MFL Eligibility & Caps

Last Updated June 26, 2025

PLAYER ELIGIBILITY

Age Requirements

  • Players must be at least 18 years old at the time of the tournament, OR
  • Be 15 years old or older with a signed consent form from a parent or legal guardian.

Malayalee-Christian Affiliation

  • Players must be Malayalee or married to a Malayalee.
  • All players must be affiliated with a physical Malayalee-Christian church from the approved church partner list below.
  • Affiliation may be through parents, marriage, or personal conversion. If affiliation is through personal conversion, a letter of confirmation from a church leader may be required.

Rosters & ID

  • All players must read and sign the roster/waiver form before participating
  • A photo ID must be presented at the time of registration

CHURCH PARTNER RULES

  • All players must belong to the same Malayalee church. Multiple Malayalee churches can partner together to form a team based on the approved partner list below.
  • Approved Church Partner List:
    • Chicago Syro-Malabar & Syro-Malankara churches
    • Chicago Pentecostal churches
    • Chicago Knanaya churches
    • Chicago Orthodox & Jacobite churches
    • Chicago Mar Thoma churches
    • Chicago CSI churches
    • Detroit Mar Thoma churches

TEAM TRANSFER POLICY

  • If a player has previously played in an MFL tournament and wants to change their church affiliation to play for another team:
    • The change must be communicated to and approved by the MFL Board
    • The player must sit out one full MFL season (defined as one Summer and one Winter tournaments, consecutively)

TEAM SIZE CAPS

Summer 7-on-7 Men’s Tournament

  • 1 team registered from the church partner list: Cap at 28 players
  • 2 or more teams registered from the church partner list: No cap on teams

Summer 5-on-5 Women’s Tournament

  • No cap on teams

Winter 5-on-5 Men’s Tournament

  • All teams capped at 12 players

Winter 3-on-3 Women’s Tournament

  • All teams capped at 6 players

PRAIRIE FIRE RULE

To ensure fair play in a recreational environment:

  • Division I & II intercollegiate football athletes are not eligible
  • Division III football players:
    • May play only after sitting out one full year from their last D3 roster appearance
    • Maximum of two D3 players per team
  • Intramural players are eligible