The complete Year 2 Rules Book, the League’s Player Handbook, in full: squad requirements, rankings, rules of play, violations, discipline, waivers, ineligibility, grievances and postseason club requirements.
Welcome!
The PRO Roundnet League is the first structured interclub roundnet competition in North America. With 49 clubs across 8 conferences, Georgia’s clubs playing inside the Southeast structure in the East group, our mission is to make roundnet more accessible, competitive, and professional.
As a player, you are part of a new era for the sport. This handbook outlines the rules, policies, and expectations you need to know. It is designed to protect players, clubs, and the league while ensuring fair, exciting competition for all.
Anything not covered in this Rules Book is governed by the league FAQ, which is authoritative where this book is silent. Where neither speaks, the decision rests with the league managers, who rule case by case on all the factors involved. A league manager ruling is final.
Kaleb Wagner: Co-Founder of the PRO League, and co-owner of the Boise Bandits and Idaho Roundnet. Data Analyst with sports management background. Grew up in Oregon and now calls Boise, Idaho his home.
Alex Hart: Co-Founder of the PRO League, and club owner of the Idaho Falls Freeze. A business broker by day and an entrepreneur by night. Husband, father, and coach of greatest sport in the world.
All other rules can be found in the FAQ section here: https://proroundnet.com/minor.html
Roster Size: All squads must register 7 players, and squads may register 8. Every squad must have 7 registered and paid players to compete.
This rule is strictly enforced for PRO squads, Minor A squads, and Women’s squads competing in the top playoff bracket. Other divisions (Minor B, Challenger, and Women’s squads not competing in the top playoff bracket) may compete with 6, taking the match-point penalty in Section 2 where it applies. An M2 squad may play with six with no point penalty, but its roster must still carry seven registered and paid players. A club’s second Minor squad in M2 is the exception: it may register with six players, with no point penalty and no seventh roster spot required, so a club that brings a large turnout can field its second Minor team.
Eligibility to Play: All players must be registered and paid in full before the Matchday/tournament to be eligible to compete.
Rare exceptions may be granted, but only with explicit approval from the Commissioner or League Owners.
Per Round: 6 compete, 1 is the substitute.
Across 4-round Match: 4 players sub once, 3 play all rounds.
Across 2-round Match: 2 players sub once, 5 play all rounds.
Contracts: All players that play in P1, P2, or M1 are contracted when they play their first match for a club. With the exception of a player who is authorized by the league to be on loan for Matchday 1 or 3.
Squads must be registered with at least 7 players, and every squad must have 7 registered and paid players. A squad that registers 8 players has a cushion: the match-point penalty never applies to it.
M2 squads are exempt from the penalty itself: an M2 squad may play with six with no point penalty, but its roster must still carry seven registered and paid players. A club’s second Minor squad in M2 is the exception: it may register with six players, with no point penalty and no seventh roster spot required, so a club that brings a large turnout can field its second Minor team.
The penalty turns on the rank of the player who is out. A squad playing a match short-handed takes a match-point penalty when the missing player is:
A missing #1, #2, #3, or #4 ranked player never triggers the penalty, in either match length.
One match point for every two rounds played short:
How the penalty is applied follows the match’s tie setting, which is set in the match setup:
If you are the squad playing with 6: you must inform the TD and/or the opposing captain that a point penalty applies.
If you are playing against a 6-player squad: you must catch it and ensure the penalty is applied.
If the penalty is missed and the next bracket round begins, the TD may be
Editor’s note: this sentence ends mid-thought in the printed book.
How many players must a squad register & what happens if a squad does not have 7 players available at the start of the event?
Each squad is required to register and have at least 7 eligible players available at the start of the event. If a registered player does not participate in the squad's first matchup of the event, the squad will receive a 1 match-point penalty in every matchup for the remainder of the event.
Exceptions may be granted by the League in limited circumstances. Factors considered include the hardship causing the player's absence, when the hardship occurred, the club's efforts to replace the player, and whether the player's ranking and roster status can be reasonably verified through a League investigation.
Exceptions are generally reserved for legitimate last-minute emergencies where a club had a valid 7-player roster but was unable to secure a replacement in time.
Exceptions will generally not be granted to squads that simply failed to register or bring a 7th player to the event.
