S40 DSFL Contraction

[nunccoepi]

As some may already know, both Head Offices have been monitoring the state of activity, recruitment, and retention in the league over the last several seasons and decided that it was necessary to discuss contraction of the DSFL as a potential solution to a troubling trend. For example, in May 2022 DSFL teams averaged almost 22 active users per team. At the end of last season, no team had more than 10. You can see the trend here.





The idea for contraction is simple: seasons are more fun and engaging with more activity on a team. And when we surround our users with more activity it breeds further engagement and better retention. We've done this in the past (here and here) to adjust for changes in demand (and we were able to successfully bring the contracted teams back). Thus, after conducting extensive research and soliciting open feedback from GMs, DSFL HO was convinced that contraction was the best route forward. Specifically, two DSFL teams will need to be contracted and made into bot teams. We've made the difficult decision to select the Bondi Beach Buccaneers and the Portland Pythons.

We looked at various data points from the last five or six seasons including the numbers of actives on the team, percentage of the team staying active of the course of a season, and average tpe of players at the time of the draft, breaking as much data down as possible by classification as new user vs. recreate. We looked at ratio of new users to recreates, win records for the last several seasons, locker room activity levels, current tpe levels, GM trends, and GM feedback on the survey we sent out. In short, we did everything we could to do our due diligence. Naturally, not every one of these factors weighed against any one team. And different HO members viewed these factors with varying weights. When all was said and done though, I think we all agreed on one thing: no team fared poorly in every metric. Which meant there was an argument for and against contracting every team. This only made our decision more difficult and bolstered the idea that no matter our decision, we will leave some people very disappointed. Still, unless current trends reverse, we are not able to sustain 8 different DSFL teams in a way that is best for overall league health.

We recognize that we are about to have r/NFL recruitment. This has net very many new users in the past, although fewer in recent seasons. But if we are able to secure a very large S41 class we may consider temporarily delaying contraction (which would naturally mean reevaluating the selected teams). And if there are enough users, we might be able to put off contraction indefinitely.

A few other pertinent details. There will be changes to the usual off-season schedule to accommodate for an additional (contraction) draft, so stay tuned. And we will leave it up to the current GMs of the contracted teams as to how they want to proceed with their Discord locker rooms. They are certainly encouraged to maintain them as important artifacts of team history--and hopefully ongoing and future fellowship. Importantly, we don't want any of the DSFL GMs, especially those from the Buccaneers or Pythons, to be viewed negatively because of this decision. Those who've GM'd a team know that it is very rewarding but also very challenging--not least of all because there are so many factors outside of their control. We want to thank them all for their very good work and sacrifices.

We will do our best to answer any questions you might have for us in the comments.

[qWest]

Unfortunately for those two teams contraction does absolutely make sense for the DSFL. Wish it didn't happen to especially a team with as much history as Portland, but I've had to come to terms that I am rare for caring about the history aspect lol.

I'd love to hear what the key factors where and what specifically they saw that led to them making their votes as such from any DSFL HO members that feel inclined to jump into that fire.

[Modern_Duke]

Aren’t we recruiting tomorrow

[Buttersqauch101]

Lol

[GlimsTC]

Absolutely heartbreaking that it's hit this point. And of course, as one half of the GM team for Bondi's Ultimini win not that long ago, it especially hurts to see the team go from the very top to contraction after the hard work of so many. No one's fault at all of course, but what a sad scenario. Fingers crossed we can bring both of these great teams back sooner than later.

[Pat]

I'm sure this was not an easy decision for Head Office to make, and I don't envy being in any of your shoes dealing with the blowback from this, even if the numbers suggest that it is in the best interest of the league and a smart move for its health.

I do, have one question (possibly criticism):

Why, of all options available, are you announcing this today, less than one day away from us posting a recruitment message on the NFL subreddit, which has traditionally been our best source of new users? What sort of a message does it send new users when the first announcement they see is, "we are contracting two teams"? I get that the information needed to come out. I just question the timing.

[voxaroth]

Unfortunately for those two teams contraction does absolutely make sense for the DSFL. Wish it didn't happen to especially a team with as much history as Portland, but I've had to come to terms that I am rare for caring about the history aspect lol.

I'd love to hear what the key factors where and what specifically they saw that led to them making their votes as such from any DSFL HO members that feel inclined to jump into that fire.

I had the privilege of being included as a new HO intern for this process and I can honestly say that the team in the Head Office really wrestled with trying to do this in a way that upset the least amount of people.  They consulted DSFL GM's, poured over data, and looked at it from every possible angle.  They asked for and valued my input as someone new to the entire process.  In the end you could feel in every chat that the solution everyone wanted was to find a way not to contract, but the player numbers just didn't support it.  

