WHAT IS THE GAME FORMAT / WHAT ARE THE SETTINGS?

Please visit the league FAQ for these settings, as all leagues will be different.

WHAT IS THE SPORTSMANSHIP POLICY?

• Members are expected to uphold principles of sportsmanlike behavior at all times.
• You will show respect for your opponents and respect for the sports that you are simulating.
• You will refrain from running up the score.
• Unless approved by an admin, under no circumstances are you allowed to forfit a game or make up scores / stats for a game.
• You will be expected to communicate in a polite, acceptable manner during any communication related to United Leagues.
• You will be expected to play fairly without the use/help of known cheats/glitches.
• You will be expected to use a mic during the game - the technology is there and you are expected to use it to some degree. Choosing not to talk is ok - but you must meet up with your opponent, say "hello" and wear the mic during the game. This is done to alleviate against any game play issues or the possibility of a dropped game. In regards to running up the score or padding stats against league opponents...these actions absolutely will not be tolerated and will result in immediate league action.
• Owners exhibiting unsportsmanlike behavior at any time during their membership at United Leagues will be subject to suspension.

WHAT ARE THE POLICIES REGARDING GAMERTAGS/USERNAMES?

United Leagues reserves the right to reject membership based on offensive, inappropriate or close association with currently used gamertags or usernames.

HOW DO I SCHEDULE MY GAMES?

The following means should be used when scheduling your games:

• Instant Messenger (MSN)
• Email
• Xbox Live Messaging
• UL Private messaging system - Your opponent will receive his message in the owner console when he logs in.
• The UL Website (Forum) - The forum is to be used for discussions and not for scheduling games. Although, if you are having trouble scheduling with an opponent, i.e. your e-mails being ignored, you can then attempt to contact your opponent via the forum.
• Phone Numbers (if published) - If you have attempted to reach your opponent with the above steps to no avail, see if they have their telephone number listed and give them a call.
• Contact The Commissioner - If you have tried everything in an attempt to schedule your game, contact the league commissioner - they will assist in getting in touch with them.

NOTE 1:  Just looking for a guy on Messenger or Xbox Live does not cut it here - you have various different channels of communication open to you - please use them all before giving up.
NOTE 2:  The Xbox Live messaging system is not a UL preferred scheduling tool. Schedule via Xbox Live at your own risk as there is no way to prove your scheduling attempts.
NOTE 3:  As of May 28, 2007, the United Leagues has moved to using MSN as the exclusive instant messaging protocol for members. That means that you must acquire an MSN account in order to be accepted and remain in good standing at the United Leagues. There are several reasons for this change, including that accounts are FREE and have current and future integration with Xbox Live and your gamertag. There are free online tutorials on how to set one up. Your MSN IM account will work with several freeware programs (not just MSN messenger) and is available for both Mac and PCs.

BULK/JUNK MAIL FOLDERS

Just a warning everyone, emails that we send out to everyone in a league might end up in your bulk mail folder as it COULD look like spam...

Suggestions: Create rules for each league and have it send it to your inbox.

For example: Anything with the subject line of United Leagues, send it to your inbox...

While 99% of the info from this league network will be posted in news sections - you WILL be held responsible for any emails we send out - it is not our fault that you do not get it...

Another reason to check the website at LEAST once a day for updates/news.

WHAT DO I NEED TO DO IF I AM GOING ON VACATION, OUT OF TOWN ON BUSINESS, MOVING, HAVING ISP PROBLEMS ETC., AND WILL BE AWAY FROM MY XBOX FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME?

1. Contact the commissioner of the league and explain your situation and when you will return.
2. Contact your upcoming opponents and make them aware you will be gone for a while and when you will return.
3. Make a post in the league forum stating you will be gone and for how long.
4. If you do not follow these steps, you will be subject to removal.

 WHAT IS THE UNITED LEAGUES STRICT GNP REPORTING POLICY I KEEP HEARING ABOUT?

GNP Reports are due every Tuesday morning (8am CST) and must be submitted/updated for every game you have that is past due. Failure to do this will result in your account being locked. Once you contact an admin, we will explain your violation and unlock your account. Your next offense of this nature will see your account locked again. This time when you contact an admin you will be placed on 60 day probation. During your probationary period any offense/violation will see your account suspended for a period of 30, 60 or 90 days. When you return from suspension, you will be placed on 60 day probation again. During this period, any violation can see you banned regardless of how small.