Can a squad register 8 players?
Yes. Squads may register 8 players for additional Matchday flexibility. For the remainder of this section, any reference to a #6 or #7 player also includes an 8th player.
What happens if a squad is missing or loses a player?
If a player is injured, unavailable, or unable to begin Match 1, that player may be removed from the lineup for the remainder of the matchup. Whether the removal draws a match-point penalty follows the rank grid in Section 2: in a four-round match a missing #5, #6, or #7 ranked player can draw the penalty, in a two-round match only a missing #6 or #7, and a missing #1 through #4 never does. A squad with 8 registered players never takes the penalty.
If an injury occurs after the matchup has begun, normal replacement rules apply. Any eligible replacement must satisfy all lineup and pair score requirements. Once a replacement player enters the matchup due to injury, that player may not be substituted out for the remainder of the matchup.
If the injured player was a qualifying ranked player under the Section 2 grid and is unavailable for the majority of the remaining matchup, the League Manager or Tournament Director may assess the match-point penalty. This determination is not automatic and will consider all relevant circumstances, including the timing of the injury, the current score, the availability of eligible replacements, the amount of the matchup missed, and the overall competitive impact.
How is the match-point penalty applied?
The penalty is one match point for every two rounds played short, two match points in a four-round match. How it lands follows the match’s tie setting. Where ties are allowed, it is applied after the match, and only when the match ends in a tie; a match that does not end in a tie stands as played. Where overtime or the two-point net is enabled, it is applied as it accrues: a qualifying player out before the match starts means the full-match amount from the start, and during the match it lands the moment the player has been out for two rounds, and again at four rounds.
Why does the league require 7 players?
The 7-player requirement helps preserve competitive integrity, maintain proper rotation structure, prevent unfair roster advantages, and keep matches running smoothly.
Why does the match-point penalty only apply when certain ranked players are missing?
The penalty exists because allowing a lower-ranked rotation player to be removed without consequence could create a roster advantage: the ranks that trigger it (#5, #6, or #7 in a four-round match, #6 or #7 in a two-round match) are the spots a squad rotates, while losing a top-four player is its own disadvantage. Rather than requiring forfeits or leaving matches unplayed, the match-point penalty allows all scheduled matches to be completed, maximizes playing time for both squads, and still provides a meaningful competitive disadvantage to the short-handed squad.
Can a club call up a lower division player due to injury?
Yes. Clubs may temporarily call up lower division players during a Matchday due to injury under League rules.
Does the lower division squad receive a penalty if a player is called up?
No. A lower division squad may continue with 6 active players without receiving a match-point penalty if the absence is due to an approved injury call-up.
Can a called-up player return to their original squad?
Yes. Called-up players may return to their original squad if the injured player later returns during the Matchday.
Who is responsible for identifying the match-point penalty?
Both squad captains are responsible for identifying any applicable match-point penalty. The League Manager or Tournament Director will make the final ruling if a dispute arises.
Update: Beginning after a squad has completed its first match of the Matchday, teams may recruit new eligible players, provided all standard eligibility rules are met. If a PRO squad recruits a #1, #2, or #3 ranked player from their Minor A squad, the Minor A squad may compete with 6 players without penalty.
Match Roster Freeze: Once Round 1 begins (placing phase), the roster and rankings are locked for the entire match. No changes are permitted mid-match. (except for removal)
Length: 40-120 minutes.
Rounds: 2 rounds per match.
Exception: Southeast Conference matches are 4 rounds per match.
Games: Each round has 3 nets played simultaneously (2v2).
Scoring: Games to 21, Cap 25 unless TD changes it for the event.
Overtime: No overtime
Submitted before each Matchday in Squad Software.
Updated 10/10/2025 - Rankings can change between matches on a matchday but not for post season tournaments. Unless this becomes too time consuming and hinders the flow of the event tghe TD can prohibit squads from doing this.
Players do not keep the same ranking across divisions.
Rankings must reflect relative ability in good faith.
Once set, they are used for pair scores, variance, subs, Overtime eligibility, and tie-breakers.
Overtime if applicable: only players ranked #1–3 are eligible.
Violations: manipulated rankings or incorrect assignments → forfeited nets and potential suspension.
