Rulebooks

Official League Rules

1. League Overview

Welcome to NARL (Not Another Rocket League). The purpose of NARL is to provide a competitive, organized, and enjoyable Rocket League experience. All participants are expected to compete in good faith and demonstrate sportsmanship both in-game and within the community.

1.1 Acceptance. By registering for or competing in NARL, players, coaches and team captains agree to be bound by these rules.

1.2 Minimum age. Players must be at least 13 years old. Players under 18 confirm that a parent or guardian has consented to their participation, including the broadcast terms in Section 15.

1.3 Key terms.

• Game — a single Rocket League game. A game is considered started when the in-game GO indicator appears after the first kickoff countdown.
• Series — all games scheduled between two teams in a single matchup. Regular season series are a fixed set of games (Section 5); playoff series are Best-of-5 (Section 18).
• League night — the regularly scheduled night of play (Section 7).
• Match admin — the NARL staff member responsible for running a given series (Section 6).
• League administration / admins — NARL staff authorized to make rulings under these rules.

1.4 Precedence. Where a published event's details differ from these rules, the published event details control. Otherwise these rules govern.

1.5 Interpretation. League administrators reserve the right to interpret these rules and make decisions in situations not explicitly covered.

2. Division Eligibility

NARL is played in divisions — skill tiers within a season, ordered from highest to lowest. Each division has a rank range that league administration publishes before registration for that season. Ranges float from season to season as the player base shifts.

Rank measurement

• Eligibility is based on a player's peak 3v3 Standard rank in the current and previous competitive season, measured when the player registers or is added to a roster.
• The linked tracker profile (rocketleague.tracker.network or equivalent) must be publicly visible. If it is not, the player must provide in-client screenshots of their 3v3 Standard rank on request.
• Players with no 3v3 Standard placement in either season are placed at league administration's discretion.

Division assignment

• Teams request a division at registration. League administration assigns the division a team actually plays in, and may assign a team to a division other than the one requested.
• Assignments are made to keep team average skill competitive within each division. League administration may weigh a team's overall composition, not only whether each individual player falls inside the published range.
• League administration may approve a player outside a division's published range where it serves competitive balance.

Registered accounts

• Each player must link every Rocket League account they will use in NARL to their NARL profile, and may only compete on a linked account.
• An unlinked account in a league lobby is treated as an unregistered player under Section 12.
• Player statistics are only recorded for linked accounts (Section 16).
• Players may not compete while under an active Psyonix or Epic Games ban.

Mid-season rank changes

• A player whose rank rises above their division's range during the season may finish the season with their team.
• League administration may review any player whose in-league performance is clearly inconsistent with their registered rank.

Smurfing is defined as competing on an account that does not reflect a player's true skill or primary account. See Section 13.

3. Team Composition

Each team consists of:

• 1 Captain (required) — one of the team's three players
• 2 Active Players (required)
• 1 Substitute (optional)
• 1 Coach (optional)
• Reserve Players (optional)

Captain. Every team designates a captain. The captain is one of the three players who take the field and is the team's point of contact for all official matters: lobby credentials (Section 6), reschedule requests (Section 8), fielding the lineup at start time (Section 9), and results (Section 16). A team may transfer the captaincy at any time; league administration recognizes the captain of record on the team's NARL page. Captains must link their Discord account to their NARL profile.

Active Players. A team fields exactly three players — the captain and two active players. All three are eligible for every league series.

Substitute. A team may register one substitute, who is eligible to compete. Substitution timing is governed by Section 10.

Coach. Coaches may assist with strategy and scheduling. A coach is not eligible to compete unless also registered as the captain, an active player, or the substitute.

Reserve Players. Reserves are developmental roster members and may not compete. A reserve becomes eligible only by promotion to captain, active, or substitute, and promotion must occur before the season begins. Once the season has started, reserves remain ineligible unless league administration approves otherwise under exceptional circumstances.

One roster per player. A player may be on only one team roster per season, in any slot and any division. A player rostered on two teams — including as a reserve — must resolve it before roster lock, or league administration will.

4. Mid-Season Roster Changes

• Rosters lock when the season starts. The locked roster is the team's captain, active players, substitute and coach; reserves are not part of it.
• Before roster lock, teams may freely add, remove and re-slot members, including adding a free agent or promoting a reserve.
• After roster lock, no roster change is permitted except by league administration approval. Approval is intended for genuine loss of a player — departure, extended inactivity, or removal for a rules violation — not for competitive convenience.
• A player may not switch teams mid-season, and may not be on more than one roster in a season (Section 3).
• A departing player may not be replaced mid-series. A replacement takes effect at the team's next scheduled series.