WHAT ARE THE GNP PROCEDURES I MUST FOLLOW WHEN A NEW WEEK IS ACTIVATED?

• Sign in and look in your Owner Console
• There you will see a new links under each game if a GNP report is either due or out of date.
• After you report the status of this game - the report link will disappear and you are in the clear. By reporting, you are telling the league that you are still active and your attempts to get the game in.
• UNDERSTAND - reporting these status reports is THE most important part in keeping your team...everything is tracked, and we can tell if you are not being active...
• Your GNP report should contain the following information (updated each week):
  • What methods you have used to contact your opponent
  • What progress has been made to schedule the game. If the game has been scheduled, you can report that here.

  GNP REPORT NOTES:

• Status for Games Not Played during their scheduled week must be updated every week...NO EXCEPTIONS.
• Repeated violations of this policy will result in dismissal from United Leagues.
• EVERY un-played game from previous weeks needs its own GNP report.
• GNP reports are not to be used as scheduling tools.
• GNP reports that are not updated will be considered incomplete.

AFTER A GAME IS PLAYED, WHAT HAPPENS THEN?

• Either the winner or loser can report the results by browsing to the website and using the Submit Score form located under Owner Tools.
• Make sure the score and all stats for the winning / losing team are correct when submitting them.
• If there are any scores or stats that were posted incorrectly, contact the commissioner as soon as possible.
• Leave feedback for your opponent.

WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH FEEDBACK?

All feedback is due after the game has been played.

• To leave feedback, look in your Owner Console for reminder links.
• There are 3 types of feedback:
  • Positive
  • Neutral
  • Negative
• Here are some questions to ask yourself when leaving feedback:
  • Was the owner easy to deal with when scheduling the game?
  • Did he communicate well?
  • Did he play a fair game?
  • Did his style of game play reflect good skill?
  • Did he take advantage of any glitches?
  • Did he have a good attitude?
  • Did he speak?
• "Good Game" does not cut it!
• NO HEADSET / NO COMMUNICATION = NEUTRAL FEEDBACK! Feedback Notes:
• One word of caution - everything submitted for feedback for an owner, will be held accountable for. The use of profanity, degrading language or any other derogatory statements deemed unnecessary by the commissioner, will be removed and disciplinary action taken.
• Also, remember, feedback will be left for you.
• Only 1 feedback comment can be left per game.
• IF YOU RECEIVE TWO NEGATIVE FEEDBACKS IN THE SAME SEASON, IN THE SAME LEAGUE, YOU WILL BE SUBJECT TO REMOVAL
• All NEGATIVE feedbacks will be researched by the admins.
• Feedback is not optional; you are required to leave it for your opponent after every game you play. If the feedback policy is ignored you will be subject for removal.
• The feedback system was designed to promote game play, good attitude and prompt scheduling. For it to work, everyone must use it.

CAN WE KEEP MORE STATS?

• Yes, we can keep more stats. The question is will we keep more stats? The answer is no. We are a bare minimum stats league network. The basis of United Leagues is to track 3 basic stats in each league. We have found that this reduces the desire for most guys to stat pad and reduces the amount of problems we deal with on a daily basis.
• United Leagues is purely about the competition and sportsmanship, not about writing down stats of video game versions of real players for 20 minutes after the game. Most guys in United Leagues do not play for stats, they play for wins and for the group of great owners these leagues possess. There are plenty of leagues out there that cater to guys who are into the glory of stats, and we are proudly not one of them.

HOW DO THE TOURNAMENTS WORK?

• These are 8-man, single elimination.
• Tournament will not start until there are 8 registered owners.
• Round 1 seeds will be based on the overall ranking in the league at the time of the tournament start.
• An owner must use the selected team throughout the tournament
• Rounds must be completed by the due date.
• Any rounds not played by the round deadline will result in a loss for both teams.
• You may request to the admin that a round be extended.
• Scores will not be tracked.
• Results can be reported as Ranked Games as well.