Placing Squad: assigns three pairs first.
Matching Squad: responds within variance limits.
Squads alternate placing/matching each round.
Systems: Squad Software (preferred) or offline sheets. Keep sheets so they can be put into software afterwards. Also please try and record all games when software isn’t used so we can capture stats.
Round Breaks: 5 minutes per squad for assignments.
Matches follow USAR Official Rules of Roundnet unless otherwise noted.
If tied after 4 rounds → one bonus 2v2 game to 21, no cap.
Each squad selects 2 from top 3 ranked players.
Rock–paper–scissors decides serve/receive first.
Standard rotation; first to 21 wins.
Timeouts: 1 per squad per game (60 sec).
Game Start: Placing squad picks serve/receive or positions; matching squad picks the other.
Scorekeeping: Must be done for every game in the league. Done in Squad Software; subs or volunteers may assist. Players can also easily self score during the game if no volunteer is available.
Automatic Net Loss: ineligible subs, back-to-back pairings, variance exceeded.
Late Arrival: 10 minutes late = forfeit Round 1. Continued lateness = additional forfeits every 10 minutes. Forfeits scored as –8 differentials unless adjusted by TD.
Missed Matchday- See https://proroundnet.com/minor.html
Unfinished/Unstarted Games: Defaulted as forfeits with –8 spread applied unless adjusted by Tournament Director.
Upon receiving the eighth cumulative warning (and every subsequent warning), the squad will:
Deliberate Misconduct:
Offensive Behavior:
Cheating:
Interference:
Warnings may be recorded and enforced by:
If an injury occurs during a match, the injured player may take a 5-minute injury timeout.
Injured player may be removed from the roster for the match; rankings remain intact.
If removed, the player cannot be reassigned that match
Any Player may return later in the matchday, but must still follow all other rules regarding matching, substitutions, and pair score compliance.
Replacement is allowed only if the new pair score fits within variance.
Exception: If the replacement has a lower ranking than the injured player, captains may approve the substitution even if it falls outside the variance.
Opponents may also sub within variance to balance.
If a player is lost during a rally (e.g., at 24–24), their partner may continue the point alone only if it is their serve turn.
If it is not their turn, the game is forfeited.
Intentional Injuries: It is illegal to feign or exaggerate an injury to manipulate substitution rules. Verified cases result in forfeiture of eligibility.
Ranking Manipulation: It is illegal to intentionally rank top players lower in order to gain variance or substitution benefits. Verified cases result in loss of prize money and eligibility.
All-star eligibility: Only players ranked 1-3 at all matchdays can be eligible for the teams all-star spot.
The league does not provide medical personnel. Players participate at their own risk.
See https://proroundnet.com/minor.html
Players may not compromise club and league sponsor agreements or display competing logos without permission. Jersies made prior to July 2025 are granfathered in for this season and are allowed.
Players consent to the League using their name, image, likeness, voice, stats, and highlights in perpetuity without compensation.
No illegal drugs, PEDs, or underage alcohol use at events.
Violations may result in ejection, suspension, or permanent removal.
Refunds follow the Terms you agreed to when you registered: a full refund within 7 days of registering, 50% through day 21, an 80% credit until a week before the event, and no refund or credit inside the final week. If weather or the venue cancels the event, you get back what you paid minus costs the League cannot recover. The Terms & Conditions are the controlling text.
Playing in the League starts your eligibility clock. The first league event you play is your first year of eligibility. In your second year you are a Restricted Free Agent (RFA): another club may submit an offer, but your current club may retain you by matching it under League rules. If you play at least one event in your second year and your club has not signed or extended you, you then become an Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA), free to sign with another eligible club under League rules.
Free agency is not a walk-away. Only one player can leave a club during a free agency cycle, and leaving happens only through the League’s bidding process. Each club may generally acquire one contracted player and lose one contracted player per cycle. Side deals, tampering, or attempts to bypass League procedures may result in League discipline.
A first-time player may play Minor for a club outside their closest boundary, under a limited League exception. The exception is for first-time players only: the player has never competed in the League, and never in an ASL playoff. The player competes only in Minor divisions, and does not compete in PRO divisions during their first season. Whether permission is needed depends on distance.