I know it's going to be easy to lash out, but I don't think anyone in the HO is feeling happy about the outcome of today; not because they think they made the wrong decision, but because it was a decision no one wanted to have to make.  It was a choice with no happy ending.  

All I can say is that it seems like the contracted teams are handling the news with the utmost class given their disappointment.  Above all else we're all league mates, and I hope we all welcome them wherever they land.

[nunccoepi]

I'm sure this was not an easy decision for Head Office to make, and I don't envy being in any of your shoes dealing with the blowback from this, even if the numbers suggest that it is in the best interest of the league and a smart move for its health.

I do, have one question (possibly criticism):

Why, of all options available, are you announcing this today, less than one day away from us posting a recruitment message on the NFL subreddit, which has traditionally been our best source of new users? What sort of a message does it send new users when the first announcement they see is, "we are contracting two teams"? I get that the information needed to come out. I just question the timing.

The idea is that recruitment over the last several seasons hasn't given us the numbers that we would likely need to put this off. So we thought the potential harm from any new users seeing a recent announcement would be less than making the announcement once dozens of new users were invited to Locker Rooms and attached to their new teams only to be told contraction is coming. We also wouldn't want any of those new users to feel like its their fault, and seeing an announcement like "well we didn't get what we wanted" could make it seem that way. Whereas if they look back and see the announcement they'll know it wasn't them and maybe think they can be part of the solution. 

Its not perfect. Timing would have been terrible almost any way you slice it, unfortunately.

[C9Van]

Pythons have been a contending team for seasons or gunned the playoffs (or made finals) for the vast majority of goosar and pugs tenor. These 2 do not deserve they for the hard work they have put into this team.

They consistently help grow fucking rookies, have a great active LR AND this isn't bringing up the seasons from years back of great history and ultiminis and you're fucking telling us that we're a bottom 2 team? Will they be the #1 spot? Nah maybe not but they sure as shit aint worthy of bottom 2 and everyone knows this.


This screams DSFL HO just protecting whatever team they are aligned with when it came to choosing and Pythons being the odd one out. (Please do reveal who you all chose to save to prove me wrong here. You wont.)

[PugWalrus]

I obviously can't hide my disappointment, disapproval, and frustration with this decision. GMing and developing the league is something I've enjoyed more than the success/building of my own player. I've been on the recruitment team alongside GMing for quite a while now, and the scouting/drafting process is my favorite time in the season. This is a decision that makes whether or not I want to continue forward in the ISFL a genuine question for me.

Obviously we've known contraction was hovering over our heads for quite a while. But the talk of "taking into account every metric we can" seems stifled by the fact that this came down to an HO vote. It feels empty not knowing what I could have done differently to try and save our team. Should I have posted in the DSFL general server more often? Did I need to squeeze more activity our of our LR? 

The past few seasons, we enjoyed a ton of success, going to back-to-back Ultiminis with some wonderful users on our squads. But the past few draft classes have been incredibly shallow (I understand this is why contraction is necessary) and we've had the misfortune of picking very highly in some classes that were sometimes sub-40 recruits deep. This didn't really give us the batches of users needed to keep us as active as we may have needed to be in order to survive contraction.

We're also at a disadvantage to teams like TIJ who have a built-in community of alumni that is going to remain active regardless of the activity of their current roster.

It's a situation that CptGoosar and I have worked our asses off to alleviate and move forward in spite of, and for the most part, it worked. During my tenure we've only had a single losing season, where we still managed to go 6-8 with the users we had. This season we went 8-5-1 and just barely missed the playoffs. With our small but active LR cheering us on every single game day.

It just feels like a bit of a backstab to have this decision dropped on us out of nowhere, with no guidance along this process to tell us what we should've been doing to avoid this situation. We simply did everything we could with the hands we were dealt.

I know everyone may have different opinions on what metrics should've been used to decide on this, but in almost every objective metric you can find a team that did worse than us somewhere, and any metrics we may have had issues with can be explained pretty reasonably.

The absolute last thing I want to do is come off as cocky or to brag about what I've done as GM, but it feels like a detriment to the league to box out one of the most involved GMs the DSFL has at the moment 

CptGoosar was planning on stepping down after this season regardless, I was excited to try and find a new prospect in this upcoming draft that would want to take up the empty co-GM spot, or even give the spot to the GM of another team that could've been contracted in our place.


I truly am just heartbroken at this decision. It's one that sucks over half the enjoyment I've gotten out of the league since I've been here