LCK introduces 3 new policies to further empower team owners

Official LCK youtube channel posted a video update on the policy changes

Full transcript

To build a sustainable virtuous cycle ecosystem for all teams, players and the league, the LCK will introduce new policies. A system that enables teams to discover and invest in new players, and guarantees playing time for the prospective players to be active on the team.

1. ‘Rookie Development Clause’ : A system designed to officially appoint and manage agents that represent the players.
2. ‘LCK Agent Certification’ :A system that allows teams to determine the destination of key players first.
3. ‘LCK Pre-contract Policy’

Let’s look into the three new policies, ‘Rookie Development Clause’ ‘LCK Agent Certification’ ‘LCK Pre-contract Policy’ with a detailed explanation.

First, the Rookie Development Clause. RDC is a system that allows the teams to safely develop new players, while guaranteeing opportunities for a stable career development of new players. It is for players with less than one split of experience in the LCK, or less than one season (1 year) of experience in foreign League of Legends professional leagues. Eligibility is achieved when a player has played more than 50% of the total LCK CL games in one split. *or 25% of the total LCK games in one split.

When these conditions are met, the team can decide whether or not to exercise the clause. When activated, the team will have the right to extend the contract of the player to the next 2 seasons (2 years). The player is guaranteed a steady salary increase and continuous playing time during the contracted period. If the minimum guaranteed playing time is not given, the player may terminate the contract.

Next is the LCK Agent Certification. It is a system designed to ensure the rights of the players by appointing and regulating official agents with professional expertise. The agents who pass the certified exam administered by Korea eSports Association (KeSPA) will be able to represent the players as LCK’s official agents for up to two years. The agents are in charge of player salaries/income contracts. They are obligated to attend seminars, report profits, and report any contracts and disputes. If caught engaging in tampering, unauthorized disclosure of information, or infringement of the rights and interests of players, the agent may be subject to disciplinary action depending on the level of the act.

Lastly, the LCK Pre-contract Policy. This policy is to help the teams to build and maintain competitive rosters. Teams can extend the contract or recruit key players at an earlier time than before. If the designated player decides to move to a different team, a transfer fee is paid and the team can reinvest in strengthening the roster for the next season. Players with contracts expiring at the end of that year are eligible for designation. Each team can select one player among the eligible players in their roster to begin negotiation prior to the start of the offseason to determine the destination of the player before the others.

LCK Pre-contract Policy is divided into three periods.

• After the original team designates a player and offers the initial contract, the LCK announces the entire list of the designated players publicly.

• Then the other teams are given a negotiation proposal period.

• At last, the original team offers a final contract.

The players can make the final decision after examining the conditions of the offers. If the player decides to transfer to a different team, the new team has to pay a transfer fee to the original team. When transferring to a team in a foreign league, an additional amount will be added to the transfer fee.

The Rookie Development Clause and the LCK Agent Certification will be active starting this year’s offseason, and the LCK Pre-contract Policy will be introduced in time for next year’s offseason. The LCK will continue to strive to build a ‘sustainable virtuous cycle ecosystem’, which was the goal of the franchise launch in 2021. We will continue to make efforts for mutual growth between players and teams, to further improve the quality of the league, and to increase the fan experience.

Thank you for your interest and support.

The new policies seemingly empower the already powerful team owners in LCK

RDC enables teams to extend the contract with their rookie star players to 2 years, effectively preventing poaching. While the player is guaranteed a steady salary increase and minimum continuous playtime, they won’t be able to transfer to a team of their choosing even if they are offered a ludicrous contract. Being stuck in a low tier team for 2 years could seriously jeopardize a star player’s career especially in their prime time.

The Agent Certification assigns agents to protect players’ interesting and manage contract breaches. But the agents are trained and certified by KeSPA (Korea e-Sports Association), adding yet another level of governmental bureaucracy with a poor track record. It is dubious whether players will actually benefit from this supervision.

The pre-contract policy simply extends teams’ ability to negotiate players during offseason.

Anyone familiar with Korean society will tell you all about how powerful corporations and franchises already are. These upcoming policies will serve to further affirm and strengthen LCK’s teams grip on their players.

Couple with the recent Faker’s lawsuit, it’s safe to expect some tremendous changes in KR LoL community as well as global.