2016 Nationals Game Day Process

Following the recommended game day process for players and club admins will help the tournament run as smoothly as possible.  The USAFL recommends doing as much as you can before heading to the grounds for games.  We do provide club admin kiosks at Tournament Central but internet access can be spotty. 

Player Check In

  • All players are required to check in for the tournament before playing in a match.  This must be done no later than 30 minutes prior to their first match.
  • It is recommended to check in Friday night at the welcome reception rather than wait until Saturday morning especially if you play early on Saturday morning. This year the welcome reception will be held at the Mote Aquarium located at 1600 Ken Thompson Pkwy, Sarasota, FL 34236 and open at 6:30pm - 11pm. 
  • Before a player can check in, the following will be verified
    • Photo ID verification of person checking in
    • Player is current on USAFL registration.  It is recommended that players pay online prior to checking in.
    • Player has earned the required Nationals Eligibility Points or has been granted an Eligibility Exemption.
    • If a player has claimed National status and their nationality has not been previously verified, they will need to provide proof of nationality.  Acceptable forms are a passport or a birth certificate and photo ID.
  • Players with unverified nationality will be considered Non-National for the tournament and count against the 50/50 rule.
  • Players may need to reverify their nationality if they created a new USAFL account instead of registering under an account created in previous years.

 Rosters

  • Rosters close 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start of a match
  • Recommendation is to enter rosters for all pool play matches prior to Saturday morning
  • Jumper numbers are required.  If you are entering this in stages and don't have a jumper number assigned to a player, use a place holder like 999 to ensure other jumper numbers remain assigned to the correct players.
  • Club admin kiosks are available at Tournament Central to make changes such as promoting a player from D-4 or removing injured players
  • If you make a final, you will need to create a roster for that match at Tournament Central.
  • You are considered as playing in the match if you are on the roster for the match.  This means these players are ineligible to play in a subsequent match for the same round.  Placing someone on a roster signifies your intent to play them in that match.
  • On the match page, you can view the "Printable Team Sheet" or "Check Eligibility/Print Match Sheet" to verify player's eligibility for the match.  Please note their eligibility isn't final until the match sheets are printed at Tournament Central
  • Official match sheets will be delivered to each field prior to the game starting.  The players eligibility status listed on the official match sheet is authoritative.
  • The official match sheet will list the players effective nationality.  If a player declaring national status has not verified their nationality, they will count as a non-national.

Player Eligibility

In order to play in a match, a player must be eligible to play in that match.  A player's eligibility includes validating:

  • Roster violations will be monitored closely and may result in match forfeiture, fines and other sanctions.
  • The player has paid USAFL dues for the current year
  • The player has checked in for the tournament
  • The player has enough Nationals Eligibility Points for the division of this match or has been granted an eligibility exemption.
    • Eligibility exemptions may have a restriction placed on them.  If an eligibility exemption has a restriction of Division IV, this player may not play in any division higher than Division IV
  • Is the player a member of the team or one of the teams they are combining with for this match.  For example, if a match is Milwaukee combined with Indianapolis, only players from Milwaukee or Indianapolis can play in the match.
  • Divisional Violations
    • A player can only play in one match per round.  For example, if this is Austin's 2nd D-3 match, they can not play in the 2nd match for any other game.  A player is considered as having played in a match strictly by being on the roster for the match.
    • You can not play in a division final if you have played 2 or more games in a higher division.