The player may play Minor for any club. No approval is needed from anyone.
The closest club’s owner decides. Where two clubs are within 100 miles of the player, both owners must agree to the release. The owner who approves chooses the release:
The exception does not apply to the Women’s Division. Requests go through the League portal, and the League office keeps track of exception use.
Players or squads may be declared ineligible for competition, prizes, or status for the following:
Players removed due to injury who do not compete in at least 3 rounds of their squad’s final match may lose playoff eligibility and sponsorship.
Any agreement between clubs or squads to alter results, forfeit strategically, or manipulate seeding.
Verified collusion results in removal from prizes and possible suspension from the League.
PEDs, illegal drugs, underage alcohol use, or conduct that damages League integrity.
Wearing unapproved apparel in the league. Jersies must be worn at all times during league play.
Violating sponsorship rules may lead to ineligibility for prizes or playoff participation.
Players or clubs may file a formal grievance if they believe a rule was violated, an unfair decision was made, or misconduct occurred.
The League will review and respond within 14 days.
Depending on the case, input may be gathered from:
Decisions may include:
Decisions are final, but may be reconsidered by League Leadership if new evidence arises.
The PRO Roundnet League is more than a competition, it’s a system designed to:
By signing up to play and stepping on the court, you commit not only to your squad, but also to the future of roundnet itself.
Anything not covered in this Rules Book is governed by the league FAQ, which is authoritative where this book is silent. Where neither speaks, the decision rests with the league managers, who rule case by case on all the factors involved. A league manager ruling is final.
To maintain fairness and competitive integrity throughout Regionals and the Playoffs, all participating clubs and squads must meet the following eligibility standards. These requirements ensure that postseason participation reflects regular season commitment and maintains the league’s structural balance.
The book’s numbering jumps from 18.1 to 18.3, no section 18.2 appears in the printed book.
Because the league is built around every club maintaining a top 7 (Pro Squad):
A club cannot compete in the Minor Division in the league or at the Playoffs without a Pro team (P1/P2) participating. Unless their highest club is a M1 club already.
For P1 Championship Bracket and P2 Promotion Bracket qualification, a club must also meet the Minor-team requirement in one of three ways:
The 14-player count is cumulative across forms: a Minor team’s players count toward the 14, and players the club sends to the all-conference Women’s team count too. Each player counts once, and counted players must be registered players from the club’s area.
This requirement preserves the league’s club-based hierarchy and prevents logistical and competitive imbalances.
Very few exceptions will be made to these postseason requirements.
Any exception must receive prior approval from the Board of Directors.
Requests must be submitted in writing at least seven (7) days prior to the event in question.
See https://proroundnet.com/minor.html
If squads remain tied after applying the above criteria:
Seeding criteria may vary slightly by conference. The intent is to provide the most accurate and fair system possible, while allowing adjustments for differences in scheduling, conference size, or structure.
This page is the handbook word for word, and the FAQ answers the same rules as questions, section by section.
The key questions for this page. The full league FAQ, all 287 answers, lives on one page.
The PRO Roundnet League is a national club-based roundnet league featuring P1, P2, M1, M2, and Women's divisions. Clubs compete throughout the season for standings, playoff qualification, promotion, relegation, and championships. The league is built to create long-term club identity, structured competition, regional growth, and advancement pathways from beginner levels to the highest level of play. The season includes three official matchdays followed by championship playoffs in Orlando, Florida.
The season includes three primary matchdays:
League standings use a group point system:
Seeding runs off the Power Score, which weighs a squad’s group points per match together with the strength of its results, beating strong squads counts for more than running up wins over weak ones. The Power Score sets the seeding and the Slot Choice order for the Championship and Promotion Brackets, and helps decide their final spots from the Play-In Schedule. The first Power Scores publish November 9.
Your PRO Score is a career rating from 1 to 10 that follows you from event to event. It's built from every counted net you've played in the league, and it looks at your game from several angles:
One guardrail keeps it honest. A small number of nets can't inflate a score: until you've built a real body of work, your score is pulled toward the middle of the pack. Past that, there is no ceiling and no shortcut: the top of the ladder sits wherever the best careers in the league take it, and the biggest wins of a career, the games your profile keeps as your career-defining games, are the ones that move it most.
