For Venue Owners
WATL LEAGUES
Everything you need to know about running sanctioned WATL leagues — season structure, playoffs, specifications, and Marathon Leagues.
SEASON 1
Jan 5 – Mar 22
Weeks 1–7: Gameplay
Week 8: Playoffs
● Active Now
SEASON 2
Apr 13 – Jun 21
Weeks 1–7: Gameplay
Week 8: Playoffs
● Active Now
SEASON 3
Jul 13 – Sep 13
Weeks 1–7: Gameplay
Week 8: Playoffs
● Active Now
SEASON 4
Oct 5 – Dec 6
Weeks 1–7: Gameplay
Week 8: Playoffs
● Active Now
REGULAR SEASON
Running leagues is a cornerstone of a successful WATL-affiliated venue. Through leagues, competitors compete on the Global Leaderboard and gain access to higher levels of competition.
Each year has 4 eight-week seasons with breaks between each. Weeks 1–7 are gameplay; Week 8 is playoffs.
SANCTIONED LEAGUES
- Leagues must take place during stated sanctioned season dates. WATL notified 2 weeks in advance of delays.
- Week 7 must be completed by the season-end date for scores to be sanctioned.
- Each week: any day (Sun–Sat). Recommended: same night each week.
- Each competitor gets 4 games per week. Refer to Gameplay Rules.
League Minimums
| Discipline | Minimum | Games Required |
|---|---|---|
| Hatchet | 4 competitors | 12 games |
| Big Axe | 4 competitors | 12 games |
| Hatchet Duals | 2 teams (4 competitors) | 12 games |
Make-Ups
- Venues set their own absence policies.
- Max 8 single-competitor games per competitor per league. More = flagged for review.
- All make-ups during designated league times.
Multiple Sanctioned Leagues
- Venues may host more than one sanctioned league per season.
- Only a competitor’s top performing league counts on the global leaderboard.
- Same profile and Player ID across all leagues.
Marathon Leagues
- All 28 games played in a single day (within 24 hours).
- May be held anytime during a WATL League Season.
- All standard rules apply.
PLAYOFFS (WEEK 8)
- Single or double-elimination bracket. Seeding by total wins (tiebreaker: total points).
- Final Championship: always best of 2/3 games.
- Double elimination: A bracket winner needs 1 match. B bracket winner needs 2 matches to win.
Exclusive leagues (women-only, youth-only, stats-based, etc.) can only be held as Recreational Leagues.
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