “home” team or the “away” team. The HOME team will choose what team they wish to play as (T or CT), and the AWAY team will have to play as the other team.
i. The HOME team gets kick-off for the first half and golden goal if it comes to that. The AWAY team gets kick-off for the second half. Kick-off ownership should be announced by the referee.
i. Demos will be recorded via Source TV. Goal / Assists will be recorded by scripts. Both of these will be responsibility of the referee of the match.
ii. If an error arises in the stats during the game (i.e. the stats say that the wrong person scored) it is the responsibility of the team that the error corresponds to. If this occurs, the team must use chat to notify the ref of the exact error, including the player and the stat (i.e. “Player 1 really scored”).
i. The match will consist of two 15 minute halves. There will be a 5 minute “halftime” between the two halves. If during the score at the end of regulation is a tie, the game will then go into a third period termed “golden goal.” The first team to score in this period will be the winner of the match. Once the match is over, post-game statistics will be recorded and demos will be retrieved from the server.
i. Each team has a home and away skin for matches. These must be used and will be automatically set via scripts.
i. During a match, the server password will be changed from the normal one. This is to ensure we do not run into problems of random players joining the server and disrupting the match. The password will be released in the 'PSL Members' forum section.
ii. Scripts (such as adverts, admin-see-all chat, etc.) will be disabled for match gameplay assuming the referee did his/her job correctly. We will be making sure no team has an advantage because of their league position, and will try to have as little 'extras' running on the server during matches to attempt to improve the servers performance.
i. The HOME team kicks off for the first. The AWAY team kicks off for the second half. If a Golden Goal situation arises, the HOME team will take kick off.
ii. ONLY one person from either team in the circle at a time. Neither a same team member nor an opposing team member is allowed to be in the circle during the first 15 seconds (determined by round clock) of a round while the appropriate player is already in there.
iii. The ball MUST be kicked backwards on a kickoff, once the ball is touched by the player kicking off the ball, anyone is able to go into the circle and get the ball.
iv. All members of both teams must be on their respective side of the field before the ball is kicked. The only time players may cross the midfield line is if the ball is kicked off or if 15 seconds elapses (4:45 on the round clock).
v. The kick-offs following any goal will go to the team that got scored on.
vi. In the event of the ball disappearing underground, the round is to be restarted and the kickoff is awarded to the team that had the ball in the offensive zone. This is not to change even if a clear was imminent. The kickoff is treated the same as any other kickoff.
i. Only 13 players (6 from each team playing + referee) will be allowed in the server during a match. Everyone else who wants to watch the game needs to do so via SourceTV.
i. Goalie blocking is when a player intentionally goes into the goal box and prevents the goalie from effectively playing his position. Such a penalty will have to be assessed after the game ends. If a goalie feels like he was blocked during a play, the League Officials will review the demo of the game to see if this is true. If so, a 1 goal penalty will be assessed against the team committing the foul. If this occurs during a playoff game and the penalty results in the game being a tie, the captains will have to schedule a time to finish the match with a golden goal as soon as possible.
i. Each team will be awarded 2 time outs per half and one time out for Golden Goal. Every timeout has a time limit of 2 minutes.
ii. A timeout must be called by typing “!to” in chat.
iii. If a team uses a timeout to impede the other team's high percentage scoring chance, it will count as an infraction. After reviewing the play a goal may be awarded to the team that lost their scoring chance.
iv. A timeout must be used if you need to leave the server for any reason. You will have the full extent of the timeout to rejoin the server, but if you do not return by the end of your timeout a player can take your spot.
v. "Kill" in console will be blocked during timeouts.
i. You may choose to use a !to to make a substitution. It is mandatory that the match is not live while you make your substitution.
i. MM1 (All chat) is allowed in any form during match gameplay. However, League Officials retain the right to remove a players privilege of using chat. If a player who has lost his privilege uses chat anyways, it will count as an infraction and could result in a suspension.
i. In a match (or pug), 2 or more players can NOT block the ball with the intent to stall time.
ii. A player is not allowed to stand on the ball with the intent to waste time.
i. This is a list of match infractions that may occur during gameplay, in which case the referee would warn the player and post it in the match report.
