So You Want Your Own ?.F.L.

	Nothing beats PFL Sundays at Bru's Room

Each year, as I plan the itinerary for Nationals Weekend, I've included on the Saturday morning that the games commence, a presentation on starting your own league. Guys would be excited and looking forward to the presentation only to have the shceulded alter for time constraints. Usually it is because we are all up balling until 4:00 or 5:00 AM and no one can get to the arena by 8:00 AM to hear The Swammi talk about a league, not to mention having to be there by 9:00 AM for the start of the round robins.

Frequently throughout the year I receive emails asking for advice on starting a league. And there too, I make promises of sending info, or placing an article at to offer insight and ideas. Well finally that time has arrived. I have finally taken the time to share with some aspiring commissioners or league organizers what I think are the keys to establishing and maintaining a good Madden league. Feel free to use any of these suggestions and incorporate them into your plans to fit the needs of your group.

League Philosophy & Purpose
Every league should clearly define their purpose, and their philosophy. Ours here in the PFL is "To establish a forum by which its members may gather and enjoy friendly, but competitive, competition of electronic video football." When Deputy Commissioner of the PFL, Tony Womack wrote this statement, he embodied the essence of what a league is designed to stand for. Notice several key words.....ENJOY, FRIENDLY and COMPETITIVE. These words are the foundation of what the PFL is all about. We have fun being very competitive with each one of our friends in this great game of football simulation. Every league should have some type of foundation that it rest upon. This is ours. Although we all want to win, we don't want to do it if it will jeopardize a friendship, or if will not allow us to as a league to enjoy playing the game. Everything else we do is built around that premise.

Great Ballers Don't Always Mean Great League
Be careful that in an effort to build a strong league you only look for ballers that have great skills on the sticks. While this is important, great skills on the sticks don't always mean great skills in the area of sportsmanship, communication, or contributions to the comradarie of the league. One or two ballers not able to coexist in the same environment can ruin the league. It almost happened in the PFL. Ballers must come into the league with a RESPECT for the league, as well as the ballers that are in it. RESPECT for the league means that there are just some things you just won't do because you know it will be hazardous to the well being of the organization. Sometimes it take a combination of well skilled ballers, and ballers not so well skilled to keep the atmosphere enjoyable.

An example of this could be our Deputy Commissioner. While he has struggled over the course of the past few seasons winning games, his leadership, vision and care for the welfare of the league has helped to hold the PFL together. Without him working by my side along with former commissioner Allen and several others, the league would not be as strong as it is today.

Leadership And The Leader
The biggest factor in building the strong league is leadership. Whether you are president, commissioner, or some other title, strong and IMPARTIAL leadership is the key. I emphasize impartial because your ability to be impartial is what will gain you the respect of the ballers in your league. If your integrity is ever at question, this can erode at the foundation before it is ever built. The leader must clearly appear to be interested in what is in the best interest of the league. Not what is in the best interest of his particular style of play, or what could help him win games. A good case in point is the PFL debate over the use of custom plays. When I was asked by one of our members, what I thought about custom plays, I soundly spoke against the use of them. I thought they weakened our game, and weakened our chance to improve our game for nationals. But after I heard several other ballers speak so passionately about how they felt about using custom plays, and what it meant for them, I said that I would not push the issue, because this is something that as a majority, the PFL ballers felt strong about. At that point, it is not important what the rest of nation is doing. You have to go with the ballers in yourleague. And although I disagreed, to me, it was in the best interest of the league not push this any further. In addition, these ballers made excellent points on why we should continue with custom plays, and there were a few of us (about 6) that disagreed. But nevertheless, they were good points. And once I heard them speak with so much passion about it, to me it was not worth splitting the league.

I use this as an example because you too will be faced with some issue that the league will be split on. How you handle it as a leader may determine the fate of your league. This turned out to be a non issue since the PS2 version of the game did not have a play editor. Imagine if we would have tore up the league over this?

Democracy Or Dictatorship
Just as it is important to remain unbiased in all instances as the leader of your group, it is equally as important for all members to feel that their voice can be heard, and that they have a say in the day to day operations of the league. No one likes to be under the rule of a dictator. Anytime this type of league government is sensed, animosity will build. And it may not rear its ugly head until years later. Thus it is imperative at the least that each person feels that their voice can be heard, and they can make a change IF others feel the same.

This does not mean that any guy can up and cry for change for something when it does not work to his advantage. However, it does mean that when the league as a whole recognizes an issue that must be addressed, as the leader, you should recognize that concern, and find a remedy to address it, even if you are in disagreement with it. It is what the rest of the members are concerned with that is important. Not just you. Remember that and you will make a good commissioner.

