AFGL sets club transfer rules and rankings for 2025-26 season

Atlantic United FootGolf Club is listed as the American FootGolf League’s 2025 season champion as the league draws a harder line on roster movement for 2025-26. The new framework ties transfers, free-agent status and club points to a calendar built for competitive order, not convenience.

A tighter season, built for order

The AFGL’s U.S. season now runs from July to June, a calendar format that became effective in 2023 and reflects weather, holidays, travel costs and the country’s scale. The transfer window sits in the gap between seasons, limiting last-minute roster churn and giving clubs a defined period to sort out movement before points and team events start counting again.

The league’s club rules are part of a broader structure that already separates individual performance from club performance. On the rankings side, the AFGL tracks six pro-tour categories: Men 18 and over, Senior Men 46 and older, Senior Men Plus 56 and older, Women 18 and older, Women 46 and older, and FootGolf Clubs. Only First Division clubs are eligible, which keeps the club table focused on the league’s top competitive tier.

How the transfer window works

For 2025-26, the transfer window runs from June 16 through July 11. That is the league’s controlled opening for moves between clubs, and the process is not left to informal handshake agreements. Club presidents hold exclusive authority to approve releases and acceptances, and they have 24 hours to respond to a final transfer request.

If a club refuses to release a player, it must provide just cause, such as an outstanding financial obligation. If a president does not respond before the window closes, the AFGL can process the transfer itself. In practice, that means a player cannot simply announce a move and expect it to stick; the club structure still has to be cleared, and the league retains an override if a club stalls.

Scenario 1: a midseason transfer

A player changes clubs after the season has started. The player can join the new club, but that is not the same as becoming instantly eligible for every competition. Midseason free agents can join, yet they cannot compete for their new club in AFGL or FIFG team events until the start of the next season.

A club cannot add a strong player in the middle of a campaign and immediately cash in on that player’s points or team results. Any points earned before the transfer stay with the previous club, so the new side does not inherit work it did not earn.

Free agents are welcome, but not all at once

The AFGL leaves room for new faces. First-time AFGL players, or players who have never belonged to an AFGL club, can join any club at any point in the season. International players on extended stays, such as student or work visas, can also join if they are not already tied to another league or club and are active AFGL members.

The league draws a distinction between those newcomers and players who were already free agents before a transfer window opened. Those pre-window free agents can join and fully participate in club events in the coming season.

Scenario 2: an unsigned free agent

A player has been inactive, has no club, and wants back in. If the player never belonged to an AFGL club, the path is open immediately. If the player has been a free agent since before the transfer window, the player can be integrated into club competition for the new season without waiting.

The membership rules still matter here. AFGL Tour affiliation is $70 for one full year, includes a player index or rating, and comes with AFGL Tour and FIFG World Tour licenses. Memberships expire on the anniversary date and are non-refundable and non-transferable. To earn points, rankings credit and cash purse credit in tournaments, players must hold valid AFGL Tour and FIFG World Tour licenses in good standing.

When a player becomes a free agent automatically

The league also sets an inactivity trigger. After three years without activity following license expiration, a player automatically becomes a free agent. The rule’s example is specific: an expiration in December 2022 leads to free-agent status in January 2026. If a club folds, dissolves or otherwise ceases operations, all of its players become free agents at once.

Scenario 3: a points dispute

Club rankings are calculated from the running total of points earned by club players in AFGL tournaments, and the ranking uses points from all club players who have competed in those events. International-player results are removed when AFGL ranking points are assigned, which keeps the club table tied to the league’s own domestic structure.

Why the club title matters in the bigger season

The Nationals 2025 will be held May 15-18 at Reunion Resort in Kissimmee, Florida, and those results will award points for the AFGL Tour, Region 1 North America Tour, FIFG World Tour and the FootGolf Grand Slam while also counting toward the club championship. The 2024 Nationals and AFGL Club Championship were held in Mid-Michigan.

The American FootGolf Federation identifies the AFGL as the organizer of the main U.S. FootGolf tours since 2011. The federation identifies the AFGL Tour as the major league and the U.S. Tour as the amateur league, and both bodies co-organize major events including the Battle of the Border, the U.S. FootGolf Open, the U.S. FootGolf National Championship and the FootGolf Club Championship.