TNF

League rules

How Thursday Night Football runs — why we play a time-capped league instead of winner-stays-on, then format, fees, pitch laws, fines, fixtures, and the match log.

01 — Executive summary

The death of winner stays on

Thursday Night Football at Kadwell Pitch (Thursdays, 7:00–8:30 PM) runs as a time-capped league instead of winner-stays-on, so every paid player gets a fair night.

What winner-stays-on gets wrong

Turnout swings week to week, and visitors can make up a big share of the night.

Winner-stays-on rewards hot teams and stacked visitor groups. Regulars who paid and showed up can sit 20–30 minutes while the same sides keep the pitch.

Long sideline waits cool legs, kill fitness, and make the night feel unfair even when people have paid.

How this league works

  1. 01Four teams play a fixed rotation of short matches. When the match clock ends, both sides leave — win, draw, or lose. Nobody “earns” extra pitch time by winning.
  2. 02Each team gets the same total minutes in a session (about 33 minutes of play). Paying and showing up guarantees game time, not a lottery.
  3. 03Resting teams supply the matchday panel (refs / table). Peer officiating keeps the night moving and the stats honest.
  4. 04The month is a four-week league cycle with a live table (3 points for a win, 1 for a draw). Clean sheets, goal difference, and the rest of the tiebreakers decide close races.
  5. 05₦5,000 / month buys a regular (permanent) seat for the cycle. ₦1,500 / week is a visitor sub for that night only. Proof of payment goes to the WhatsApp group or to Aji.

How a Thursday runs

  • Kick-off window: 7:00–8:30 PM at Kadwell Pitch.
  • Six short fixtures per night (about 11 minutes each, with quick turnarounds).
  • Teams rotate on and off the pitch on a published fixture list — no arguing for “one more game.”
  • While two teams play, the other two rest and help run the panel / log.

The four-week cycle

Week 1 is a live balancing window: management can reshuffle if a draft looks unfair.

After Matchday 1, regulars lock to their team for the rest of the month.

Points and stats accumulate on the Tables page. Accolades (Golden Boot, Assist King, etc.) follow the month.

After each cycle we can audit rules, fines, and match lengths — this is a living document, not a forever PDF.

What we need from the squad

Read the full rules below, register on the site, pay into the published account, and send proof with your full name on WhatsApp. Show up on time. Respect the panel. Chase the table — not the pitch.

03 — Roster Management

Four teams. One living month.

Players are drafted into four balanced teams at the start of each month. Early drafts are imperfect — so balance stays flexible for one week only.

Team names

Sides start as Team 1–4. Each team can suggest a name for the month. Management confirms the final names when rosters settle after Matchday 1.

Live balancing window

Active until the end of Matchday 1. If a side looks underpowered or dominant, management reallocates after the session. After Matchday 1, rosters lock for the rest of the month.

Visitors & big nights

₦5,000 payers are draft-assigned to a permanent team. ₦1,500 visitors are subs only and fill gaps on the night. On big nights, squads grow with captain-managed rolling subs.

Living document

Rules, fines, and match lengths can be audited after any four-week cycle. The framework evolves with the squad.

04 — Officiating

Peer-led matchday panel

Every resting team supplies 1–2 players to run the night. Four hard laws protect the data and the session — including an absolute ban on arguments with the panel.

  1. 01

    No conflict of interest

    Panelists never officiate or log stats for their own team.

  2. 02

    Assist standard

    Only the final intentional pass that leads directly to a goal. No deflections, saves, or solo runs.

  3. 03

    Clean sheet primacy

    Clean sheets are the first tiebreaker when teams finish level on points — then goal difference, goals scored, head-to-head, and discipline.

  4. 04

    No arguments — panel is final

    No arguing with the panel, players, or management. Dissent, yelling, or arguing is an immediate red card. The panel's logged decision stands.

Venue · Fees · Table

How the month is scored

Kadwell Pitch · Thursdays, 7:00–8:30 PM. Points, purse fees, and the official tiebreaker order. Fee income and spending are published on the Purse page.

Venue

Kadwell Pitch

Thursdays, 7:00–8:30 PM

Session fees

  • Permanent seat₦5,000 / month

    Regulars who pay ₦5,000 get a permanent team for the month. Send proof of payment with your name to the WhatsApp group or to Aji. Management can mark you regular before payment clears.

  • Visitor sub₦1,500 / week

    Added as a sub on the night — not locked to a monthly roster. Can be placed on a team for that session only.

Points

Win

3

Draw

1

Loss

0

Tiebreakers

Applied in order when teams finish level on the monthly table.

  1. 01

    Points

    Highest points after the four-week cycle.

  2. 02

    Clean sheets

    Most clean sheets. First tiebreaker when teams finish level on points.

  3. 03

    Goal difference

    Goals scored minus goals conceded across the month.

  4. 04

    Goals scored

    Highest goals for.

