Rules & Regulations

Mission Statement

The Palmdale School District Esports League is dedicated to providing a safe, inclusive, and competitive environment for students to develop valuable skills in teamwork, strategic thinking, communication, and sportsmanship. Our mission is to foster a positive gaming community that complements the academic and personal growth of every student participant.

Section 1: General League Information

1.1. League Divisions

The league is separated into two divisions based on release time.

Promise: Early Release (2:00 PM Games, Tuesdays)

Cimarron
Desert Rose
Innovations Academy
Los Amigos
Manzanita
Mesquite
Palm Tree
Tumbleweed
Yucca

Promise: Late Release (4:00 PM Games, Mondays)

Cactus
David G Millen
Sage
Shadow Hills

1.2. League Schedule

Regular Season Duration: The 9-week regular season will take place during the following weeks:

Week 1

September 21st & 22nd

Week 2

September 28th & 29th

Week 3

October 5th & 6th

Week 4

October 12th & 13th

Week 5

October 19th & 20th

Week 6

October 26th & 27th

Week 7

November 2nd & 3rd

Week 8

November 9th & 10th

Week 9

November 16th & 17th

Division Match Days:

Promise: Late Release — Mondays at 4:00 PM

Promise: Early Release — Tuesdays at 2:00 PM

Championship Event:

Date: Saturday, January 16, 2027 — first match 8:00 AM

Location: Quail Valley Esports Arena

1.3. League Administration

All rules are subject to interpretation by the League Administrators. Administrator decisions are final. Please contact either administrator with any issues.

Daniel Hubler · drhubler@palmdalesd.org Christopher Vanderzee · csvanderzee@palmdalesd.org

Section 2: Team and Player Eligibility

2.1. Player Eligibility

All players must be currently enrolled students in good academic and behavioral standing at a school within the Palmdale School District.
Players must have a signed permission slip from a parent or guardian on file with their school's coach/advisor.

2.2. Team Formation

Each team must have a designated adult Coach or Faculty Advisor who is an employee of the Palmdale School District.
For each scheduled game, each school will field two teams of three players, a total of six players.

Orange Team

Three players

Blue Team

Three players

Students may NOT play for both teams during a three game series.

Example: Johnny can play for DGM Orange against Shadow Hills one week and for DGM Blue against Sage the next, but cannot play for both Orange and Blue against Shadow Hills in the same week.

Section 3: Code of Conduct

3.1. Sportsmanship

All participants are expected to exhibit the highest level of sportsmanship. This includes respect for all other players, coaches, and league officials, and graciousness in victory and defeat.

3.2. Prohibited Conduct

Harassment, cheating, unsportsmanlike behavior, and the use of inappropriate names are strictly prohibited and will result in disciplinary action.

Section 4: League and Match Format

4.1. Regular Season Format

On scheduled match dates, each school's ORANGE and BLUE teams will face off in a best of 3 series.

These series are to be played simultaneously.

Note: A third match is only necessary if the series is tied 1-1

League standings will be determined by the school's combined match win-loss record for both their ORANGE and BLUE teams.

4.2. Standings and Tiebreakers

In the event of a tie, the following criteria will be used in order:

1 Head-to-Head match record among the tied teams.
2 Overall Game Win Percentage.
3 Overall Goal Differential.

If a tie still exists, a tiebreaker match will be scheduled.

4.3. Championship Event

The top four (4) ranked schools from each division will be invited to the live championship event at the Quail Valley Esports Arena.

4.4. Match Day Procedure

Check-in (15 minutes prior):

Coaches must confirm readiness with the opposing coach. Use the PSD eSports Coaches contact list to reach the opposing coach within 15 minutes of the scheduled match.

Google Chat is encouraged — it includes read receipts for quicker communication.

Absences:

Teams that are unable to field a full roster have the option of playing short handed or alerting the opposing coach of their intention to forfeit.

Lobby Creation:

The "HOME TEAM" is responsible for creating the game lobby and sending the lobby name and password to the opposing coach via Google Chat.

Step-by-step: how to set up the match →

Forfeits:

If a team fails to check in within 15 minutes after the scheduled start time (4:15 PM for Late Release, 2:15 PM for Early Release), they will forfeit the match. The present team will receive a forfeit win for both their ORANGE and BLUE teams.

Score Reporting:

Both coaches must report the final stats of each game to the League Administrators on Google Classroom to avoid discrepancies.

4.5. District-Wide Teams

Regular season rankings will be used to determine any district-wide teams.

Where Palmdale School District assembles a team to represent the district outside of league play, the final regular season standings are the basis for selection.

Section 5: Game-Specific Rules

5.1. Rocket League Rules

Team Format: 3 vs 3

Regular Season Format: Best of 3 games

Championship Format: Best of 5 games

Game Mode: Soccar

Arena: DFH Stadium

Bot Difficulty: No Bots

Region: Recommended

Substitutions: Alternate players may be substituted in before any game in a series, but may only play for either the ORANGE or BLUE team in that series.

Championship Tiebreaker: If the BLUE and ORANGE teams split the series, a one-match tiebreaker game is held. This game may be played with any combination of BLUE and ORANGE players.

Section 6: Technical Rules

6.1. Disconnects and Game Restarts

League officials understand that technical issues can happen. These rules are designed to be fair to all players while preventing a match from being unnecessarily delayed.

Player Disconnects:

If a player disconnects from a game for any reason (e.g., internet outage, power loss, accidentally leaving the lobby), the game will continue.

The disconnected player's team must finish the current game shorthanded (e.g., 2v3 in Rocket League.)

A player who disconnects may not rejoin the game that is currently in progress. They are eligible to play in any subsequent games in that match series (e.g., Game 2 or Game 3).

Game Restarts:

Game restarts are extremely rare and will only be granted by a League Administrator in two specific situations:

There is a verifiable, critical bug that significantly alters core gameplay mechanics (e.g., a character becomes invisible or unable to move).
There is a verifiable technical issue that poses a safety risk to participants.

Restarts will not be granted for individual player disconnects, non-game-altering glitches (e.g., minor graphical issues), or personal hardware issues (e.g., a controller dying).

If a team believes a legitimate, restart-worthy issue has occurred, they must stop play immediately and contact a League Administrator.

6.2. Equipment

Players and schools are responsible for providing their own equipment, including consoles, controllers, and a stable internet connection. Students are provided with district created accounts to use for online play.

6.3. Disputes

If a dispute arises, teams should immediately contact their Coach/Advisor. The coaches should attempt to resolve the issue based on these rules. If a resolution cannot be reached, a League Administrator should be contacted. Screenshots and video clips are highly encouraged as evidence for any dispute.

Section 7: Finals Format

7.1. Qualification

The top four (4) ranked schools from each division earn a place at the live championship event, held at the Quail Valley Esports Arena.

7.2. Match Format

Championship matches are a Best of 5 series, extended from the best of 3 played during the regular season.

7.3. Championship Tiebreaker

If a school's BLUE and ORANGE teams split the series, a one-match tiebreaker game is held to decide the winner.

Roster Eligibility

The tiebreaker may be played with any combination of BLUE and ORANGE players.

Championship day is Saturday, January 16, 2027, first match at 8:00 AM at the Quail Valley Esports Arena. Seeding and the run of play will be announced through Google Classroom.