Table of Contents

How do I play this game?
Mission Statement
How do I become Involved in the CsFL?
The CsFL
League Adminitration
Personnel Managment (Contracts, Free agency, etc)
Grey Cup and All Star Games

Well in a way you don’t play the game. Players have been rated using their stats. Stats are fed into PC! Action Football that plays the game for you.

Basically, your job is to make sure you have the strongest team out there. The actually ‘playing’ is done through interacting through the CSFL message board with other GM’s AND RESPOND TO OTHER OWNERS REQUESTS FOR TRADES!

Owners Responsibility

• Owners MUST submit draft lists, administer free agent re-signing in a timely manner, and set your rosters at the league cutdown date.
  

• Owners are responsible for participating on message boards and to respond to trade offers by other franchise owners.  Owners are also encouraged to vote for player awards and Grey Cup locations.
  
• Failure to actually play the game will result in your franchise being revoked. (If an owner knows he will be away for a while, said owner must e-mail the Commissioner and he will run the franchise in your absence)

(*If owners decide not to be owners any longer, please inform someone. Just leaving without a word is not fair to anyone.)

The Canadian Simulation Football League (CSFL) is a computer-simulated professional football association, established for the enjoyment and enrichment of its participants.

The CSFL is a pro football simulation that allows any football fan to become the Owner/General Manager of a football organization. You draft, sign, trade players, watch them develop and become stars in this simulated world. You call the shots.

Apply to the CSFL via email after you have navigated through this site. The contact e-mail and  instructions can be found on the message board under "How to Join the CsFL"

• Owners are required to participate fully in their franchises.
  

• They must attend to player movement, voting’s and the occasional promotional message board posting.

Something to Remember

First Off, the CsFL is in no way a traditional fantasy football league. Firstly the league consist solely of AFL,  NFLE and our main source of players the CFL. NFL Players are not eligible for duty in the CsFL. Secondly, we use as many Canadian football rules as made possible with our software of choice. PC! ACTION FOOTBALL, The Goal post are on the Goal line, only 3 downs, run and shoot offenses, etc.

The CSFL or the Canadian Simulation Football League, is an 16- team confederation of football teams playing a 16 game regular season (Plus 2 preseason and potentially 3 post season games), with 13 teams located  in Canadian cities, and 3 teams in USA cities. Members of the CSFL are:

Eastern Conference

• Montreal Alouettes
  

• Atlantic Schooners
  
• Ottawa Renegades
  
• Toronto Argonauts
  
• Hamilton Tiger Cats
  
• Baltimore Stallions
  
• Winnipeg Blue Bombers
  
• Quebec City Nordiques

Western Conference

• Okanagan Vypers
  

• Saskatchewan Roughriders
  
• Saskatoon Icemen
  
• British Columbia Lions
  
• Calgary Stampeders
  
• Edmonton Eskimos
  
• Portland Timberwolves
  
• Sacramento Gold Miners

Post Season Play

• 8 of the 16 teams qualify for the CSFL playoffs, 4 from each conference.
  

• All Playoff game (except for Grey Cup) are run by the League. 

Tie-Breakers

In case of a tie in the standings, the following tie breaking procedures are used:

1. Head to Head Play
   

2. Best (W-L-T) percentage in games played within the Division.
   
3. Best (W-L-T) percentage in games played within the Conference.
   
4. Best points differential in all league games. (Not head to head total points differential)
   
5. Lowest points allowed total. (season)
   
6. Most points scored for total. (season) 
   
7. Neutral Site Game.

If 3 teams or more are tied, the tiebreaker begins at step 2 if all teams are in the same division. If teams are in different divisions, then division tiebreakers will be used first to determine final positions within the division. Then the divisional crossover tiebreakers will be used to determine the wildcards.

The Commissioner

Currently, Ron Philipp will serve as league commissioner. Duties of the position will be to administer and organize player drafts, create and update league files, schedule meetings, communicate news and announcements to GM’s and maintain the CSFL website. The commissioner will settle disputes or grievances among owners or concerning rules and other league issues with assistance from league owners.

Rosters and Salary Caps

Each team must maintain a roster of 45 players.  A Maximum of 55 players will be allowed to be on a team roster in the off season.

• Every team must have 16 NON IMPORT players. (6 gameday starters in total.) Canadian Quarterbacks will not be counted among the required 16 NI's minimum on the roster.
  

• What needs to be remembered is that all players must fall under the salary cap once the regular season begins.
  
• The SALARY CAP is presently $4.50 million

Player Retirements

Every year some players will just retire from the CSFL regardless of contract length. If the player retires in real life, he will retire from the CSFL. Some players still playing may retire from the CSFL as well. Retirements are announced prior to the years draft. Players who have retired in real life and returned in real life, may not necessarily return to the CsFL.