  5. 05

    Head-to-head

    Points taken in matches between the tied teams.

  6. 06

    Discipline

    Fewest cards across the month. If still level, management draws lots.

Laws of the Game

Pitch rules — non-negotiable

Same league framework as before. These match laws are re-emphasised so every night runs clean and fair.

  1. 01

    Foul in the box = penalty

    Any foul committed inside the box is a penalty. No debate.

  2. 02

    Penalty kick

    Taken as usual — one foot on the ball. Wait for the referee's signal before the kick.

  3. 03

    Free-kick wall — one stride

    On a free kick, the gap between the ball and the defending wall is one stride (wall distance). The wall must retreat that far before the kick. Encroaching = retake or a card if it continues.

  4. 04

    Goalkeeper

    Anyone can play as GK. The keeper may be changed during open play by notifying the referee / panel first. Exception: if a penalty is awarded and the GK is not injured, that same keeper must stay in goal for the kick — no bringing on a new GK just for the pen.

  5. 05

    Kick-off arc

    Only the team kicking off at the start, or restarting after a goal, may be in the arc. Everyone else stays out until the ball is in play.

  6. 06

    No direct goals from throw-ins

    A throw-in must touch another player before it can count as a goal. If it goes straight in without a touch, the other team restarts with a goal kick.

  7. 07

    No arguments

    Play the whistle. No arguing with the panel, opponents, or teammates during the match. Arguments trigger the disciplinary code — yellow or red as logged.

05 — Disciplinary Code

Cards, fines, and consequences

Fines are in Nigerian Naira (₦) and settle through the squad purse. Yellows accumulate across the month. Reds carry automatic suspensions. All fines are capped at ₦5,000.

InfractionMatch consequenceFine (Naira)

Yellow card

Official warning. Logged on the match sheet. Counts toward monthly accumulation.

₦500

Red card

Immediate ejection. Team plays a man down for the rest of that game. Automatic suspension applies.

₦1,000

Serious offence

Violent conduct, repeated dissent, fighting, or other gross misconduct. Attracts suspension and/or a fine as set by management.

Up to ₦5,000

Yellow card accumulation

  • Two yellows, same match

    Equals a red card. Player is sent off, the team finishes that game a man down, and the red-card fine + suspension apply (not a separate double yellow fine on top of the red).

  • 3 yellows in the month

    Automatic 1-match suspension. Served on the player's next scheduled match.

  • 5 yellows in the month

    Automatic 2-match suspension (replaces the 3-yellow ban if not yet served, or adds the remaining games).

  • Reset

    Yellow counts reset at the start of each new four-week month. Suspensions still being served carry into the next month until completed.

Red card rules

  • Straight red

    Ejected from that match. ₦1,000 fine. Minimum 1-match suspension (next match).

  • Red via two yellows

    Same as a straight red for suspension and the ₦1,000 fine. The two yellows still count on the monthly yellow tally.

  • Serious red / violent conduct

    Minimum 2-match suspension. Fine up to ₦5,000 as set by management. May be longer for fighting or assault.

  • Serving the ban

    A suspended player cannot play any match until the ban is served and all fines are paid. The team fields one fewer if no substitute is available.

Fine cap: No single disciplinary fine exceeds ₦5,000.

Unpaid fines before the next matchday: player suspended from all play, and their team takes an immediate 3-point deduction. No exceptions.

06 — Monthly Accolades

Titles worth chasing

Monthly Champions

Team top of the four-week leaderboard.

Golden Boot

Highest verified goal tally.

Assist King

Highest verified assist tally.

Player of the Month

Cumulative MVP votes from the officiating panels.

Awards are for bragging rights first. Cash or tokens only happen if the squad purse ends the month in surplus — never assumed.

07 — Fixtures Matrix

Four weeks. Six games a night.

24 Sep – 15 Oct 2026. Matches are 11 minutes with a hard 3-minute turnaround. Be on the touchline early.

  • Match 17:00–7:11

    Team 1 vs Team 2

    Panel: Team 3 & 4

    Thu, 24 Sept 2026

  • Match 27:14–7:25

    Team 3 vs Team 4

    Panel: Team 1 & 2

    Thu, 24 Sept 2026

  • Match 37:28–7:39

    Team 1 vs Team 3

    Panel: Team 2 & 4

    Thu, 24 Sept 2026

  • Match 47:42–7:53

    Team 2 vs Team 4

    Panel: Team 1 & 3

    Thu, 24 Sept 2026

  • Match 57:56–8:07

    Team 1 vs Team 4

    Panel: Team 2 & 3

    Thu, 24 Sept 2026

  • Match 68:10–8:21

    Team 2 vs Team 3

    Panel: Team 1 & 4

    Thu, 24 Sept 2026

08 — Match Day Log

Printable session sheet

Filled by the resting officiating panel. Hand to management after the session. Print fits 3 matches per page.

Match 1

Match 2

Match 3

Match 4

Match 5

Match 6