In an announcement made on the OWL website on July 30, many of the details concerning roster construction for the 2020 OWL season were revealed. Chief among these is the news about free agency and when the trade deadline will be for the upcoming season. With Inagural Season player’s 1+1 contracts coming up, there could be plenty of shuffling ahead.
Key dates, Contenders/academy teams, two-way players, and more—here’s all you need to know about 2020 roster construction.https://t.co/zHDsEj4pt1 pic.twitter.com/YwrmkGktqR
— Overwatch League (@overwatchleague) July 30, 2019
Mark Your Calendars
Initial Roster Deadlines
Just one day after the Grand Finals in Philadelphia, on September 30 the window opens for teams to work with and sign players within their organization. This also extends to players they have signed on their academy rosters if applicable.
Then, on October 7 teams that have completed their contract options for players within their team may begin submitting free agent player contracts for OWL league office approval. The same goes for player trades, which open during this period.
Anyone not signed by November 11 will officially become a free agent for the 2020 season. However, to ensure they are signed before the initial signing deadline on November 15 they can begin negotiating other contracts before their 2019 deal formally expires. By this Nov. 15 date, teams must have their rosters filled with at least eight players to start the season off.
It’s worth noting that no details were given if teams were to fail to meet any of these requirements.
Trade Deadline and Player Age Cutoff
Once teams have their full rosters of at least eight players, they should be ready to get things underway for the season. However, the trade deadline for the 2020 season is June 5 at 5:00 pm PDT. After that time, no players may be traded or signed, although as this season has shown, announcements of those signings may come after that date.
Finally, as a note, players will be eligible to play in the 2020 season if they were born on or before June 15, 2002. Any person born after that date will have to wait for 2021 to officially play in the league.
With all of the exciting news still to come about the 2020 OWL season, be sure to stay tuned to all of the news and updates here, at The Game Haus.
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