Roster Slots

A CSFL squad must have this minimum player distribution of 41 players.

Offense

QB - 3
RB - 4
REC - 6
OL - 7

Defense

DT - 4
DE - 3
LB - 5 (6 if playing a 3-4 defensive set)
Secondary - 8 (3 Cornerbacks, 3 safeties, 2 extra. Players listed as DB's can play either S or CB)

Special Teams

K/P-1

Open Slots

Players of any position may fill open slots. (4 in all) This allows you to fill in your team as you see fit for depth purposes. (Whether you want DB depth or an extra kicker, etc)

NFL Reserve Slot

Teams from time to time will lose star players to the NFL. To offer some fairness to the team he is leaving, each team will be allowed NFL reserve slots. Each team assigns the rights to leaving NFL stars to those slots and said team will retain the rights to those players. (ie: Khari Jones goes south. Hamilton can retain his rights by placing him in their NFL Reserve.)

Player will return to his CsFL team roster if he leaves the NFL to PLAY in the CFL or AFL. Just being cut or being allocated to the NFLE is not enough to return to the CsFL. He MUST sign a contract with a CFL, AFL or be in the NFLE as an unallocated player.

If said players contract with his CsFL team expired, he becomes a free agent.

When a player returns to the CsFL, teams have the option to take the player back for his old contract or release him outright, or trade his rights. (If he doesn't have a no trade deal)

Trades

Teams may trade players and/or draft picks. A trade becomes official when the commissioner receives a confirmation email from both parties. The trading deadline is the 11:59pm on the Monday after week twelve of the CSFL regular season.

During the season, trades CANNOT be announced until the Commissioner has posted the trade to the transactions section. Or permission has been granted by the commissioner.

Trading resumes January 1st.

Waivers

See waiver wire for details on waived players. For a player to be used in that weeks games, he must be claimed by 6pm Tuesday. More details on waiver page of main site.

Contracts and Free Agency

• A Player’s contract remains the same even when he is traded to another franchise, or selected in an expansion/dispersal draft.
  

• Players are contracted from 1-3 years at the time they are signed. 
  
• 8 rated players can be signed for up to 4 years

When a players contract expires, he becomes a free agent under the following conditions:

Note: Imports rated 5 and 6, and NI's rated 5 will continue to have their contracts extended automatically for 1 year at their current pay rate. (or league min)

- Players can be offered contract extentions to stay with their existing club. The nuts and bolts are this:

• Some players who believe they have very high value will opt for free agency, bypassing any contract extentions with their existing team.
  

• Players will make a one-time best-offer to each owner to extend their contract. 
  
• The owner will either accept, counter offer or reject the offer.
  
• There will be NO negotiation. Only your best offer (cash, years, perks) to be submitted to be accepted or rejected.
  
• If the owner rejects the offer, or if there is no counter offer, the player enters the bidding.
  
• Players not re-signed by January 15 will all become free agents

Note: Players may reject an offer that you think is a very good one. It happens for real, and could just happen to you in the game.

Note: There is nothing stopping you from offering less than the player is making on his existing deal.

Injury Rules

• If you lose a player to injury and have a backup at that position, then you go with your lineup as is.

ie: You have 6 WR's and lose one to injury. You do not get to replace him with an injury replacement since you have enough to field a roster.

• If you lose a player to injury and have no more backups at that position, you can sign an injury replacement for that position without worrying about the salary cap.

ie: You have 3 DT's and lose one to injury. You must sign a FA DT to fill in as backup until your regular guy returns. The league will in most cases just fill in the roster with the best available player.

NOTE: If you lose a NI player and are under 16NI's ... then the replacement must be a NI player.

If you lose a NI player, yet remain at 16 or above in NI's ... you can then sign an Import to replace your NI until he returns

Player Positions

Each player in the CSFL database has been rated for a certain primary and in some cases an opposite side of the ball position, but should a player be played out of position he loses an ability point.

Example, Joe Brown is a 6 rated Safety, but you want to play him at LB should you insert him in the lineup at LB he becomes a 5 rated player. Training camp is the place to send to the league a position change request.

Rookie Draft

After each CSFL season the league will feature a rookie draft. Only players listed on rookie lists are eligible to be selected in this draft.

Contracts

The Minimum salary will be $30,000.

Maximum contract length is 3 years.

Different RATED PLAYERS also have different minimum salaries.

Rated 8+: $100,000  (QB's $150,000, FB's & K's $60,000)
Rated 7: $50,000  (QB's $100,000)
Rated 6: $40,000  (QB's $60,000)
Rated 5 and below: $30,000  (QB's $50,000)

Rookies

The contract length for a drafted  rookie is TWO years. Drafted player automatically signs for the min salary of his rating for 2 years. Non drafted rookies are for up to THREE years.