WHY DO I GET AN ERROR: "You can only be active in 2 tournaments at a time" WHEN I TRY TO JOIN A TOURNAMENT?

• There is a limit on how many tournaments you can be active in (2).
• As soon as you lose in a tournament, you may immediately join another.

WHAT IS THE DRAFT?

• The draft is that way we select teams before every season starts. Here is how you gain draft points:
• Depending on your season finish. The last overall ranked team gets the most points, the 1st overall gets 1.
• Depending on how many tournaments you win: You get 1 point for every tournament you win.
• Ranked games: The top 5 will receive the following draft points:
  • 5 draft points for 1st place
  • 4 draft points for 2nd place
  • 3 draft points for 3rd place
  • 2 draft points for 4th place
  • 1 draft point for 5th place
• Winning the coveted Owner of the Season Award earns you 5 draft points.
• Winning the Peer Choice Award (PCA) (which will be decided upon by you the owners) earns you 5 Draft Points.

HOW IS THE DRAFT ORDER SET?

• FIRST, a note on seniority:  Seniority is based on:
  • Membership standing,
  • Original UL membership date.
• VIP members have seniority over regular veteran members.
• Veteran members have seniority over new sign-ups who have not yet competed in a league. ANY member in good standing (no current violations, no probation/suspension/lock out), without respect to sign-up date, will have seniority over ANY OTHER member who is in poor standing.

DRAFTING FOR THE FIRST SEASON OF A NEW LEAGUE

The draft order will be set as follows:

• ROUND 1: Draft board will be set in order of seniority. A deadline will be announced by the commissioner at least two weeks in advance that all current United Leagues members who wish to sign-up for the league must do so before the stated deadline. Sign-ups by current United Leagues members will be ordered according to United Leagues membership sign-up date.
• ROUND 2: Draft board will be set in order of new league sign-up. New members will be placed in Round 2 in order of sign-up for the new league. In addition, after the deadline for current United Leagues members passes for round 1, all additional members will be placed into Round 2 in order of new league sign-up NOT BY SENIORITY.
• WAIT LIST: After the draft ends, wait listed owners will be called upon in order of seniority (United Leagues sign-up). At the commissioners discretion, he may open up the wait list to assign teams, on a first come, first served basis. At that point, the first owner on the wait list to contact the commissioner VIA E-MAIL to obtain an open team will get it.

DRAFTING FOR SUBSEQUENT SEASONS OF AN EXISTING LEAGUE

The draft order will be set as follows:

• ROUND 1: Members entered in Round 1 are returning from the previous season and are listed in descending order based on number of draft points accumulated (see above). A member listed in Round may trade away his/her draft spot or ALL of his/her draft points to anyone in the system. However, a member trading only a portion of those draft points must do so only with another member listed in Round 1.
• ROUND 2: Round 2 draft board will be set in order of seniority. The deadline announced by the commissioner in Round 1 applies to all current United Leagues members who are not in the lottery but wish to be eligible for the seniority-based Round 2. Sign-ups by current United Leagues members will be ordered according to United Leagues membership sign-up date during Round 2 until the deadline, after which all additional sign-ups will be placed into Round 3.
• ROUND 3: Round 3 draft board will be set in order of league sign-up. New members will be placed in Round 3 in order of sign-up for the league. In addition, after the deadline for current United Leagues members passes for round 1 and 2, all additional members will be placed into Round 3 in order of new league sign-up NOT BY SENIORITY.
• WAIT LIST: After the draft ends, wait listed owners will be called upon in order of seniority (United Leagues sign-up). At the commissioners discretion, he may open up the wait list to assign teams, on a first come, first served basis. At that point, the first owner on the wait list to contact the commissioner VIA E-MAIL to obtain an open team will get it.

CAN I TRADE MY TEAM/DRAFT PICK?

Trading of draft positions/teams must be made in writing to the Global Trading thread (see sticky thread in the Global Forum) by all parties involved in the transaction to the league commissioners before a designated time set by the league commissioners. Under no circumstances may teams be traded after the start of a season. Trades may involve draft points only.  All trades will be reviewed by United Leagues staff and may be subject to league veto.

WHAT IS THE SF ADDENDUM?