i.Much like the 'fug' rule when playing pugs, we will now have a Mercy Rule for matches. If a team is down by 7 goals in the first half or 6 goals in the second half, they now have the option to end the match and take an immediate loss. This will hopefully limit the demoralizing effects of a blow-out loss by allowing the losing team to respectfully bow out of the competeition. To call for the Mercy Rule, the Captain/Co-Captain (if the captain isn't there)/Majority of the team (if the Co-captain isn't there) just states in all-chat they wish to end the game.
i. The winning team will vote on the MVP for the game. A General Manager will need to submit to the referee who was voted MVP. The MVP will then be posted on the website for each match.
i. The HOME team will have possession of the ball at the start of golden goal.
ii. The game will be played under normal circumstances until one team scores. That team will then be declared the winner and the match will be over.
i. Any form of a scrim that occurs during the season will be completely unofficial and will have absolutely no bearing on the league whatsoever. Feel free to schedule friendly matches between yourselves, but realize the results of these friendlies will not matter (as far as the league is concerned) and will not be recorded.
i. All PUG rules, unless otherwise noted, will be the same as the match rules.
ii. The pug will consist of two halves (15 minute halves in outdoor, 10 in indoor). The match will end when the timer of regulation is finished. If the score at the end of regulation is a tie, the game will then go into a third period termed “golden goal.” The first team to score in this period will be the winner of the match. Say GG and pug again.
iii. The PSL has only one pug server (64.74.97.107:27015) at the moment. This server is used for both 4v4 and 6v6 pugs.
iv. After teams are picked, you will have 1 minute to do whatever you need to do before the pug begins. After that 1 minute, you are expected to be ready to play.
v. After a pug ends, you will have a 25 second timer to leave the server, otherwise you are expected to play the next pug. Note that this timer cancels if the amount of players in the server drops below the required amount (8 for indoor, 12 for outdoor).
i. The 2nd pick team kicks off for the first half and, if need be, during golden goal. The 1st pick team kicks off for the second half.
ii. The only time players may cross the midfield line is if the ball is kicked off or if 30 seconds elapses (4:30 on the round clock).
iii. On the first kickoff of a new pug, each team has a extra timeout they can use. Whether this timeout is used or not, it will be removed once the pug begins.
iv. All other rules are identical to the Match Kickoff rules.
i. Any player is subject to be captain. If 2 captains are voted acceptable, they ARE the captains. The only exception is if a captain is AFK, and is kicked from the server (see AFK rule). In this case, captains would be re-picked.
ii. If you are captain, your expected to pick your players in good fashion (no purpose fugging), and giving them appropriate positions.
iii. The only acceptable terms of deciding who gets first pick between the two captains is a KNIFE fight.
iv. Captains cannot run away during the knife fight. Excessively running away will make you subject to be made half speed by an admin. If you feel this was abused, you can challenge it in the server by asking what the other spectators thought (if it was warranted). If the majority of people say it wasn't the knife fight is to be re-done.
v. If captains are deemed acceptable by a script, the admin is NOT to spec them under any circumstances. Any player witnessing offense against this rule should report it on the forums.
i. You may sub at any time during the pug assuming there is a player in the server. You are allowed to re-claim your spot in the pug when you are ready to return assuming you are in the server at the time.
ii. Captain Subbing - If a captain subs before picking a team, they are ineligible to play in the pug.
iii. Subbing Protocol - When you make a substitution, you must WAIT until the sub joins your team before or you get a written confirmation via All-Chat in game that the sub acknowledges that you need a sub. Too often someone will just say "sub" and leave when there is a AFK sub waiting in the server for the next pug to start. It is the player's responsibility who needs to leave to get an active sub to join the team or prove they are not AFK BEFORE they leave the server. In order to get your spot back, you must be in the server - players will not be kicked for you to rejoin.
1. Criteria for calling a Fug in the First Halfa. Your team must be down by seven (7) goals. Anything less than that, especially with well over half the game left, can lead to a comeback. However, at 7 goals down in the first half, the team morale and team skill is just outmatched by the other team, and it is acceptable to call a fug.
2. Criteria for calling a Fug in the Second Halfa. Your team must be down by six (6) goals. Anything less than that, especially with half the game left, can lead to a comeback. However, at 6 goals down in the second half, the team morale and team skill is just outmatched by the other team, and it is acceptable to call a fug.
