GENERAL RULES

Contents
1. AFL Players : 2. Player Positions : 3. Squad Rules : 4. Team Selection : 5. Notation : 6. Player Values : 7. Initialising Your Club : 8. Initial Funds : 9. Initial Bidding : 10. Bankruptcy : 11. The Matches : 12. Club Management Rulebook

1. AFL PLAYERS

• All players drafted by the 18 AFL clubs are listed by SLF. Every player is identified by a unique number (this eliminates any spelling errors and confusion of similar player names). When referring to a player in SLF, always use his number.
• Refer to the Player List of all the available players, their SLF number, player position, real-life AFL team and number of games and goals scored in the previous year.

2. PLAYER POSITIONS

• Each player is designated by SLF as being a forward ("F"), half forward ("HF"), centre ("C"), half back ("HB"), back ("B"), ruck or rover ("RR"), or unknown ("UN"). Each player's position remains constant throughout the season, regardless of true-life AFL line ups for any particular week, except "UN"knowns (generally rookies) which may be designated by SLF as necessary.

3. SQUAD RULES

• Each club has a squad of players available for selection in the team. The squad is initially selected in three bidding rounds at the beginning of the game. The highest bid for any player wins the ability for that player to join only one SLF club.
• You are not restricted to keep these players forever. Any players not signed by other SLF clubs (free agents) may be bought at any time during the season. Consequently, you can remove players from your squad, either by delisting to no-one (player returns to a free agent) or drafting to another club.
• Your squad may never contain more than 30 players. However, you may sell or delist a player, and then buy another player to refill your squad in the same week of operations.
• The squad maximum of 30 players is also limited to signing no more than 5 "F" players, 5 "HF" players, 5 "C" players, 5 "HB" players, 5 "B" players, 5 "RR" players, and 5 "UN"knowns.

4. TEAM SELECTION

• Your team is the 18 players selected each week from your squad who line up for the SLF game and thus have the ability to score. Squad players not selected in the SLF team will not score for your team, regardless of AFL score.
• The team 18 consists of 3 players in each of the 6 designated playing positions. Only two "UN"known players are allowed to play anywhere in the team.
• Players can be selected to play in their designated position only. The same player cannot be selected twice. If so, that player will automatically be replaced with a valid player or else a vacancy (player number 0).
• If a team position is unable to be filled by a player, ie you only have two "HF"s, you may fill with an "UN"known, or else this position is filled with a vacancy (player number 0).
• Vacant positions in a football team are undesirable. Penalties of 2 "rushed" goals per vacancy are automatically given to your opposition.
• Interchange players and/or emergency lists for your team can be selected. The SLF "Club Management" Booklet provides more detail.
• Previous week selections are listed on your weekly club return sheet and will continue to be used unless a change is made.
• Any errors in team selection will be picked up and corrected by the computer. Your weekly club report will notify you of any changes made.

5. NOTATION

• Sums of money used for player bids, other expenses and income are expressed in multiples of thousands of dollars, with no fractions. $1000 is written as $1k.
• Your bank balance is expressed in $xx,xxx, not $xxk.
• During the initial bidding rounds, the $ and k signs are included on the form for you. During game play, all expenditure on your return-sheet operations will also be in $k.

6. PLAYER VALUES

• When a player is signed by a team, the bid amount is recorded and this becomes his value. Player values determine the wages that a player must be paid each week, and the amount of money recovered if that player leaves your club.

7. INITIALISING YOUR CLUB

• When applying for your SLF licence, you must invent your own unique club name, colours, home ground and sponsor. All these must not exceed specified character lengths and are subject to approval from the SLF board of directors. Example : Northern Grove, Gold and White, Golden Gate Oval, Village Tavern. Later you can post your own guernsey design, and store a WAV file for your club song.
• All clubs begin with the initial funds, no players, 8000 members, a ground / oval (named by you) with total capacity of 26,000 people (25,000 in the outer, 1,000 in grandstand seats, no corporate boxes, and no rooftop).

8. INITIAL FUNDS

• Once the SLF licence is granted, the bank provides your club with $2 million ($2000k) before the first bidding round, an additional $2 million before the second bidding round, and another additional $1 million before the third round. All clubs begin with no players and must purchase them in the initial bidding rounds.

