A number of options are available for league structure in the 2022 TSL season. As it is the first season returning from COVID, it is impossible to accurately predict the number of players who will sign up and what their interests will be. Therefore the commissioner has outlined the following priorities:
- The top priority is player safety. This includes with respect to COVID-19, play injury, player safety considerations, and team balance.
- The second priority is to maximize enjoyment for as many players as possible. This must be achieved by balancing the following potentially conflicting factors:
- Fairness in league and team structure
- Opportunities to practice and play with new people
- Ensuring players have their desired quantity of playing time
- The lowest priority is making a competitive league with meaningful high-stakes competitiveness. I mean, the trophy is literally called “Cuppy McCupface.”
Since players are given an option to enter a draft, the league structure depends on the proportion of players who will enter the draft.
OPTIONS FOR PLAYER DRAFT:
- If enough players enter the draft to form at least two draftable teams (40 players+), a TSL draft will be held in mid-May. GMs will be selected and players drafted through a system TBD similar to a fantasy tournament.
- If enough players enter the draft to form one team but not enough to form two (20-39), the draftable players will be formed into a single team with no draft process.
- If fewer players enter the draft than a single team size (<20), these players will then be drafted by the existing regional teams in a draft held in late May or pooled onto an existing undersized mercenary team.
The option that is selected will be announced in early May. At that time a draft will be announced, and players may choose to enter or remove themselves from the draft up until the day before the draft. The commissioner reserves the right to react to new information in whatever manner is most equitable.
REGIONAL TEAMS vs MERCENARY TEAMS:
Historically, the following regional teams have played every year of TSL:
- San Marcos Storm
- Dallas Dementors
- Houston Apollos
Smaller regional teams have sometimes combined to form teams, such as the Lubbock/College Station RaiderKats and the College Station/Victoria Legendary Outlaws. 6th Street Austin has played some years, and one year joined with College Station and Victoria to form Whatabludger. These teams are generally referred to as Mercenary teams. If multiple small regional teams form, they will likely be formed into a Mercenary team, depending on what they and the draft-eligible players want to do.
OUT-OF-REGION TEAMS:
If a team from another region wishes to travel to participate in a TSL event as a group, please contact the commissioner. This would be a great thing that would be a lot of fun.
Players from other regions who wish to enter the draft must include information about which event(s) they plan to attend when signing up.
FINAL NOTE FROM THE COMMISSIONER
This entire system is based on the public trust in the commissioner. As TSL Commissioner, I, Alejandro Enriquez, vow to do my best to build a summer league event that will be as fun for as many people as possible.
Please include any ideas, complaints, concerns, and praise in your TSL signup form or email admin@victoriaquidditch.org