One number, your whole career, that's the PRO Score. Read it as a résumé, not a prediction: it records what your career has proven, and it grows season over season. Its single-match cousin is PER, which grades one match at a time using the same ideas.
PER, Player Efficiency Rating, is your form this season: one grade for the whole season, on a scale of 1 to 99 where 50 is the average for your competition, the field you actually play against. A 60 in Minor and a 60 in P1 are both strong seasons, graded against different fields.
Every match starts at 50, league average. Finish above 50 and the day went well: you won your nets, and how much you won by, how many points you scored, and how strong the pair across the net was all push the number up toward 99. Finish below 50 and the day went the other way, with the same factors pulling you down toward 1.
Four things grade every match:
One matchday gets its own number: your Matchday Grade is the same grading applied to a single matchday, with nothing blended in, so a great day shows in full. Your season PER blends every matchday together, and it treats a small sample honestly: a PER built on very few nets is pulled toward the average until the body of work behind it is real. Partners share the grade, too: every net grades the pair, so your number reflects the partners you played those nets with.
PER is computed fresh for every match, then rolls up into a Matchday Grade for the day and a PER for the season, so a great month shows up right away. Only official match nets that were fully recorded count: pickup games, partial records, and forfeits never move it.
Because the two numbers do different jobs. A Matchday Grade grades one day on its own: play great that day and the grade says so, in full. Your season PER blends every matchday together, and it pulls a small sample toward the average, so a season built on a modest number of nets lands closer to 50 than the days that made it.
Say your Matchday Grades are 72 and 84, on a light schedule: the blend can print as a season PER in the 60s, below both days. Nothing was taken away; the season number is simply asking for more proof, and stacking more nets at that level pulls the PER up toward the days that built it.
The same blending is why one huge day on a handful of nets does not print at face value: a grade of 80 over 4 nets can land as a PER in the 50s, while the same 80 across 40 nets prints around 70. Volume is what turns a great day into a great season number.
Say your pair wins a net 15-8, twice in the same day.
That is the design working exactly as intended. The pair across the net sets the bar, so their PRO Scores decide how high your grade can reach. Beating up on a weaker field tops out in the high 80s; to see the 90s, you have to beat the best pairs in the league, and beat them well. Two identical scorelines, two very different tests, two honest grades.
PER grades every match on the same four things, so the path up is the play itself:
And the mirror image: the same four things pull a below-average day down, so the fastest fix is usually the simplest one. Win the next net.
PRO Score is career proof, so it rewards what a career is made of: strong competition, repeated over time.
One quiet season does not erase a strong career, and one hot month cannot create one. Read the number as a résumé, not a prediction of your next match. That is the point: when a PRO Score says a player is proven, it is because they have proven it, over and over.
Because the two numbers answer different questions. PER is current form: it is graded fresh for every match, so one great weekend moves it right away. PRO Score is career proof: it is built from every counted net you have ever played in the league, so the same weekend is one chapter in a long book, and the number moves like it.
Watch PER for how you are playing now, and PRO Score for what your career has proven.
For the Pro ballot, a player needs a Pro-division PER of 40 or better and at least 6 counted Pro nets. Only P1 and P2 nets count toward the 6, and the PER that counts is the Pro-division line, not a combined one. Every player who clears the bar is on the ballot, whether they attended both matchdays or just one, and their card shows which. Playing any division counts toward the matchdays you attended, and coaching a matchday counts as attending it.
The Women's ballot asks for at least one match this season, in any division, with no PER minimum. Every player in a club is on that club's MVP ballot. The full ballot, with the voting rules, lives on the All-Star page.
Season leaderboards ask for a body of work: a player shows on them once they have played in at least two of the league's last three events. For 2026 those events are the January Playoffs, Matchday 1 and Matchday 2, so last year's playoffs plus one matchday this season counts. One matchday on its own does not. Under that bar a player's numbers still count: they live on the player's card and profile, and a season PER built on very few nets is pulled toward the average while the sample is small. Once the events stack up, the player takes their place on the boards and the PER stands on its own.
Divisions create balanced competition at every skill level while providing a clear pathway for advancement. The structure helps:
