League Format
Pools, Points and More
Pools, Points and More
We use pools to group teams of similar ability.
The season consists of several rounds of round-robin play, during which all teams in a pool play each other. At the end of each round, the top teams move up to a higher pool, while the bottom teams move down to a lower one — unless they’re already in the highest or lowest pool.
This movement between pools gives teams the opportunity to face new opponents and helps rebalance the groups so that teams are more likely to compete against others of similar ability.
Each pool awards a specific number of points for a win, tie, or loss. No points are given for a forfeit. After each game, teams receive the appropriate number of points based on the result.
Higher pools award more points for wins, ties, and losses than lower pools. This system helps determine playoff seeding. If we relied solely on win/loss records, a beginner team with a few strong performances might end up facing a highly experienced team in the playoffs — resulting in an uneven matchup.
The final weeks of the season are dedicated to the playoffs. Based on the aggregate point totals from all round-robin games, the teams with the highest totals are placed in one playoff bracket, the next highest in another, and so on.
Losing your first playoff game typically drops you to a lower bracket. After that, any additional loss will eliminate you from the playoffs.
Byes are weeks when your team doesn't have a game. Sometimes the entire league has a bye because the curling club is closed or hosting another event. Other times, your team is sitting out because there isn’t enough room in the schedule for all teams to play on the same day.
Since there are 6 sheets of ice and Apollo Curling has 3 draw times on Saturdays, we can schedule up to 18 games — or 36 teams — on a given Saturday. When the league has more than 36 teams, some teams will get the occasional weekend off throughout the season.
The round robin will still be maintained — each team will play all others in the round — but it may take a bit longer to complete due to byes in the schedule.
If you know in advance (before the schedule is published) that most of your team will be away on a certain weekend, you can request a bye for that weekend through League Buddy.
A team needs at least 3 players to play a game, but no more than 4. Many teams struggle to have all 4 players available on a given game day, so spare players can occasionally be brought in to replace regular players.
Teams can have up to 7 players, but only 4 can play in any given game. Teams decide among themselves who will play, but to avoid a forfeit, you must have at least 2 regular players present.
If your team is short one or two players, you can request a player from the spare list to fill in. This request must be made through League Buddy to ensure the player is a registered spare. Spares from outside the league are not allowed.
If you can't find a spare from the list, you may ask another league player to fill in, assuming they are available. There are rules about which positions they can play, so it’s advised that you familiarize yourself with the Spare Rules.
If fewer than 2 registered players from your team can attend a game, unfortunately, your team must forfeit. You must indicate this in League Buddy, which will notify the other team and automatically update the standings page.
Forfeits are considered poor sportsmanship and should be avoided. Teams should ensure they can provide at least 2 regular players for every scheduled game.