As most have saw, the WILL Rules Committee released the official rulebook for the 2018 season. A brand new aspect of how teams register and more were introduced this season. Below is a screenshot of the rulebook definitions of the new preseason rules. Let's try and make it a little simpler though.
SIGNING UP: There are three different "categories" you can sign up under.
- One, being the traditional way of signing up your team of 3-6 people and paying the $65 team fee then you are ready to go.
- The second way is by signing up your team of 3-5 people and leaving room to participate in the preseason draft, where you will select one player from the "Free Agent Pool" to negotiate a contract with to join your team, this registration option is a $60 team fee.
- The third and final option to register is as an individual, where you will go into the "Free Agent Pool" and you will be able to negotiate contracts with any team you want and can stay on a team for as long or as short as you want, which will be in the contract you negotiate. Individual registrants will all be included in the draft, but are not mandated to go to the team that drafts them. One can sign up as an individual at any point in the year, the registration fee will be $15, but for every gameday that a player is not signed to a team (s)he will be refunded $2.
THE DRAFT: An optional preseason draft will take place for teams wanting to participate.
-A one round randomized draft order draft will take place at the preseasons captains meeting, for the teams electing to be in it. The teams in it will then pick, when on the clock, a player from the "Free Agent Pool". This is not a mandatory move for the player drafted to a team, this only lets the team be the only team to try and work out a contract with the player for 48 hours. If after 48 hours a contract agreement can't be reached, the player will simply go back into the "Free Agent Pool" and will be able to talk with any team (s)he wants.
CONTRACTS: All players will be subject to sign a contract to the team they play for in 2018.
- Players will agree to a contract with the team they play for, no matter if individual registrant or not. Contracts will be able to be for any length of time, and can also include incentives, trade clauses, and more. All contracts will have to be first approved by the Rules Committee.
TRADES: The 2018 season will be the first to allow teams to trade players.
- Player contracts must still be followed when being traded. Captains are the only one's who can trade players. Trades must include at least a player for player swap, but it can be a 2 for 1 deal or a multi-team swap, nonetheless all teams involved must be left with a valid 3-6 player roster after the deal. Incentives can be included but must be approved by the Rules Committee. The trade deadline will be the calendar day after Day 6.
Any more questions or concerns, contact a member of the Rules Committee here. Below are screenshots of the rules in the official rulebook.
