KGFG Competition Rulebook

How to Read This Rulebook. It is intentionally written to be clear for coaches and players of all experience levels. Any attempt to circumvent this ruleset, the spirit of the rules, or general competitive integrity — even if not covered directly here — is addressed in Section 5: Player Conduct.

New to the platform? The Match Week Guide walks through one week from joining the queue to score report, and the FAQ answers the questions coaches ask most. For anything else, select Get Help at the bottom of the left navigation on the League Platform.

Introduction

This rulebook is the official and comprehensive set of rules, policies, and procedures governing all League play for the Ken Garff For Good (KGFG) Esports League Fall 2026 season. It brings general competition rules, game-specific rules, and player conduct expectations together into a single authoritative document.

1. League Overview

1.1 League Operator

The Ken Garff For Good (KGFG) Esports League is a K-12 scholastic esports league serving schools across Utah, operated in partnership with USAEL & Rally Cry.

1.2 League Platform

The League is hosted on the official KGFG League Platform, powered by Rally Cry. All registration, scheduling, match communication, and score reporting happen on this platform. The flow is: register, join the queue, get matched, play, report.

1.3 League Schedule

The KGFG Fall season runs from September through December. A season has four phases — an optional Preseason, an 8-week Regular Season, Playoffs, and Finals. Each game title is played on a set day and time each week (see Section 4: Game Rules), and the full calendar is published before the season begins.

Fall Season Calendar

Late enrollment is available until the end of Regular Season Week 2; registration closes Sunday 10/4/26 at 11:59pm MT. All match times are Mountain Time.

KGFG schools may also enter the national USAEL Open events that run alongside the state season. Those events are governed by the USAEL Open Rulebook; this rulebook governs KGFG state competitions only.

1.4 League Eligibility

The League is open to all Utah schools — public, private, charter, and homeschool cohorts — that meet the grade criteria for each game competition (see Section 4: Game Rules) and have completed the KGFG registration process. For team-based games, all players on a team must attend the same school or program unless KGFG leadership grants a multi-school exception.

The Middle School (MS) league is for grades 6–8; the High School (HS) league is for grades 9–12. Students in grades 6–8 may, at their coach's discretion, be rostered in the HS league instead of the MS league — but not both.

A student may only participate in one competition per game title.

1.4.1 Divisions

High School competitions are split into two divisions by UHSAA classification:

• 1A-3A & Independent — schools classified 1A through 3A, plus independent (non-UHSAA) schools.

• 4A-6A — schools classified 4A through 6A.

Each division runs its own standings, playoff bracket, and Finals. Middle School competitions are a single statewide division. Schools register in the division matching their UHSAA classification.

1.4.2 Student Accounts and Managed Members

Due to data privacy requirements, students do not create accounts on the League Platform for the Fall 2026 season. Coaches must use the Managed Members feature to add every student to their team roster, and must not invite students to join the platform directly. Coaches handle weekly check-in, match communication, and score reporting on their players' behalf (see Section 3: League Rules).

This applies to all students regardless of age, and replaces the individual student registration options from earlier versions of this rulebook.

Coaches: the Managed Member Guide explains how to create and manage these roster spots on the platform. Because Managed Members cannot link their own accounts, coaches enter each student's game handles; the Game Handles Guide shows where.

1.5 Definition of Terms

2. League Format

2.1 Preseason (Optional)

Before the regular season, teams may play up to one week of optional preseason matches to test equipment, game connections, and the match-day flow. Preseason results are not recorded and do not affect standings.

A preseason match is the best way to confirm everything works before games count. All teams are strongly encouraged to participate, to work through technical issues and lower the chance of forfeits during the regular season.

Practice is not limited to the preseason week. The Scrims tab on any competition page lets teams schedule practice matches against other registered teams all season; see the Scrim Finder Guide.

2.2 Regular Season

The regular season runs for eight weeks. Each week, teams play up to one match in each competition they have entered, paired against an opponent with a similar record and rating. Each title has a fixed default match day and time (see Section 4: Game Rules). Standings are kept per division and rank teams by rating. Every match result moves a team's rating, and a bye adds a win to the record without changing the rating. Teams with the same rating are ordered by the tiebreakers in Section 2.5: Tiebreakers.