4.1 Withdrawal

• A team that cannot continue must notify league administration. League administration may also withdraw a team that forfeits repeatedly or becomes unreachable.
• A withdrawn team is removed from the standings and is not eligible for playoffs.
• All series involving a withdrawn team are voided for standings purposes — both those already played and those not yet played. No team's record, goal differential or playoff seeding is affected by having been scheduled against a team that withdrew.
• Games that were actually played still happened: they remain in the record, player statistics from them continue to count, and broadcasts stay published. Only win-loss credit toward standings and playoff contention is voided.
• Because voiding leaves teams on differing series counts, standings are ranked on game win percentage rather than raw game totals (Section 17).

5. Match Format

A regular season series is a fixed set of games. Every game in the set is played, regardless of results — a team that wins the first two games of a three-game series still plays the third.

These are not Best-of-N series. "Best of 3" would mean the series ends once a team has won two; NARL regular season series do not end early.

Games per series, and the number of series each team plays, are set per division and published before the season begins. A series always consists of an odd number of games, so a series cannot end tied.

Example — a three-game series:

• Team A vs Team B: Game 1, Game 2, Game 3. All three are played.

Each individual game counts toward league standings (Section 17).

Playoff series are Best-of-5 and do end as soon as a team clinches (Section 18).

6. Match Settings

Unless otherwise announced:

• Standard 3v3 · Competitive Soccer · 5 Minute Matches · Unlimited Overtime
• Mutators disabled · No bots · Joinable by name and password
• Standard arenas only. Non-standard and limited-time arenas are not used.
• Match Admin: restricted to NARL match admins. Players may not pause, unpause, or alter the score or game clock. A team that needs a stoppage requests one from the match admin, who decides whether to grant it (Section 11). Using Match Admin functionality without authorization is a competitive integrity violation (Section 13).

Server selection

• East vs West: US Central.
• Central vs East, or Central vs West: the home team selects.
• Both teams the same region: that region's server.
• If either team has no region on record, league administration assigns the server.

Lobby setup

• NARL production creates the private lobby for each scheduled series and assigns the match admin for that series.
• Production posts the lobby name and password to the captains channel on the NARL Discord and tags both captains. Captains must link their Discord account (Section 3); a captain who has not cannot be tagged and remains responsible for watching the channel.
• Lobby names are issued by production and begin with NARL (example: NARL-K7QD).
• Captains are responsible for getting their players into the lobby once credentials are posted.
• The home team plays as Blue. The away team plays as Orange.

7. Scheduling

League nights are Thursdays, beginning at 8:00 PM Eastern Time, unless otherwise announced.

Series order within a league night. Series are broadcast back-to-back rather than all starting at once. Each series is assigned a slot in the night's running order, published with the schedule. Teams indicate a slot preference at registration and the schedule accounts for it where possible, but the final running order is set by league administration.

Teams are expected to:

• Be reachable and able to load in from the start of the league night. A series may be called early if the broadcast runs ahead of schedule.
• Have all required players ready.
• Communicate promptly if issues arise.

8. Rescheduling

• Reschedule requests must be submitted at least 48 hours before the league night, through the designated channel on the NARL Discord.
• A reschedule requires agreement from both captains and league administration approval. If the captains do not agree, the series is played as scheduled.
• A reschedule moves a series to a different slot on the same league night. Series are not played on other days. A team that cannot play on the league night at all does not have a reschedule available and forfeits under Section 19 unless league administration decides otherwise.
• Each team may initiate 2 reschedules per regular season. Agreeing to an opponent's request does not count against a team.
• League administration may approve a reschedule inside 48 hours for a genuine emergency, at its sole discretion. Such approvals still count against the requesting team's limit.
• Playoff series may not be rescheduled except by league administration.

9. Starting a Match

• Production calls each series when the broadcast reaches its slot. Teams must be reachable and able to load in from the start of the league night (Section 7).
• A team must have three eligible players in the lobby to begin. Eligibility is governed by Sections 2, 3 and 12.
• Players join their designated side when instructed by the match admin.
• Grace period: 15 minutes from the time production calls the series.
• If a team cannot field three eligible players at the end of the grace period, the entire series is forfeited (Section 19).
• The match admin may extend the grace period or hold a series where circumstances warrant. Teams may not agree between themselves to delay a series.

10. Substitutions

Substitutions may only occur between games. Once a game has started (Section 1.3), that game's lineup is fixed.

• A team may substitute its registered substitute for any active player between games, and may substitute back in a later game. There is no limit on substitutions within a series.
• A team must notify the match admin of any lineup change before the next game loads.
• Only eligible rostered players may enter. Playing an unregistered or unlinked account is governed by Section 12.

Example — Game 1: A, B, C. Game 2: A, B, Sub. Permitted.

11. Disconnects, Pauses and Technical Issues

11.1 Pause authority. Only the match admin may pause or unpause a game. Either team may request a pause; the match admin decides whether to grant it. Players may not use in-game Match Admin functionality (Section 6) — doing so is a competitive integrity violation (Section 13).

