A. Organization

-- Commissioner – Brandon Rose

Commissioner's Message: This document is not the Constitution of the United States. Thus, it does not require an Act of Congress to edit it. The league rules are best described as an evolving document. So, when/should the need arise over time to reword some rule(s) in order to make it/them more clear and/or defined, or should a new game feature be created, or one changed, that needs to be accounted for or implemented into this document, please know that it shall be done so with only the best interests of the league in mind.

-- The commissioner is in charge of the day-to-day league business.

-- All league business and/or league issues are to be handled directly with the commissioner and not in an open forum.

-- The United Football League plays the latest version of Action! PC Football. 

-- Each member is required to own the latest version of the game and season disk being played.

-- Each member has to have the ability to host or join an internet session [game].

-- Webmaster – Brandon Rose  Web Design – Kory Bailey



B. League Setup

-- The United Football League is a ten team draft league divided into two five-team conferences.

Conference alignment:

Elite Conference
Premier Conference

-- United Football League team names can be derived from any city, county, state, province or region and nickname from any professional football league team or college football team from any era. Nothing vulgar/offensive or repetitive [same nickname] will be allowed.

-- A teams stadium has to be the real-life stadium OR be a stadium in the same city, county, state, province or similar weather clime region.



C. League Biz & Playing Your Games


-- The United Football League will play one season a calendar year.

-- Each season will start in mid-May and end in early-August.

-- League information will be available on the web site or via e-mail from the commissioner.

-- The official league file will be provided by the commissioner during the regular season, playoffs and off-season.

-- Vacant teams can be an issue from time to time.  Therefore the United Football League will always try to maintain a Coaches Waiting List.  In the event that a team doesn’t have a coach, their regular season and/or playoff games will be played by the commissioner, a member of the Competition Committee or a designated owner until the vacant position is filled.  The same rules apply if a team doesn’t have a coach during the rookie/free agent draft.

-- The 1958 regular season schedule will be 12 games.

6 Home/6 Away

-- Teams will play one game a week.

-- Each coach needs to provide the commissioner with a Coach File for the league file. During the course of the regular season Coach Files should be updated due to injuries.

-- The first day of each play week coaches should contact each other with the days and times they are available to play and then later agree to a day and time to play.

-- If the two coaches can't come to an agreement about when to play for any reason the coach that can't play needs to send out a league-wide sub-coach plea.

-- If a sub-coach can't be found or for any games not played on time - without an excuse - the commissioner will sim those games.

-- At the conclusion of each game the .XBX file should be sent to the commissioner and the entire league.



D. Game Settings

-- The following RULES and GAME PREFERENCES will be used:

League Type – Draft League

Two-Point Conversions

Minutes/Quarter – 15

Play Clock: 40 Seconds

Injuries – OFF

Temporary In-Game Fatigue

Field Goal Miss Line – 20 Yard Line

Kickoff Line – 40 Yard Line

Goal Post Location – Goal Line

Home Field Advantage: Set at 3

Penalties – Set at Realistic

Weather Conditions - Real-Life Home Field/Month of Play

Season Usage Penalties – Yes

Game Usage Penalties – Yes

Special Teams Usage Penalties – Yes

Quarterback Usage Penalties – Yes

Game Usage Settings – 110% Mild/115% Moderate/120% Major

Season Usage Settings – 110% Mild/115% Moderate/120% Major

Game Era: Standard Offensive/Defensive Blend
              
-- These GAME OPTIONS will NOT be allowed/used:

Hurry-Up
QB Kneel
Spiking the Ball
Audibles
Challenges
Injuries
Overtime

-- These OFFENSIVE and DEFENSIVE FORMATIONS will NOT be allowed:

3 WR - 2 RB
3 WR - 1 RB
4 WR
5 WR
Double TE
Triple TE
3-4 Basic Defense
3-3 Nickel Defense
4-2 Nickel Defense
5-1 Nickel Defense
3-2 Dime Defense
4-1 Dime Defense
3-1 Quarter Defense
3-4 Blowout Defense


E. The Use of Trick Plays

-- Trick plays are a part of football in any era. To keep it real the use of trick plays will be limited to four per game.