2.3 Playoffs

After the regular season, qualifying teams in each division enter a single-elimination playoff bracket. Bracket size scales with the number of eligible teams in each division, with a minimum of four teams. Online playoff rounds run over the playoff weeks in the season calendar, leading to the Finals in Playoff Week 3. No matches are played during the Thanksgiving break.

Playoff Eligibility: a team that misses three or more regular-season weeks is not eligible for playoffs. A week counts as missed when the team does not play a match that week: it did not join the queue, its result is missing, or it forfeited. A bye is not a missed week. Ineligible teams may finish the regular season but will not be seeded into the bracket.

2.4 Finals

The Finals match in each division is contested by the top two teams remaining in that division's playoff bracket, and is played online during Playoff Week 3 (see the season calendar). Each title's Finals format is listed in Section 4: Game Rules.

2.5 Tiebreakers

If two or more teams have the same rating, they are ranked by the steps below, in order. Any teams still tied after a step move to the next step.

1. Match Performance — number of match wins. A bye counts as a match win.

2. Head-to-Head Record — when two teams are tied and have played each other, the winner of that match ranks higher.

3. Game Score Differential — for titles that report in-game scores (Rocket League), total score for minus total score against across every game played. Titles that report only a winner skip this step.

4. Match Points — points earned for match wins and ties over the season.

5. Strength of Schedule — the combined match wins of every opponent a team has played.

3. League Rules

3.1 Registration Process

To be eligible to play, every coach must:

1. Create an account on the KGFG League Platform.

2. Create a team, add students to the roster as Managed Members, enter their game handles, and register for at least one competition. For team-based games, the entry's roster must meet that competition's minimum player requirement.

3. Follow the instructions for weekly check-in and match assignments.

Students do not register on the League Platform this season. Coaches build team rosters with the Managed Members feature and must not invite students to the platform directly (see Section 1.4.2).

Step-by-step help: the Coach Registration Guide covers creating your account and joining your school. The Team Creation Guide covers building a team and registering it for a competition. The Game Handles Guide covers entering game handles for Managed Members.

3.2 Weekly Queue & Match Assignment

Each week, coaches confirm their teams intend to play by joining the Queue during the queue window, which runs from Thursday 12:00 AM MT to Monday 2:00 PM MT (the week before match week). The Queue is on the competition's Bracket tab: select the queue button at the top of that tab once for each entry.

When the window closes on Monday, teams in the queue are paired against opponents with a similar record and rating, and a team left without an opponent moves to the Late Queue (see Section 3.3). Match assignments are posted on the League Platform and sent to each coach's platform inbox. Each title has a default match day and time listed in Section 4: Game Rules.

A team that does not join the Queue is not assigned a match in the Monday pairing. It can still play through the Late Queue (see Section 3.3). Where the button is and what happens next: Match Week Guide, Weekly Queue.

3.3 Late Queue (Backup for a Missed Queue)

If a team misses the Queue, it can still play. The Late Queue opens on the competition's Bracket tab on Monday at 3:00 PM MT, one hour after the Queue closes, and stays open until 30 minutes before the title's default match time (see Section 4: Game Rules). When it closes, the teams in it are paired with each other automatically and play at the default time that day.

The Late Queue also catches teams the Queue could not pair. When the Queue closes on Monday and a team is left without an opponent (an odd number of teams joined, or the teams left had already played each other), the League Platform moves that team into the Late Queue automatically and its queue band shows Held. A held team does not need to do anything else: when the Late Queue closes, held teams are paired along with the teams that joined late. Leaving the Late Queue gives up that place, and the team then gets neither a match nor a bye for the week.

Late Queue pairings are made from whichever teams are in it, so they can be less even than the Monday pairings. Joining the Queue by Monday at 2:00 PM MT is still the best way to get a fair match.

