Why is there a Lottery?

TCUL believes in providing an equal gender ratio for our mixed leagues.  For our mixed leagues we have roster sizes of 8-9 man-matching players (MMP) and 8-9 woman-matching players (WMP).  Due to the disparity in registration levels, it has historically been the number of WMP registrations that dictate the size of our leagues.  In every year to date, more MMP have signed up than we have room for in our mixed leagues.  We used to award spots on a first come first serve basis, but with that approach, the co-ed leagues filled up for MMP in less than 15 minutes.  Thus, this wasn't an equitable approach since it favored those with access to a computer right when registration opens.  That system also fostered a scenario where a single player (registered ASAP) might play in multiple leagues, whereas a late registrant was completely left out of any.  For those reasons we developed the Lottery.

How does the Lottery work?

When MMP register for our mixed summer leagues, due to the popularity of the mixed leagues, they will be subject to a lottery process for gaining entry into the league(s).  We run lotteries for each mixed league, examine the results, and adjust for MMP who made it into multiple leagues where some MMP did not get drawn into any leagues--a subsequent lottery is drawn after limiting MMP who made it into multiple leagues to a single league. In most seasons, the vast majority of MMP will make it into one league or another (whether it is mixed masters, traditional mixed, or the MMP only league). If there is an above average number of WMP registrants that can support larger league sizes, it may be possible for MMP to play in multiple mixed leagues. If this is the case, a second lottery is performed for those open spots (assuming ALL MMP have been placed into at least one mixed league), based upon whether or not a player signed up to play in two leagues. 

Pre-lottery draw:

• Any MMP carpooled with a WMP, both of whom reciprocate the linkage and have paid, receive an exemption (i.e., automatically accepted). All MMP who fall into this situation will be placed at the top of the lottery draw so that they are guaranteed entry into the league (WMP no longer have to wonder if their MMP carpool will get into a league or not).
• MMP/MMP carpool groupings cannot be guaranteed to be in the same mixed league, since each individual in the carpool is treated as an individual MMP in the lottery draw. The only way to guarantee that a MMP/MMP carpool can play together is to register for the MMP league.

*Note: If a WMP who is a part of a MMP/WMP carpool cancels their registration, the individual they are linked to will lose their exemption and will move to the end of the wait list (if leagues are at capacity). 

For sessions where only mixed leagues are offered (and there is no overflow MMP league to accommodate MMP who do not get into the mixed leagues), a simplified lottery is performed, following these steps:

1. All MMP registrants who have a league buddy that is WMP bypass the lottery and are added to the league.
2. A lottery of all remaining MMP registrants is ran to fill out the remaining spots in the league. 
3. Any MMP registrants that do not make it into league are issued refunds. 

FAQ

Why do we have to go through (and understand) this complicated lottery process as a man-matching player?

We want to maximize the ability for MMPs to play in mixed leagues, while being as fair as possible. This is why we have implemented the lottery system to assign MMP to mixed leagues.

How do I check my lottery status?

Lottery status will be communicated at the conclusion of the registration period. Once registration closes, all exemptions for WMP/MMP carpools are made and the lottery is run. The capacity for each league is set by the number of WMP registrations. Upon registration close, we will communicate broadly the number of teams we can support in each league. We will then run the lottery to assign individuals to leagues, and once everything has been set (including a potential second lottery if needed) each registrant will be notified of which league they are in or which wait list they are on.

I'm a MMP carpooling with a WMP. Do I really get exempted into my primary league? Or do I have the possibility of still not getting into league?

Yes, you will get into your primary league of choice! Since every MMP/WMP carpool guarantees one WMP to participate in the league, and the WMP on a roster are fewer than MMP on a roster, there can never be too many MMP carpooled to WMP in a league... so you're in! Well, assuming the following conditions are met:

• You register during the lottery period and pay.
• Your WMP carpool also registers during the lottery period and pays.
• You note the WMP as your carpool.
• The WMP also notes you as their carpool.

I'm volunteering to captain. That means I'm guaranteed to get into a league, right?

Unfortunately, no (well, unless you're a MMP carpooled with a WMP so you'd fall into the exemption situation above, but that's the only way). We do not provide exemptions for individuals who note in their registration that they would be captain volunteers. We are happy you'd love to help out, and if you get into a league where you noted you'd like to captain we'll likely take you up on it, but it doesn't guarantee a spot in a league. In rare situations if a league is unable to field enough captains from the individuals who made it into the league (which would only happen if we could not get enough people from a league to volunteer as captains), we may look to individuals not in the league to assist. Before that is even considered, all of the individuals in a league will be queried to see if they would like to fill a captain position.