• This addendum states that the commissioner has the right to make a game be replayed at any time for any reason.
• This league is about respect and true game play. If there is a history of bad game play (i.e. negative feedback, complaints in the forum or to the commissioner), the commissioner can step in at any time to overview the situation and make a judgment call on the game.
• Note: this decision is final and will not be changed for any reason.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE GAME IS DISCONNECTED?

• A game is not an official game until a full game is played.
• If a divergence error or a disconnect occurs, the game must continue where the disconnect occurred. Simply restart with the same score and play the amount of time remaining or if both owners agree, the game can be played over.
• One caveat, the game can be replayed at any time; it just depends on the both owners.
• If a game is too laggy, both owners can decide to start the game over, or wait till another time to play. This decision needs to be made early on.
• It is a good idea to take down the stats after every quarter/half. This way, if the game gets disconnected, the stats will be saved and can be added into the stats from where the game is picked up from.
• If a decision has to be made about the game after a disconnection, and the commissioner has to step in - this decision will be final.

WHAT ARE RANKED GAMES?

Ranked games are simple pick-up games that league members can play on the side. Some details about ranked games:

• Any team can be used
• Ranked games follow the league standard of play
• The league rules and game setup are the same
• The WINNER must report the game - LOSERS can not
• Only wins and losses are tracked - no stats, no score How are ranked games sorted?
• Ranked games are sorted a point scale. For a win, you will receive 3 points and for a loss you will receive 1 point.
• Ranked games are sorted by PE (points earned) 1st, then by winning %.
• Do ranked games affect the draft? Yes, the top 5 owners will receive draft points:
  • 5 draft points for 1st place
  • 4 draft points for 2nd place
  • 3 draft points for 3rd place
  • 2 draft points for 4th place
  • 1 draft point for 5th place

WHAT DO I DO IF I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH ANOTHER OWNER?

• Contact an admin to discuss problems with other owners - if you decide to go public, it may turn out bad for both parties.
• If an admin must step in to make a decision about a game, that decision will stand.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER I GET SUSPENDED?

• Once suspended, you will lose ALL of your current teams and you will not be able to login to the site.
• You will also lose ALL of your draft points / positions.
• Once your suspension is over (30, 60 or 90 days) you may apply for reinstatement.
• Once you are reinstated you will be placed on 60-day probation and during this time if you do not keep the standards of how we expect our owners to act / conduct themselves - your membership has the possibility to be banned.

WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH THE FRANCHISE FEE?

• There will be a $5.46 franchise fee for all teams entering the draft for each season.
• The only way to make payment is through PayPal.
• 2 UL credits will also take care of your league fee (see below)

The reasons behind the fee:

• The software that runs the league took a long time to develop. This is an easy way to recoup some of that time.
• This also allows for continuing maintenance, and enhancements.
• There are a very good group of core owners in this league. We think this will bolster stability as well as participation.
• The United Leagues is all about adult game play, and this is a good way to ensure that we cater to the adult gaming community.
• By charging a fee, albeit a very small one, we are able to regulate the owners that are not very serious about committing to a full season Fee details:
• To enter a draft or to take over a team during the course of a season, the fee must be paid unless the season has made it to the 1/2 way mark.
• There will be NO refunds given at any time.

HOW DO I PAY MY LEAGUE FEE?

• Login
• Goto your league
• In the Owner Console you will see a Paypal link
• Once you get your fee in, the system will automatically be updated and the link will go away.

WHAT ARE CREDITS?

Credits allow you to save up during seasons so that free seasons can be awarded. Here is how it works:

• You will get 2 credits for paying a league fee and completing a season from start to finish
• You will get 1 credit for a new United Leagues referral who completes a season...
• 2 credits earn a free season!

Some notes:

• Credits can be spent in any league - no matter where they are earned
• You will get your credits once the season is reset for a new season - not before.
• You can only gain credits for paid seasons. In other words, if you use credits to get a free season, you will not be awarded with credits when that season finishes.
• To get the referral credit, your referral must be NEW TO United Leagues, and must COMPLETE his/her season.
• You will not receive a credit for completing a season for which you did not submit a league fee (i.e., if you take over a team after the midpoint of a season).