[b]Free Agency[/b]

Players enter free agent bidding on the message boards. 

Players reserve the right to choose not to play with certain clubs due to personal preference, or competition at his position.

8 rated players can be signed for up to 4 years

[b]NOTE:[/b] An 8 rated QB will not sign where an exisiting 8 rated QB is already starting. Nor would an 8+ rated DT sign where there are already two 8+ rated DT's on the roster.

[b]There is NO bid matching[/b], and bids for a player must be a raise over the previous bid to be considered a high bid.

[b]Ways to raise a bid:[/b]

1] Money. Highest Yearly salary (Bids must rise by 2K min)

No explanation needed. (62K beats 60K)

2] Length of contract (3 beats 2, 2 beats 1, etc ... )

3] Additional No Cut contract Protection (2 years maximum)

Right now, players rated 8 and up cannot be cut until week 8 of the season (See Week 8 Rule below), but players 7 and below have no such protection.

4] No trade contract  (2 year maximum)

Same as no cut. 2 years no trade beats 1 year no trade.

[b]Note:[/b] Once a perk is offered, (contract length, no trade, no cut), that perk must be included in all subsiquent bids.

[b]WARNINGS:[/b]

Owners are advised to not throw out No Trade or no Cut clauses like they are candy. Players are not guaranteed to remain at their rating/performance level for the entire length of a new contract. You could in some instances wind up with an overpaid player that you can't unload.

Owners should also be aware of their salary cap situations. 

Teams are advised to not get "bidding fever" just to sign that one stud player ... and then find you have to gut your team to fit him under the cap. To overbid on a player is done at the owners risk.

[b]WEEK 8 RULE:[/b] Players rated 8 and above that were signed as Free Agents CAN NOT be cut until week 8 of the CsFL season. This applies only to the first year of any free agent contract.

They can be traded unless they have a no trade clause.

[i]**The Week 8 Rule is designed to protect top players in the CsFL from being released in Training Camp and scooped up after waivers for a minimum salary. This way they are either kept, released to be free agents or traded.[/i]

[b]No Trade - No Cut Clauses[/b]

A No-trade or No Cut clause is worth its weight in gold. Any player would love to know that he has a stable job for an ‘x’ amount of time.

No trade means no trade. But as well all know, in real life a player might waive that clause if it suits him. But we are in a sim league, so there has to be some cost/effect to the waiving of the clause.

So, a player with a no trade deal can be traded under the following conditions/costs.

1] Player Approval. 

The Commissioner/players agent, decides whether the player would want to accept the trade destination. Simply because the Free Agent is choosing to play for you and your promises, he might prefer to stay where he is regardless of your wants are.

Signing Rookies

Rookies are sign as soon as they are drafted to league min contracts for 2 seasons. They can only get a raise if their rating increases. (ie: 6 rated player making 40K gets bumped to 50K if rating rises to 7) 

Non Draft Player and Free Agent signing:

• Every year, CSFL teams will be able to sign FOUR players to their roster who were not CSFL free agents or in the CSFL Rookie draft. 
  

• Players must have played PRO (CFL, AFL, NFLE, NFL) ball in previous years, or playing/signed in the Arena League or Canadian Football league at time of signing.
  
• NFLE players NOT allocated by the NFL are also elligible to be signed provided they are not on NFL rosters.
  
• Canadian University and College ( CIS ) players not eligible as they are held for the CsFL entry draft.
  
• This takes place starting May 1st, and ends July 1st
  
• Names can be submitted before May 1st. Any players wanted by 2 or more teams are subject to one-time bidding via e-mail between only the teams involved. Starting May 2nd, players are first come - first served on a daily basis.

*You can only sign 4 players, so be sure you want the players. If you release such player, you cannot replace him with another Non Draft signing.

Players must be submitted along with the following stats:

Name:
Position:
Height:
Weight:
College:

• Also state where the player played and their playing stats in order for a rating to be given out.
  

• Any of your four Non Draft positions cannot be traded at any time.

Season Tickets

Team season tickets sold totals are listed in the Directory area of the Official Web Site. After an inital sales effort in year one, season ticket sales in the future follow the success of the team on the field.

Increase or decrease in season ticket totals are as follows:

+ 30% = Grey Cup Champion
+ 25% = Grey Cup Runner Up
+ 20% = Regular Season Division Champion
+ 15% = .500 or better record
- 10% = Season under .500
- 15% = Season under .400

• The Grey Cup/All Star games will be up for voting each year. Rotated East/West annually.
  

• All votes will be submitted to the Commissioner.