Team Substitutions Explained
May 29, 2016 | Author: Ozzy Reynolds
We have received several calls recently about the new team substitution rules for the upcoming BCAPL National Championships. The latest was yesterday. A League Operator was being questioned by her players and she was also confused. She called our office and after just a few minutes, it made perfect sense to her. She seemed intelligent, studious, and passionate about serving her players. She had read every word of the webpage and entry forms and watched the FargoRate videos. The fact that she still had questions made it clear that we need to explain this in greater detail.
The Old Way
The old substitution rules have been in place for many years and basically went like this:
The Old Way
The old substitution rules have been in place for many years and basically went like this:
- Players listed on the score sheet in round #1 were called "starters" and all other players on the roster were called "substitutes."
- Any of the players on the roster could be designated as starters in round #1. If a starter was replaced by a substitute after round #1, that starter could only come back in the same position that he or she was listed in round #1. For example, when John comes back into the lineup in round #3 below, he must return to position #1 (his round #1 position).
- Finally, a substitution could not create a situation in which the same two people played each other more than once.
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Round #1
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The New Way
Now that FargoRate is being used to establish team rating limits, the substitution rules must also change to ensure two key things:
The solution is simple but different from the old way. When registering, the team must specify core and substitute players. Core players' ratings are added together to establish a total team rating. Substitute players' ratings are not used in determining the team rating. The key is to realize that a player's designation of core or substitute does not change from match to match. This is a key difference from the old way.
So what prevents a team from listing their five weakest members as core players to establish a lower team rating and then replace them with the stronger ones whenever they wish? Simple. Adding the stipulation that a substitute cannot be rated higher than the core player being replaced ensures that the team rating will not increase due to a substitution and competition will remain fair.
Incorrect Substitutions
Example 1 below illustrates an incorrect substitution for a team in the Mixed Gold Division (limit of 3,000). A higher-rated player (Gary - 655) replaces a lower-rated player (Phil - 631) in round #2 which causes the team rating to increase from 2,994 to 3,018; exceeding the division limit. This is not allowed.
Now that FargoRate is being used to establish team rating limits, the substitution rules must also change to ensure two key things:
- The combined ratings of the players in each round cannot exceed the division limit
- Teams should not have to "do the math" each time a substitute comes in
The solution is simple but different from the old way. When registering, the team must specify core and substitute players. Core players' ratings are added together to establish a total team rating. Substitute players' ratings are not used in determining the team rating. The key is to realize that a player's designation of core or substitute does not change from match to match. This is a key difference from the old way.
So what prevents a team from listing their five weakest members as core players to establish a lower team rating and then replace them with the stronger ones whenever they wish? Simple. Adding the stipulation that a substitute cannot be rated higher than the core player being replaced ensures that the team rating will not increase due to a substitution and competition will remain fair.
Incorrect Substitutions
Example 1 below illustrates an incorrect substitution for a team in the Mixed Gold Division (limit of 3,000). A higher-rated player (Gary - 655) replaces a lower-rated player (Phil - 631) in round #2 which causes the team rating to increase from 2,994 to 3,018; exceeding the division limit. This is not allowed.
Example 1: Illegal Substitution (exceeds the division limit)
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Round #1
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Round #2
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Now, you may be asking yourself "What if a higher-rated player replaces a lower-rated player but it does not cause the team total to exceed to division limit? Shouldn't that be allowed?" Good question. Let's modify the scenario to assume Gary is rated 636 instead of 655. Now, even if he replaces Phil (631), the team total is still below the division limit. Although this seems acceptable, teams would have to "do the math" each round (i.e. add the ratings of all the players). That would be time-consuming and inconvenient and any math errors could lead to disputes. Therefore, this is also not allowed.
Example 2: Illegal Substitution (does not exceed the division limit)
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Round #1
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Round #2
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The Correct Way
A correct way in this scenario is to list the higher-rated player as a core player from the beginning. The team will have a total rating of 2,999 and Phil (631) can replace Gary (636) or John (682) at any time as long as it doesn't create a situation in which the same two people play each other twice.
A correct way in this scenario is to list the higher-rated player as a core player from the beginning. The team will have a total rating of 2,999 and Phil (631) can replace Gary (636) or John (682) at any time as long as it doesn't create a situation in which the same two people play each other twice.
Example 3: Correct Way to Build a Team Roster
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Do I have to list the five highest rated players as core players?
This is the point at which most people say, "OK, so all I have to do is list the five highest rated players...right?" Well, not necessarily. If the five highest rated players do not exceed the division limit, then yes, you should list them as core players and there will be no substitution problems. However, if the team from Example 1 had done that, their team rating would have been 3,136 and they would not be allowed in the Gold Division.
This is the point at which most people say, "OK, so all I have to do is list the five highest rated players...right?" Well, not necessarily. If the five highest rated players do not exceed the division limit, then yes, you should list them as core players and there will be no substitution problems. However, if the team from Example 1 had done that, their team rating would have been 3,136 and they would not be allowed in the Gold Division.
Example 4: Highest Rated Players as Core
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If this sounds confusing to you, it's probably because you are still thinking about the old way. If you forget the old way and focus on the following simple rules, you cannot go wrong when building your roster and making substitutions at the event.
That's it! If you build your roster and make substitutions with these simple rules in mind, you can't go wrong.
- List the highest rated players possible as core players without exceeding the division limit.
- Understand that the designation of core and substitute do not change. A core player is always a core player and a substitute is always a substitute in every match throughout the entire event.
- A substitution cannot cause the total team rating to increase.
- A substitution cannot cause the same two people to play each other twice.
- A core player can only return to the lineup in the same position that he or she was listed in round #1. (NOTE: Under the new rules, a substitute may play in round #1. However, you must indicate on the score sheet which core player is being replaced. If that core player returns to the lineup later, he or she must return in that position.)
That's it! If you build your roster and make substitutions with these simple rules in mind, you can't go wrong.