9. INITIAL BIDDING

• The first 2 weeks (approx) are initial bidding rounds.
• Using the funds available, you make bids for any unsigned players (free agents) whom you want in your club. Bids must be in multiples of thousands ($1k). The highest bidder will get the player and that clubs bank balance is reduced by the amount of the bid. Where equal highest bids are made then the winning bid is decided at random by the computer.
• In each bidding round you can bid for up to 16 players. Fill in the return-sheet by entering the player number next to "Bid No.01" through to "Bid No.16". Also enter each bid amount. You may bid for as many (up to 16) players in one position as you like, but you can only sign those within your squad limits. Bids are processed in order 1 to 16. Thus, for example, if bids 1 to 6 are the highest bids for "HF" players, only the first 5 can sign, your 6th bid is then ignored.
• The $$$ sum of your 16 initial bids may exceed your bank balance. Some of your bids may not win, so you wont necessarily spend all of your money, but individual bids are ignored once you have insufficient funds (see below).
• If a club bids for a player with more money than it has available, that bid is cancelled. eg if you have $500k left after 10 bids and bid 11 is for $501k, it is ignored and bid 12 is processed, if this is highest bid at $200k, you have $300k left for bid 13 and so on.
• Due to high importance of "F"orwards, a limit of three signings of "F" can be made in the first initial bid round. Once you have signed 3 "F" players, any succeeding bids for "F" are ignored (only in the 1st week). Usual squad maximum of 5 "F" applies in 2nd and 3rd bidding round.
• Players will sign immediately to the one highest bidder club, and are no longer considered as free agents. Overbids or poachings cannot be made in the remaining initial bidding rounds.
• If for some reason a manager fails to submit a set of bids, the computer will make random selections for free agents a random bid of $1-100k. Very cheap, but very likely to sign scrubbers !
• Further free agent signings may be made during normal playing weeks. Players may also be signed from other clubs through agreed transfers, or you may also poach players from other clubs without their consent. The SLF "Club Management" Booklet provides more detail.
• Pre-warning on player poachings; Basically, to poach another club's player you will need to offer at least double his present value, and hope the owning club does not wish or cannot afford to boost his contract. Thus, it is possible to get that aspiring player you missed out on, but it will cost you at least double after the bidding rounds.

10. BANKRUPTCY

• Having insufficient funds during the initial bidding rounds incurs no penalty apart from overdrawing bids being ignored.
• If during normal game play you have a bank balance of $0 and finance transactions in the following week do not get your club out of bankruptcy, your highest valued player will quit. You will recoup two thirds of his player value.

11. THE MATCHES

• Home and away matches will begin the week after the 3 initial bidding rounds, according to fixtures made by SLF. You may access the fixture list (who plays against who on what weekend) from your "League Page".
• AFL matches played on a Friday night, Saturday, Saturday night and Sunday will be used by SLF to determine your results. The occasional game on a weekday may be used, you will be informed when this situation arises.
• SLF scoring relies on goals and behinds scored by AFL players each weekend. Possession statistics (as in reality) bear little resemblance to a sporting game result, only scores count.
• AFL goal and behind scorers, as decided by SLF, may not always agree with your local rag-paper or TV statistician. I hope not to disappoint you often, but sometimes misprints, errors, differing statistic sources etc. will occur. The SLF decision is ALWAYS correct.
• The SLF season consists of between 4 to 22 weeks of minor round games, with the last 2 AFL rounds being used for 2 weeks of SLF final round matches.

12. INSIDE THE CLUB MANAGEMENT RULEBOOK

• Club operations to select interchange players and/or emergency lists for your team.
• Financial information such as player wages, attendances and gate receipts, ground developments (building grandstands, executive boxes and rooftops), pre-selling tickets, sponsorship donations, violence fines, television contracts, night game fixtures and an AFL tipping competition.
• Club membership numbers, ratings for sponsors, cheer squad, and crowd violence. How to market and merchandise to gain & lose members and money. How weather predictions effect your football industry.
• Player transfers, how to buy, sell and poach players, profit from the draft list, and scout any player in the league.
• Details of the SLF season, deadlines, club initials and inter-league messages.
• The "Club Management" booklet is available on-line to registered managers only, or may be sent out to registered managers via Australia Post.