Trick plays include: Non-QB passes, WR/TE reverses, flea flicker, fake punts, and fake field goals.

The rule will be the same for the playoffs, except, players are limited to the real-life number of trick plays they attempted.

Trick Play Disclaimer – If a player is rated RB/WR – and he is a viable RB option for you – he needs to be lined him up in the backfield and not run reverses all season.  Abuse of this rule will result in the loss of the player and/or a second round draft pick depending on the severety of the abuse.



F. Roster Size & Player Usage

-- Roster Size – 36 active players

-- Player usage will be dictated by injuries, game and season fatigue.  There will be no artificial limitations imposed. 

-- Skill position players will be required to use 1/3 of their real-life usage in the following categories:

QB – Pass Attempts
RB – Carries
WR/TE – Receptions

Failure to meet the 1/3 minimum usage requirement will result in the player becoming a free agent at the end of the regular season and eligible to be drafted in the next free agent draft.  This rule is to guard against teams hoarding skill position players.

Regular Season QB Rule: A team can not carry more than three active QB's on their regular season roster.

-- A player missing a season because of an injury, suspension, playing in another professional football league or military service who is not game rated can be kept by his team for that season.  Players kept, who fit that description, and who are listed as Not Available [N/A] will NOT count against the 36-player active roster.  There will be a three-player maximum limit regarding keeping players with Not Available status.

-- Teams are required to carry a backup at every position except tight end, kicker and punter. A single player can be the backup at more than one position if he is rated at those positions.  

-- You may have to play a player or players out of position due to injury or fatigue. 

Here are the playing out of position guidelines:

C, OG & OT can play any offensive line position
DE & DT can play any defensive line position
ILB & OLB can play any linebacker position
CB & S can play any defensive backfield position

TE Disclaimer: In the 1950's TE was not a full-time position for every team. Many teams utilized an OT in that spot since the running game was emphasized so strongly. Therefore, you can put an OT in the TE spot with NO penalty for misusing a player out of position without injury or fatigue.

-- Keep in mind, players who play out of position are reduced in effectiveness by the game.

-- Once the injured or fatigued player is eligible to return to action you must play him and no longer play anyone out of position.

-- Playing a player out of position for no apparent reason will result first in a warning and second, if repeated, some kind of penalty. That being, you will lose either the player that you are playing out of position, a draft pick, or in repeated cases both. If the offenses continue you will be relieved of your team.

-- Dummied Down Performance Ratings for Special Team Players Rule:

We are playing an era where special team players also played a regular position making it hard for every team in a draft league to fill each special team position adequately. For realism and to help teams get through the season with special teams adequately covered the United Football League will institute the "Dummied Down Performance Ratings for Special Team Players Rule." This rule allows teams who are lacking in any special team area to have a player on their roster that performed those duties at any time in their career be given a "dummied down performance rating" 10% less than the league average at that specific special team position.

-- Special QB Rule: Any QB with a Passing Rating of 59.9 or less will be given a Durability Rating of 10.

-- Special teams guidelines for the Holder & Long Snapper:

Holder – Any Quarterback, Punter or real-life Holder [coach must verify]
Long-Snapper – Any Center or real-life Long-Snapper

-- Hoarding of players at any position will NOT be tolerated. This will be policed by the commissioner. In flagrant violations the player[s] will be released and allowed to be picked up by the teams needing to fill those positions.



G. Playoffs

-- Six teams will qualify for the playoffs. 

2 Conference Winners
4 Wild Card Teams [2 from each conference]

Wild-Card Note: The wild-card teams will be the teams with the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th best records in the league regardless of position in their division standings.

-- Ties in the final standings will be broken using the U.F.L. Tie-Breaker system:

1. Best Head to Head Record
2. Best Division Record
3. Best Conference Record
4. Best Record in Common Games
5. Best Strength of Victory Percentage
6. Best Opponents Winning Percentage
7. Most Points Scored
8. Fewest Points Allowed
9. Most Offensive Yards Gained
10. Fewest Offensive Yards Allowed


-- Regular season statistics [usage] will be zeroed out for the playoffs so players are fresh.

