🏈 Georgia AWWAMadden Tournament

Format, schedule & rules

Everything you need to know before you claim a team. Questions? Email the commissioner — we'd rather answer it now than argue about it in the playoffs.

Format

32 teams. Two conferences. One Super Bowl.

1. Regular season

Each player is assigned one NFL franchise and plays a round robin against the other three teams in their division. Win–loss record (then points) determines seeding. Unplayed games at the deadline count as a no-contest for both sides unless one player made documented attempts to schedule.

2. Playoffs

Single elimination by conference: Opening Round, Sweet 16, Elite 8, then the NFC and AFC Championships. Each round has a one-week window. Byes are awarded where a bracket spot is vacant.

3. Super Bowl

Conference champions meet in the GAWWA Super Bowl during real Super Bowl week. Championship games use extended quarters and are streamed live on Twitch with commentary. Winner takes the $800 grand prize.

Schedule

2026–27 season calendar

Dates marked TBD are confirmed at the kickoff email. Last season's dates are shown for reference.

Rules

Tournament rules

Adapted from the 2025–26 rulebook (rev. 9/5/2025) plus the rulings made during the season. The commissioner's decision is final.

Eligibility & teams

  1. Open to employees of Georgia water and wastewater utilities and the consultants, contractors and vendors who serve them. One entry per person.
  2. Each entrant is assigned one NFL franchise for the whole season. Team swaps between two entrants are allowed by request to the commissioner before the first playoff round.
  3. You play as yourself. No substitutes, ringers or shared accounts. Family members watching from the couch are encouraged.

Game settings

  1. Regular season and early playoff rounds: standard online head-to-head defaults — All-Madden difficulty, 4-minute quarters. If it's the default when you start an online game, it's right.
  2. Conference Championships and Super Bowl: extended quarters (length announced before championship week).
  3. Live / updated rosters. Injured players may be re-inserted into your lineup — the game already discounts their ratings.
  4. Current-season Madden NFL on any platform that supports EA online play. The commissioner's EA handle is published in the kickoff email for friend requests.

Scheduling & reporting

  1. Players are responsible for contacting their opponent and agreeing on a time inside the round's window. Use the contact sheet; email first, text if you don't hear back.
  2. The winner reports the final score to the commissioner by email the same day. Keep a screenshot or stream clip of the final score as proof.
  3. If your opponent doesn't respond after documented attempts, tell the commissioner before the deadline. The responsive player advances.
  4. Round deadlines are firm. The commissioner may extend a round once for the whole field if multiple games are outstanding.

Fair play

  1. No glitches, exploits, disconnect abuse or roster editing. If you'd be embarrassed to explain it on the stream, don't do it.
  2. Quitting a game counts as a loss. A disconnect is replayed from the start if both players agree; otherwise the commissioner rules.
  3. Be a good sport in chat, on the stream and on LinkedIn. This is a fundraiser for operators, not the NFL.
  4. Disputes go to the commissioner in writing. Decisions are final.
No console? The tournament Xbox travels. If you want to play but don't have a system, say so on your registration and we'll find a way to get you a game.
Streaming. Championship games and the Super Bowl are broadcast live on Twitch and recapped on LinkedIn. By entering the playoffs you agree to have your game, gamertag and first name shown on the stream.

Ready to claim a team?

Spots are limited to 32. Registration closes when the divisions are full or at kickoff, whichever comes first.

Register now