3.4 Byes

A team the Queue could not pair is moved into the Late Queue (see Section 3.3); if the Late Queue closes and the team still has no opponent, it receives a bye for the week. To receive it, the team must remain in the Late Queue until it closes. A bye adds a win to the team's record without changing its rating, so it only changes a team's place in the standings when it is tied on rating (see Section 2.5: Tiebreakers, step 1). It does not count against playoff eligibility. League Officials may also assign byes when scheduling requires it.

3.5 School Closures, Snow Days & Holidays

If school is not in session on a scheduled match day due to a state-wide holiday or similar closure, that title's default match time moves to the following day at the same time.

If an individual school is not in session due to a local closure, that school follows Section 3.6: Match Rescheduling to find a new match time. Coaches should communicate closures to League Officials as early as possible.

3.6 Match Rescheduling

Both coaches may agree to move a match. In the Reschedule section of the match page, select Propose New Times and offer up to three new times. The other team selects Review Times and accepts one, declines them all, or counters with times of its own. Once a time is accepted, the match moves and both teams are notified. An offer expires after 48 hours, or when its last offered time starts if that is sooner. A rescheduled match must still be played by the end of the day on Sunday of that week, and the Reschedule section only offers times that still leave both teams able to join one of the next week's queues. If the match page has no Reschedule section, or the match can no longer be moved because match check-in has opened, select Flag Admin, choose General Support, and enter the new time in the details. If the coaches cannot agree, the match stays at its original time. During playoffs, reschedules are limited to 24 hours.

3.7 Match Day Process

3.7.1 Check-In & Communication

Both coaches should be present in Match Chat and ready by the default match time, and must establish communication in Match Chat at the start of the match. Because students do not hold accounts on the League Platform this season, coaches relay lobby details and match information to their players.

If a team has not joined the lobby or replied in Match Chat 15 minutes after the scheduled start time, the opposing coach selects Flag Admin on the match page and chooses Opponent Unresponsive. A league admin reviews the report and records the forfeit. If that team asks for a grace period in Match Chat, the opposing coach waits up to 30 minutes before flagging. Teams do not report a score for a match that was not played.

3.7.2 Lobby Creation

Both coaches use Match Chat to agree on who hosts the lobby. If they cannot agree, the host defaults to the team marked Home on the Match page (the left side). The host creates the lobby using the game-specific settings in Section 4: Game Rules.

3.7.3 Match Play

Once both teams are in the lobby, each coach confirms in Match Chat that the settings are correct and that their team is ready. After both confirm, the host starts the match.

3.7.4 Score Reporting

When the match is complete, the winning team's coach reports the result on the Match page with Report Scores (step by step: Match Week Guide, Report the Score). For Rocket League, enter each team's goals for every game, not just the winner; those scores feed the Game Score Differential tiebreaker in Section 2.5. The opposing coach then has 24 hours to accept or dispute the result; a report that is not answered within 24 hours is accepted automatically. If there is a dispute, use Flag Admin on the Match page to request a League Official before leaving.

3.7.5 Forfeits

All forfeits are final unless subject to KGFG discretion. A forfeit may be applied for a no-show, an inability to field enough players, a conduct ruling, ineligible players, missing results, or lack of communication. A match won by forfeit is recorded at the minimum score needed to win (for example, 2–0 for a best-of-three). A bye records no score, so it adds nothing to the Game Score Differential tiebreaker in Section 2.5. A team that cannot play may forfeit its own match on the Match page with Forfeit Match (coach) instead of no-showing.

3.8 Substitutions

In team-based games, substitutions are allowed between games (or maps or sets) as long as the opposing team is notified and the substitute is on the entry's roster. Once a Game of Record is established, no substitutions may be made until that game is complete.

3.9 Stoppage of Play

General pause and disconnect handling is below. Because each game handles pauses differently, always defer to the title-specific rules in Section 4: Game Rules.

3.9.1 Player Disconnections

If a player disconnects in a game that supports pausing, the match may be paused per that title's rules. Players should keep screenshots as proof of when a disconnect happened. Both coaches must confirm readiness in Match Chat before play resumes.

