So You've Decided To Join the SSL

[nckkss]

So you’ve decided to join the SSL

Welcome to those new and old to the SSL.

I remember like it was yesterday (it was March this year, to be fair) when I joined this great league and how confusing those first few weeks could be. So here is my list of things I wished I knew or had to ask about:

-It doesn’t really matter what position you play in the academy. When scouts come to speak to you (and they will), they’ll ask what position you want to play, and how flexible you’ll be to moving around the pitch. So in the academy just do whatever you think will be fun.

-You don’t get to choose which team you’ll end up with. All players get drafted* in a “secret” draft with pick order in reverse of the major league standings. Plus some trading of picks. I was unfamiliar with this concept but it’s actually pretty cool to let things play out rather than try and force a move. If they really want you, they’ll get you.

-Your player performance almost doesn’t matter. You scored 20 goals in your academy season? Great. Unless you are earning TPE and making yourself known to scouts it’s almost pointless. The top scorer in my academy season got drafted near last and has now retired due to inactivity. But the streets will remember Nacho Kusora.

-There are no stupid questions. Honestly this community is almost sickeningly nice, and some things that seem routine to them might be confusing to you, so ask away.

-Weekly PTs are very open ended. I chose to write articles for my weekly PTs and I wrote some more narrative/roleplay and some more analytical. Some people write about IRL football, some about their holidays. As long as it somewhat relevant, written by you (and not a bot) and makes sense then it will count. You could also…

-Get a league job. There’s varying levels of commitment but all pay in game money and usually come with a PT pass meaning you don’t have to submit an article, graphic, podcast or affiliate. I spent the last season as an accountant, which at most has been a couple of hours a week during the off season and has mostly been very straightforward. It also shows you’re planning to stick around and can commit to something.

-Your PT WILL be graded and paid out. There’s often a backlog early in the season where there’s lots of new players posting for the first time. Grading can take anything from a few hours or a couple of weeks depending on how busy the graders are. Maybe they’ll hire some more and you can get a league job…

-Your player render doesn’t have to be a footballer. If you can dream it you can render it. So to speak. There are Pokémon, inanimate objects and even other athletes as the player renders. (If you have left it out already then you can contact BoD and ask pretty please for a one time change)

-Not everyone gets to win the league. If your aim is to win every trophy - that’s great. But there’s players who have been here since the beginning who have never won a trophy. The fun will be in the friends we make along the way. And trying to get a transfer to Hollywood FC to win the league.


If any other players would like to add anything, please do. But if you take away one thing, please let it be this - Have Fun

[Frantik]

thank you for the great advice!!

graded :)

[Beavie]

Ah, an article all about advice. I am also glad that Allie Bunson gets an unintentional shoutout as one of the more well-known Pokemon renders. But I 100% agree that a lot of the stuff in sim is secondary to you as a person. Earning TPE is a great start as always and being a consistent earner. But maybe the biggest point is you as a person in a locker room (or our discords). Each team wants a discord community which is fairly active and to be a talkative person in there is always a great boon to get. Granted you don't always have the time to do so each day but if you can elevate the space you're in by supporting the team for sims, hyping up your teammates, talking about random stuff out of the league it goes a long way. There's a good few wrestling and Pokemon dorks in Shanghai, so that gets involved in coversations along with multiple different types of games.

I also have seen someone brag about their player performance, saying they are like the best in the class or 1oa worthy. I ask "What about these other things?" Their response to me was "You must be knew." They went undrafted.

Speaking of, sometimes it is less about the # you're drafted at, but what you do with it and the spot you're in. I've seen people go late still end up being high earners and cornerstones of their squads while some high picks who have fell off a touch. Also if your team is a good fit for you in terms of personalities in the locker room, to me that is worth just as much as any on field success, perhaps more depending.

Good luck to our latest Reddit class, and I hope you get bit by the bug for the SSL and maybe some of our partner leagues in other sports if you have the time for it. <3