-- Playoff Format:

Conference winners will be the 1st seed with the two wild-card teams the 2nd & 3rd seeds.

Elite Conference Wild Card Game
3rd Seed at 2nd Seed

Premier Conference Wild Card Game
3rd Seed at 2nd Seed

Elite Conference Championship Game
Wild Card Game Winner at Conference Winner

Premier Conference Championship Game
Wild Card Game Winner at Conference Winner

Championship Game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California
Elite Conference Champions vs. Premier Conference Champions

-- No home field advantage for the United Football League Championship Game.

-- Sudden death overtime will be used in playoff games ending in a tie.

-- The United Football League champion will be awarded the Bert Bell Trophy by the commissioner.



H. Injuries & Waiver Transactions

-- It is in your teams best interests that you select a player or players from the free agent list when you lose a player or players to injury. 

-- Waiver claims should be made to the commissioner.  When the injured player is eligible to return the waiver wire pick up or another player on your roster has to be released.  That transaction is also sent to the commissioner.

-- During the regular season you can claim players off of the waiver wire and release players. 

-- All waiver claims are handled on a first come-first served.  The claim/cut requests are to be sent to the commissioner.



I. Trading Ground Rules

-- Trading is allowed year-round.

Trade Disclaimer: Any trade completed after the in-season trading deadline will become official at the completion of the regular season and playoffs.

-- The in-season trading deadline is at the conclusion of Week 7 play.

-- Trades can include players and draft picks. 

-- You can trade your draft picks up to two seasons in the future.

Example: With the next free agent draft being 1958 you can trade your 1958, 1957 & 1956 draft picks.

-- All trades are to be reported to the commissioner and confirmed by the non-trade reporting coach.

-- Once a trade is official – one coach reports it and one coach confirms – it will be announced to the entire league via e-mail.

-- The commissioner will review and have final approval of all trades.


 
J. Free Agent/Rookie & Garbage Pile Drafts

-- Any player not on a roster and who is game rated is draft eligible.

-- Sometime after the end of the regular season each coach will be asked to submit a 28-player protected list with the remainder of their team’s roster going into the free agent/rookie draft pool. 

-- Teams will be limited to no more than 2 QB’s on their 28-player protected roster with only one QB allowed to have over 100 pass attempts.

-- The Free Agent/Rookie Draft will be ten rounds.

-- The overall Free Agent/Rookie Draft selection order will be determined by worst-to-best winning percentage.

Ties will be broken using the United Football League Tie-Breaker System:

1. Best Head to Head Record
2. Best Division Record
3. Best Conference Record
4. Best Record in Common Games
5. Best Strength of Victory Percentage
6. Best Opponents Winning Percentage
7. Most Points Scored
8. Fewest Points Allowed
9. Most Offensive Yards Gained
10. Fewest Offensive Yards Allowed

The four lottery teams selection order will be determined by assigning each team a number one through four and then using a random number generator.

The only teams whose selection order can change are the teams that participate in the United Football League Championship Game. They will pick 11th and 12th.

-- At the conclusion of the Free Agent/Rookie Draft the Garbage Pile Draft will start.

-- The Garbage Pile Draft is to help teams fill-out their roster or holes. All selections are first come-first served.

-- Teams who reach the 36-player roster limit during the Free Agent/Rookie or Garbage Pile Drafts can continue participating in the rookie draft but must cut a player before making a pick.

-- The Free Agent/Rookie Draft is conducted via IM, e-mail or telephone [emergency situations only]

-- The Garbage Pile Draft is conducted via e-mail.



K. Rule Changes Proposals

-- Rules change proposals can be made to the commissioner at the conclusion of the season.

-- Each proposal will be reviewed by the commissioner who will then decide whether or not the proposal merits a league-wide discussion and/or vote.

-- Any proposal making the cut that goes to a league vote will need to carry 3/4 of the vote to be added to or modify an existing league rule.

-- Any topics not covered by the league rules will be addressed by the commissioner as needed.  It should not be assumed that the lack of a rule against a certain practice permits its usage.