3.9.2 Voluntary / Directed Pauses

Pausing without permission is treated as unfair play and may draw a penalty. League Officials may direct a pause at any time. Pauses expected to last longer than 10 minutes should be approved by a League Official.

3.10 Spectating

Team members not actively playing (a coach or substitute) may spectate unless the other team requests otherwise. For streams or broadcasts, both coaches must agree in Match Chat before the match and honor any request to remove spectators between games. Some titles do not allow in-game spectators due to latency (noted in Section 4).

3.11 Active Coaching

Coaching is permitted before a match and between games, sets, or maps. Once a game is live (at or after the Game of Record), coaches and non-participating team members may not direct players or communicate strategy until that game ends. Coaches may always assist with technical issues, pauses, and communication with League Officials. Any title-specific coaching limits are noted in Section 4.

3.12 Coach Responsibilities

Coaches are the primary point of contact for their team and are responsible for their players' readiness, conduct, and results reporting throughout the season: rostering eligible players as Managed Members (per Section 1.4), joining the Queue each week, being present in Match Chat at least 15 minutes before the scheduled start, coordinating lobbies, substitutions and pauses with the opposing coach, coaching only between games (per Section 3.11: Active Coaching), and making sure results are reported and verified within the 24-hour review window.

The full pre-match, match-day and post-match checklist is in the Match Week Guide, Coach Responsibilities. Before the season, the IT & Networking Guide covers network, firewall and anti-cheat requirements, and the Game Handles Guide covers entering game handles for Managed Members.

3.13 Network Connection

A wired Ethernet connection is strongly recommended for every title. It matters most for Nintendo Switch titles such as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, where one player's wireless connection causes lag for everyone in the lobby.

If a team's connection causes lag that makes a match unplayable, the opposing coach should report it with Flag Admin. League Officials may place that team on hold, with no match assignments, until it can play on a wired connection that does not disrupt the match for both teams. Setup help for wired Switch play is in the IT & Networking Guide.

4. Game Rules

Each title below lists its match format, platform, team size, lobby settings, Game of Record and tiebreaker in one table, followed by pick/ban, disconnection handling, and title-specific rules. Titles are listed in match-day order. All match times are Mountain Time.

Rules Overview

4.1 Rocket League

Default Match Time: Tuesday 3:30pm MT

Format & Settings

Disconnections

By default players cannot pause an in-progress game. Play continues through a disconnect, and the disconnected player may attempt to rejoin mid-game. If they cannot rejoin during the game, the team has 5 minutes before the next game to return the player to the lobby or replace them with a substitute; a substitute may not replace them mid-game. Otherwise the match proceeds to the next game with the players present. If a full team disconnects, they have 5 minutes to return or forfeit that game.

Additional Rules

• Controllers: players may use a controller or mouse & keyboard.

• Content Updates: any cars or items disabled by the publisher are not allowed; matches run on the current patch.

4.2 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate — Team Solos

Default Match Time: Wednesday 3:30pm MT

Format & Settings

Pick / Ban & Selection

Team Draft runs this section on the League Platform. Both teams ready up on the Match page (Ready Up opens 30 minutes before the match time), confirm a lineup of three players, then pick players, characters and stages turn by turn in the Team Draft panel and report each game there. Because students do not hold accounts this season, the coach (or a Draft Captain the coach names among the team's account holders) makes every pick for the team. Lineups lock when Set 1 starts, so Section 3.8: Substitutions does not apply to this title. If both teams agree, Match Options can reset the current game or switch the match to manual reporting in Match Chat. Step by step: the Team Draft Guide.

• Set Players: Set 1 player choices are blind. From Set 2 on, the team that won the previous set names its player first and the other team counterpicks. Each of a team's three players plays one of Sets 1-3. Any lineup player may play Set 4; the Set 5 player must not have played Set 4.

• Game 1: both players pick characters blind. Then, from the Starter stages, Home strikes 1, Away strikes 2, and Home picks one of the two stages left.

• Game 2 Onward: the winner of the previous game picks their character first and the loser counterpicks. Then, from the Starter and Counterpick stages, the winner strikes 2 and the loser picks from the rest. The winner may also strike, for free, any stage the loser has already won on in that set; a free strike left unused keeps that stage pickable.