11.2 Before the game starts. If a player disconnects before the GO indicator appears, the game has not started and the match admin restarts the lobby.

11.3 Disconnects during a game.

• A team that loses a player must immediately notify the match admin, who pauses the game. The admin may also pause on their own initiative on seeing a player drop.
• Each team has 10 minutes of disconnect time per series, accumulating across every pause caused by that team's disconnects.
• When the player rejoins, both teams have 30 seconds to confirm readiness. The admin then unpauses.
• Play resumes from a neutral kickoff. The admin may instead resume from the run of play where the disconnect clearly deprived a team of an advantage.
• If a team's disconnect budget runs out before the player returns, that team forfeits the current game. A substitute may enter for the next game (Section 10).
• Intentional disconnects are subject to discipline (Section 13).

11.4 Pause budget. Separately from disconnect time, each team may be granted up to 5 total minutes of pause time per series for emergencies and technical issues. Disconnect time under 11.3 does not count against it.

11.5 Technical issues.

• Games are played through. Bugs, lag and technical problems are not by themselves grounds for a remake.
• A team claiming a technical issue materially affected a game must save the replay and submit it with a dispute (Section 20).
• The match admin may restart a game where exceptional circumstances affected competitive integrity.
• Requesting a pause, restart or replay in bad faith is a competitive integrity violation (Section 13).

12. Roster Eligibility

Only players on a team's locked season roster (Section 4) may compete, and only on an account linked to their NARL profile (Section 2).

• Playing an unrostered player ("ringing") forfeits every game that player appeared in. Where the ringer appeared in every game of the series, the series is forfeited under Section 19.
• A rostered player competing on an unlinked account is treated as unrostered until the account is linked and league administration confirms the player's identity.
• Ringing may also result in disciplinary action against the team and the players involved (Section 13).
• Where ineligibility is discovered after a series is reported, league administration may retroactively apply forfeits and adjust standings at any time during the season, including re-seeding playoffs. Once the season is complete, results are final.

13. Competitive Integrity

Every player, substitute, coach and captain is expected to compete within the spirit of these rules. The following are prohibited:

• Match fixing, throwing games, collusion, or any agreement to influence the outcome of a series.
• Accepting or offering any reward for influencing a result.
• Smurfing (Section 2) and account sharing — playing on an account registered to another person, or allowing another person to play on yours.
• Competing on an account not linked to your NARL profile (Section 2).
• Cheating, hacking, or modifying the Rocket League game client or its files.
• Running third-party modifications, plugins or overlays during a NARL match. Use outside NARL matches is unrestricted.
• Using macro keys or any method that automates in-game actions.
• Intentionally exploiting a bug or glitch to gain a competitive advantage.
• Receiving information about a live series that is not on your own screen, including relayed information from a teammate, coach, reserve, spectator, or anyone watching a broadcast. Normal coaching between games and use of the in-game replay tool are not prohibited.
• Sharing lobby credentials, or admitting any spectator other than designated broadcast staff or a match admin (Section 15).
• Denial-of-service attacks, swatting, or any interference with another player's connection.
• Intentional disconnects, or leaving the lobby before the match admin dismisses the teams.
• Betting or wagering on any NARL match, or benefiting from anyone else's.
• Interfering with the operation of NARL, its Discord, or its website.
• Any other attempt to manipulate league standings.

13.1 Disciplinary action. Where league administration finds a violation of these rules, it may:

• issue a warning, private or public;
• order a game restart;
• award loss of a game;
• award loss of a series;
• suspend a player or team for a stated number of series;
• remove a player or team from the league;
• bar a player or team from future NARL seasons.

League administration selects among these based on the severity of the violation and whether it is repeated. Repeated violations attract escalating action.

14. Sportsmanship

Everyone on a roster — players, substitutes, coaches and captains — is expected to:

• Treat opponents, admins and broadcast staff respectfully.
• Avoid harassment or personal attacks.
• Avoid excessive toxicity.
• Follow Discord and community guidelines.

Friendly banter is encouraged. This applies in match lobbies, on the NARL Discord, and in public channels where NARL is being discussed.

Conduct concerns may be reported to league administration through the designated channel on the NARL Discord, or privately to any admin. Unsportsmanlike conduct is subject to the disciplinary actions in Section 13.

