Hi,
As many of you know, rosters are locked around round 9 or so. I haven't heard from Caer exactly why this is so, but I can guess why: we want to make sure that people plan ahead for playoffs, that they're not going to recruit ringers for the big games, etc.
These are good concerns. But I'd like to put forward two reasons for why we should consider pushing back the roster lock dates for the AML division of league (i.e., for squads that will play in the 'AML playoffs' or whatever it is). And I'll briefly respond to the worries after giving the two reasons.
Before giving the two reasons, however, let me stress the modesty of my claim. I am suggesting only that we push back roster lock dates for *AML squads* -- not pro squads, who are typically more established, and to whom the considerations I'm going to give don't apply as much.
The first reason: newer squads need time to recruit.
As we all know, this zone is dying. It's extremely hard for newer squads to recruit when (i) people generally don't play during the week and (ii) don't always play on Sundays either.
Here's a case study. You will not be surprised to hear that it's been hard for Dune to recruit. And we've had a few people who have lately said that they were interested in joining, but who said yes only after the round 9 lock.
Moreover, this is likely to be the norm for new squads. It will be hard for any genuinely new squad to recruit in its first season. If we don't push back roster lock dates, we are all but guaranteeing that (genuinely) new squads will not make it past their first season. This is not good for the long-term health of the league.
The second reason: given how long the league season is, pushing back roster lock dates will allow players to hop on if they subsequently decide they have the time to play
We are all busy people. We may not know how many weekends we can afford to devote to SS, and may not want to jump on a squad at the start because of how long the season is. And sometimes pockets of free time just become available, or we realize we can spare the time after all. Pushing the roster lock dates will allow squads -- typically the less established ones -- to pick up such players who decide to commit at the last minute.
I'm sure there are other important considerations that one could adduce too. These are just the two that come to mind most readily.
It's worth pointing out, too, that the squads that the roster lock dates impact the most are newer, struggling squads. These are not squads that are going to recruit ringers to 'win the league from behind'. These are squads that are just looking to make it fun for their players on Sundays.
We could even add a few refinements, if we wanted to ensure that the ringer thing doesn't happen: e.g., one only gets to recruit a max of 2 - 3 ppl after round 9. You get the idea.
This is too long as it is -- thanks for your patience in reading it.
As many of you know, rosters are locked around round 9 or so. I haven't heard from Caer exactly why this is so, but I can guess why: we want to make sure that people plan ahead for playoffs, that they're not going to recruit ringers for the big games, etc.
These are good concerns. But I'd like to put forward two reasons for why we should consider pushing back the roster lock dates for the AML division of league (i.e., for squads that will play in the 'AML playoffs' or whatever it is). And I'll briefly respond to the worries after giving the two reasons.
Before giving the two reasons, however, let me stress the modesty of my claim. I am suggesting only that we push back roster lock dates for *AML squads* -- not pro squads, who are typically more established, and to whom the considerations I'm going to give don't apply as much.
The first reason: newer squads need time to recruit.
As we all know, this zone is dying. It's extremely hard for newer squads to recruit when (i) people generally don't play during the week and (ii) don't always play on Sundays either.
Here's a case study. You will not be surprised to hear that it's been hard for Dune to recruit. And we've had a few people who have lately said that they were interested in joining, but who said yes only after the round 9 lock.
Moreover, this is likely to be the norm for new squads. It will be hard for any genuinely new squad to recruit in its first season. If we don't push back roster lock dates, we are all but guaranteeing that (genuinely) new squads will not make it past their first season. This is not good for the long-term health of the league.
The second reason: given how long the league season is, pushing back roster lock dates will allow players to hop on if they subsequently decide they have the time to play
We are all busy people. We may not know how many weekends we can afford to devote to SS, and may not want to jump on a squad at the start because of how long the season is. And sometimes pockets of free time just become available, or we realize we can spare the time after all. Pushing the roster lock dates will allow squads -- typically the less established ones -- to pick up such players who decide to commit at the last minute.
I'm sure there are other important considerations that one could adduce too. These are just the two that come to mind most readily.
It's worth pointing out, too, that the squads that the roster lock dates impact the most are newer, struggling squads. These are not squads that are going to recruit ringers to 'win the league from behind'. These are squads that are just looking to make it fun for their players on Sundays.
We could even add a few refinements, if we wanted to ensure that the ringer thing doesn't happen: e.g., one only gets to recruit a max of 2 - 3 ppl after round 9. You get the idea.
This is too long as it is -- thanks for your patience in reading it.