1. You must type "!fug" in chat. Anything else other than this will not be recognized by the script and will not count as a fug calling.
i. Each team is only allowed to have 4 or 6 (depending on the map) players on their team. This means that if you are a spectator, you are NOT ALLOWED to join a team and wander around in the stands.
i. If a player goes AFK during a pug while it is live and there is a sub in the server, a 30 second timer will be started to allow the player to get back. After the 30 second timer, the player will be KICKED if they have not returned and will be subbed in for. If the kicked player comes back, he can NOT reclaim his spot instantly. But instead will be treated like any other player who joins the server. If there are subs in front of the returning player, then the returning player will take his spot in the sub line.
ii. The only way you can go AFK, and be eligible to get you're spot back is if you are in the server and successfully sub out. (see the subbing protocol under 5) c) ii).
i. If a Captain goes AFK in the server after being voted Captain, start the !afk timer for 30 seconds. If the Captain doesn't return before the 30 seconds is up, kick him and re-vote on 2 new Captains. If the kicked Captain returns, he is treated just as any other player would be who joined the pug late and put in the back of the sub line.
i. If a player goes AFK during a pug when there are NO subs in the server, a 5 minute timer is used instead (!nosubafk). If this 5 minute timer elapses, the player will be BANNED for 24/hours initially and then may have the ban increased according to to the PSL Ban Protocols.
i. If a captain goes AFK when a sub is NOT in the server (12 players), then a new 5 minute timer will be initiated by typing "!nosubafk". If the captain does not return, he/she will be banned according to the PSL Ban Protocols.
ii. If a 13th player joins during the !nosubafk timer, it is expected that the !afk timer is ran instantly instantly instead. This timer will overide the !nosubafk timer, and the player will be kicked after the 30 second timer ends.
iii. Players can then leave once there are only 11 players in the server or if you get a new 12 then a new pug can start and new captains will be choosen.
i. AFK subs will be kicked just like an AFK player would, regardless of if there are other subs in the server. In either case, you will have 30 seconds to join the team. If you do not join within those 30 seconds you will be kicked and we will go onto the next sub. If there is no other sub you will still be kicked and the player needing a sub will be required to find a new one.
ii. Players can no longer choose not to sub and are subject to be kicked. This means even if you say in chat for the next person to sub, you can still be kicked. The !afk timer will be ran even if you are clearly not AFK, and you will be kicked if you do not join the team within the 30 seconds. This may seem harsh, but if you do not wish to sub keep in mind you can just rejoin the server as soon as a second sub joins.
i. If a player times out, all AFK rules are waived. The only rule that remains is that players will not be kicked for you to return. If there is a free slot and you join the server, you are the right to get your spot back.
i. If an admin deems a player AFK for an excessive period of time without a sub, they are subject to be banned. This is for when either a player goes AFK for a long period or time, or, if a player is constantly going AFK but never exceeds 30 seconds at one time. This is to avoid the loophole of going AFK instead of leaving without a sub, or simply abusing the 30 second AFK timer.
1. If someone asks you to stop, please show some sportsmanship and respect their request.
2. This includes spraying, spamming, flash lighting, and anything else annoying to someone. It’s fine to have fun with people, just don’t over do it.
3. Please respect and follow League Official's and Admin's directions and decisions.
1. We are trying to limit the pugs to their expected rate of 35 minutes per pug, but be aware that they can last up to 60 minutes or longer (depending on the map).2. Captains pick the positions, so play where they say even if it isn't a position you enjoy. You may ask your captain to switch, but do so nicely. If you do not play your position, you may be banned.3. Obey admins and all rules listed.
i. Any disrespect to any player will not be tolerated, ESPECIALLY towards beginners. Admins will have full discretion of punishment based on the situation. The LOs will then vote on whether the punishment is sufficient. However, the first offense at minimum is a week mute and 24 hour ban. Each progressive offense minimum is doubled in severity (2nd: 2 week mute, 48 hour ban, 3rd: 4 week mute, 96 hour ban).
i. Any use of racial slurs in the PSL servers is strictly prohibited. Derogatory racial terms have no place in our servers, and anyone who uses these terms will be subject to punishment. Again, admins will have full discretion of punishment based on the situation and terms used. The LOs can then vote on whether the punishment is sufficient. However, the first offense at minimum is a week mute. The chat block does not serve as the rule enforcer. Racist sprays may also be considered to violate this rule. Each progressive offense will add an additional week long mute (2nd: 2 week mute, 3rd: 3 week mute, etc.).