15. Broadcasts

• All NARL league matches are broadcast on official NARL channels unless otherwise announced.
• By participating in NARL, players consent to their gameplay, in-game name and voice communications (when applicable) being broadcast and archived. Players under 18 confirm a parent or guardian has consented (Section 1.2).
• A league broadcaster or match admin occupies the spectator slot. Teams must admit the designated spectator before kickoff.
• Only designated broadcast staff and match admins may spectate a NARL lobby. Coaches, reserves and substitutes not in the current game may not. Sharing lobby credentials with anyone else is a competitive integrity violation (Section 13).
• Players may watch the NARL broadcast of their own series while playing. Receiving information about a live series from anyone else — a teammate, coach, reserve or spectator watching the broadcast — is prohibited under Section 13.
• Players may stream their own gameplay. Watching an opponent's personal stream during a live series is prohibited under Section 13.
• Player names, club names and titles visible on broadcast must be appropriate. League administration may require changes before a match.

16. Reporting Results

• NARL production records results automatically from the live match. Teams do not submit scores.
• Results appear on the series page as each game completes. Captains should check them and raise any discrepancy with the match admin before leaving the lobby, or through Section 20 afterwards.
• Player statistics are recorded only for accounts linked to a NARL profile (Section 2). A player competing on an unlinked account will have no statistics recorded for that game.
• Teams should save replays for any game they intend to dispute (Section 20).
• League administration may correct any recorded result.

17. Standings

Standings are kept per division. Each game counts individually — winning a three-game series 2-1 records two wins and one loss, not one series win.

Teams are ranked by game win percentage.

Ties are broken in order:

1. Head-to-head game record between the tied teams
2. Goal differential per game — total goals scored minus total goals conceded, divided by games played, so teams on differing series counts compare fairly
3. A tiebreaker determined by league administration

Forfeited games count toward the game record but are excluded from goal differential (Section 19). Series involving a withdrawn team are excluded entirely (Section 4.1).

18. Playoffs

• Each division runs its own playoffs. The number of teams that qualify is published per division before the season begins.
• Seeding is determined by final regular season standings in that division, applying Section 17.
• A team that withdraws is not eligible; the next-highest eligible team takes its place.
• Format: double elimination.
• When the qualifying field is not a power of two, the top seeds receive first-round byes.
• All playoff series are Best-of-5 and end as soon as a team clinches.
• Grand Finals: if the team from the losers bracket wins the first series, the bracket resets and a second Best-of-5 decides the champion.
• The higher seed is the home team. Production creates the lobby (Section 6).

18.1 Promotion and relegation. NARL does not currently operate promotion or relegation between divisions. Division placement is set by league administration before each season (Section 2). Any future promotion system will be published and added to these rules before it takes effect.

19. Forfeits

A team that cannot field three eligible players by the end of the grace period (Section 9) forfeits the entire series. Every game in that series is recorded as a forfeit loss.

Once a series has started, forfeits are applied per game. Games actually played count as normal results; only the specific game a team cannot field for is forfeited.

A forfeited game counts toward the game win-loss record. It is excluded from goal differential, as no game was played.

A team may not voluntarily forfeit a series or game without league administration approval. Repeated forfeits may result in withdrawal from the season (Section 4.1) or disciplinary action (Section 13).

Examples:

• A team that never fields three eligible players within the grace period forfeits every game of the series: all games in a regular season series, all five in a Best-of-5 playoff series.
• A team that plays Games 1 and 2 but cannot field a lineup for Game 3 keeps the results of Games 1 and 2 as played; only Game 3 is recorded as a forfeit loss.

20. Disputes

• Issues arising during a series must be raised with the match admin at the time. A team that plays on without objecting may not dispute the issue afterwards, except where it could not reasonably have been known at the time.
• Post-series disputes must be submitted by a team captain within 24 hours of the series' completion, through the designated admin channel on the NARL Discord.
• Disputes should include relevant evidence — screenshots, clips, replay files.
• League administration will issue a ruling before the next league night whenever possible.
• Filing a dispute in bad faith is a competitive integrity violation (Section 13).

21. Rule Changes

League administration may amend these rules during the season where necessary to preserve competitive integrity. Changes are published before taking effect whenever reasonably possible, and recorded in the revision history at the end of this document.

An amendment does not retroactively change the result of a series already played. Corrections for ineligibility or rules violations under Sections 12 and 13 are not amendments and are unaffected by this.

22. Administrator Decisions

League administrators have final authority regarding:

• Rule interpretations
• Scheduling and division assignment
• Roster disputes
• Competitive rulings
• Disciplinary action

During a series, the match admin has authority over pauses, restarts, lineup verification and the conduct of play (Sections 6, 9, 10, 11). A match admin's in-series decision may be appealed to league administration under Section 20, but play continues in the meantime.

Decisions of league administration are final and binding. The objective of all decisions is to maintain fairness and competitive integrity for the entire league.

Revision history

Date	Change
2026-07-31	Full revision. Rewrote §2, §5, §17, §18 around divisions. Added account linking (§2), captain role (§3), team withdrawal (§4.1), minimum age (§1.2). Moved pause authority to match admins (§6, §11). Corrected standings tiebreakers (§17). Expanded competitive integrity and added a disciplinary ladder (§13).