Omega and Battlefield stage variations are not allowed. DLC stages can only be picked if a team in the match owns them.

Disconnections

If a player disconnects, the lobby closes; the team's coach must explain in Match Chat within 10 minutes or the player risks losing the set. If the player returns in time, recreate the game with the same fighters, stage, and stock count — damage % is not reset — and continue.

Additional Rules

• Mii Fighters: default costumes and a Guest Mii; the coach enters the player's four-digit move set code (each digit 1, 2 or 3, for example 1231) when picking the Mii in Team Draft.

• Spectating: not available — Switch titles are excluded from in-game spectating due to latency.

4.3 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe — Team Races

Default Match Time: Thursday 3:30pm MT

Format & Settings

Weekly Cups

The regular-season cup schedule is published below (one cup per game, played in the order listed); playoff cups are announced before each playoff week's check-in window closes. Each game plays its assigned cup's four tracks in order; all four races are played, and the team with more total points wins the game. If a player selects a track outside the assigned cup and it is chosen, that team loses 15 points from the game (additive per violation) — submit screenshots to officials.

Disconnections

Keep a screenshot after every race (Switch capture button). If the host disconnects, the lobby is remade and teams finish the remaining races, then add the screenshot points to the new lobby's points. If a player disconnects, they rejoin at the start of the next track; points earned before the disconnect only count with screenshot proof.

Additional Rules

• Karts & Characters: players may change character or kart between races (press Y in the lobby) and may use smart steering and auto-accelerate.

• Glitching: using in-game glitches to gain an advantage results in a game loss and possible further penalty (screenshot or video proof required).

• DLC: assigned cups may include Booster Course Pass cups; the DLC is recommended so every assigned cup is available. Raise DLC availability issues with League Officials before match day.

• Spectating: not allowed, due to latency.

5. Player Conduct

5.1 Code of Conduct

Players must compete to the best of their ability at all times and follow the USAEL Code of Conduct:

• Respect: treat all players, organizers, and spectators with respect.

• Integrity: play honestly and follow the rules of the game.

• Graciousness: be humble in victory and courteous in defeat.

• Language: use appropriate, respectful language at all times.

• Anti-Bullying: zero tolerance for harassment, bullying, or discrimination of any kind.

• Feedback: keep feedback constructive; avoid toxic comments.

Any form of cheating or foul play by any team member will not be tolerated. All members are prohibited from influencing a match so its outcome is decided by anything other than the competitive merits of the teams.

5.2 Standards of Competition

Players may never cheat or seek an unfair advantage. Unfair play includes, but is not limited to:

• Exploiting bugs or glitches

• Collusion or match manipulation

• Hacking or third-party cheat software

• Ringing — playing under another person's identity, or fielding ineligible players

• Intentional disconnection

A team member found violating these standards will be issued a loss for that game and may face additional penalties at the discretion of League Officials, up to and including disqualification from the League.

5.3 Spirit of the Rules

These rules exist to ensure fair play, integrity, and a positive experience for everyone. They are not just a checklist — they embody the spirit of competition, sportsmanship, and respect. Participants are expected to follow both the letter and the intent of the rules. Exploiting loopholes, manipulating gameplay, or unsportsmanlike conduct is a violation of the spirit of the rules.

5.4 Organizer Discretion

Interpreting and enforcing these rules — including any situation not explicitly covered — is at the sole discretion of League Officials. They may act in the best interests of the competition, its participants, and fair play. These decisions are final and binding, cannot be appealed, and may include penalties up to and including disqualification from the League.

5.5 Player Responsibility

By participating, you acknowledge that League Officials have the authority to interpret the rules and take any action necessary to maintain the integrity and spirit of the competition.

6. Policies & Administration

6.1 Amendments

KGFG and any event partners reserve the right to update, revise, or modify these rules when appropriate. Major changes are recorded in the Change Log below, and it is every coach's and player's responsibility to review the current rulebook. The version shown at the top of this page always matches the most recent Change Log entry.

6.2 Change Log