i. It is expected of you to be respectful in the server to other players trying to play the game. If you are doing something another player doesn't like, and they ask you to stop, please respect their request. Although "respect" is a very subjective issue, use good judgment. We want the PSL to be an place where players can come and expect to have an enjoyable time without the worries of other players harassing them or treating them poorly.
i. 'Rage quitting' is when a player leaves a server without a sub in the server. If you need to leave mid-pug and there is no sub, FIND ONE. This league has enough players to find a sub at almost all times. If you cannot find a sub and leave anyways, there will be consequences.
ii. If you leave the game when there is no sub, you will be automatically banned for 24 hours. Say Player A leaves for 2 seconds with no sub currently in the server, and immediately after Player B joins. Player A will be banned for that. There is a zero tolerance policy for leaving a pug with no sub.
iii. If a player needs to leave the server quickly for any reason, they have to use a !to otherwise they risk losing their spot. See 3) c) iv. for further clarification.
1. Purposely fugging a pug - MANY REASONS INCLUDED2. Scoring an own goal3. Disrespecting another player after being told to stop4. Hitting the ball forward on a kickoff5. Blocking the goalie6. Abusing any of the scripts, in any way7. Going in the circle during kickoff8. Excessive AFK9. *All reasons may not currently be posted above and could be acted upon via admins.
i. Only League Officials are allowed to permanently ban players. Saying this, an admin can still temporarily ban another player if he/she sees fit.
ii. A player may challenge anyone's ban if they feel it was not the right action. At that point, League Officials will investigate the ban.
iii. League Officials are the only ones who can reverse the ban. If we feel the player did not deserve it, we will remove the ban and potentially punish or warn the admin for poor discretion.
i. If there are 12 people in the server, those are the 12 to play the pug. If you join the server under the 13th slot at any time, you are late/unpick-able, even if you join before any scripts begin. To determine who the 13th player is, use the Server Info. If any of the 12 original players wish to give up their spot to the 13th player, they may do so.
ii. The only way you can lose your spot as one of the original 12 players in the server is by leaving the server by choices that you control, such as restarting steam, your game, your PC, etc. If you get disconnected by an uncontrollable factor such as timing out, you have the right to your 'original player' spot if you get back in the server BEFORE the captains start picking.
iii. If a pug just ends WITH more than 12 players in the server (spectators), and nobody leaves the server, then all 13 players will be pick-able for the next pug.
iv. Even if you are on auto-join for the whole time a pug is going it does not matter. If you do not join during the pug, you will be late for the next pug unless you join as a part of a new 12.
i. If you see an admin not following the proper protocol, then you have the power to have that admin investigated. After an incident occurs, report it on the forums. The LOs will review it, confirm or deny the claim, and take appropriate action if it was a true act of misconduct. The punishment can range from removal of admin temporarily, a decrease in admin status, or the removal of admin permanently on the PSL servers. This will be dealt with on a case by case basis.
ii. Likewise, the same procedure is in effect for if an admin doesn't enforce the rules in the server (e.g. they see misconduct occurring yet refuse to do anything to stop it). Admins are there to do a specific job, and if they improperly use their "power" or fail to enforce the rules we've set forth then they are subject to losing the privilege of being an admin for the PSL. The players have the power to control the quality of our admins by reporting misuse on the forums, so be sure if you notice anything to let us know.
ii. The maximum you can reserve the server for is 1 hour.
ii. Priorities 3 to 5 depend on the order of events (i.e. if a pug is going while 2 teams decide they want to scrim / a team wants to scrug, the pug is NOT ended for it).
iii. All scrugs / scrims must wait until the server is not being used (no pug running), and all players participating in the scrim / scrug must not be late if a pug was to be started.
i. Punishments for breaking league rules will be either match or pug based. Match punishments will be determined in match suspensions; pug punishments will be bans.
If there isn't a category or action listed here that we haven't already thought of, it will be up to the Admin/League Official's discretion for punishment. Just because the rule isn't explicitly listed in the Pug rules or in the Match rules doesn't mean that it's acceptable and you won't be punished for it. Use common sense and proper judgment with your actions and you'll be fine.
Updated for Season 5 specific rules. Captains please review the changes.
Updated to reflect the new 11 player max.

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