This is where a rule book, constitution or by-laws come in handy. This is the true foundation on what the league should rest upon. Whenever there are issues that are in question, the by-laws/handbook should answer them. If it doesn't, the league should address the issue by either forming a committee to study it and make a recommendation to the other members, or they may come together and just have a simple vote. However that vote turns out is how the issue should be resolved. Each member of the league must be willing to accept the results for what they are, and not take their profile card and go home, just because they have been out numbered on the vote. Ballers such as these can hurt the league. That is not to say they should not feel the way they do about a particular issue. But if they have philosophical views that differ that much, it may be in the best interest of the league if that baller finds a new home, or starts his own league.

Mr. Know It All, Do It All
Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are the only one in the league that can get something done. One of the biggest mistakes a commissioner can make is feeling he must do everything. He does the schedule, writes the rules, records the stats, and does most of the task needed. This leaves the rest of the league wanting to help, but with nothing to do. This is where the power to delegate becomes your best friend. Establish committees, become more of an overseer, rather than an over doer. To establish the rules, establish a committee of reputable ballers and let them hash out the details. Form a scheduling committee or a competition committee to hash out the details of game play. Once all of this is done, have them present it to the league for approval. Don't take all the responsibility on your shoulders. Otherwise, you can't enjoy what you are putting together. And for as much as you would like to think it is true....others other than you can do the job you think you are the only one capable of doing. Spread the wealth!!

The Steps To Build
For a new commissioner wanting to start up a league I would suggest the following steps:

• Find Ballers that are interested - You can do this by hanging a flyer at your nearest electronic boutique, Toys R Us, or wherever potential members may purchase the game. Leave an e-mail address so people can contact you. If someone is willing to go through the trouble of sending an e-mail, chances are they are deeply interested in the game. Also, go to the web and post up at forums to indicate you are looking for ballers in your area. Someone may see it that doesn't live in your area, but they may have know someone who does and refer them to you. List your name in the Madden Ballers Database so others can find you.
• Establish A Competition Committee - Have a meeting with the potential league members to announce what you plan to do. Allow them to meet one another and let them know that you would like to have help setting the league up. Scheduling a meeting is also a great indicator as to who will be committed to the league. Talk with all potential members about game strategies and philosophies. This will help you determine who is best suited to assist in developing the league rules. Once the committee is set, let them hash out the rules, with you as commissioner adding input sparingly and only when needed. After the rules have been set, e-mail them to all the members for review. Schedule a meeting before the season starts to accept or change any policies, then you are ready to go. Don't just adapt another leagues rules or style of play. Look for your own identity. It maybe helpful to look at other leagues handbooks for ideas, but make sure your league has it's own stamp on it. Make sure that your league handbook is congruent with your league philosophies. It will be the job of this committee to study the game each year when the new edition is released to see what changes or adjustments need to be made for solid league game play.
• Compile A Schedule - At your first meeting, decide when you want to play. What day, time, etc. From there, build a schedule for the league games. Let a committee look it over to be sure you have been fair and consistent with the schedule. At some point you may want to incorporate some type of formula that keeps everyone's schedule balanced. Divide the teams into conferences/divisions and set the times and locations of the games. When we only had 12 members in The PFL, we would play at each persons house each week. Each ballers would host the league for that game night. Refreshments were optional (but strongly encouraged). It really gave us the chance to meet each other, and really fellowship. If you don't have a warehouse or bar where all the guys can meet, I would suggest this method. (You have to have crafty skillz at handling the wife. "ill touch on that in another subject) However, this would be difficult to accomplish with more than 12 guys. I would also suggest playing at least two games a night, and having at least two televisions available.
• Develop An Ethics Committee - Every now and then a particular issue or act may cause controversy in the league. When this happens, the burden of solving this should not rest squarely on the shoulders of the commissioner. The concern should be forwarded to a committee of ballers that can review the concern and make a suggestion to the league as to how it should be handled. Then, the league may wish to act on the recommendation of the committee, or drop the entire issue. Nevertheless, the leader, is without accusations of making personal unbiased decisions against another individual. A basic code of ethics should be written that describes what is expected of each individual in the league, how they are expected to conduct themselves at league functions.
• Promote Your League -Every web site in the Madden Community works to promote each other. In most cases, each one of us has a link to another Madden site on our pages. Exposure helps build league pride and awareness. Don't be afraid to discuss philosophical differences with other leagues in the community. As long as it done constructively, it can make the community stronger, and build a better and more competitive local league.

In Closing
No league is perfect or without faults. Even here in the PFL we have had our ups and downs, so be prepared for them as a commissioner. What is important is how you handle adversity in your league. Don't expect a utopia. There will be growing pains. There will be conflicts, personal differences, and much more. But if you apply some of the ideas mentioned above, in most cases you will be able to ride the storm, and your league will be healthy for years to come.

 

For more specific questions on this topic e-mail The Swammi at:swammi