The Robot Fighting League
From Combat Robot
The Robot Fighting League (RFL) is a group comprised of robot combat event organizers from around the world. The RFL mission is to promote the sport of fighting robots, provide consistency between events and support builders and event organizers. One of their main roles is to attempt to establish universally accepted rules and/or standards for weight classes, allowed weapon types, arena construction, and results formatting.
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Role
According to their bi-laws, The RFL's main goals are:
1. To Promote safety at every level of the sport of robotic combat.
2. To Promote the sport of robotic combat and help build its audience.
3. To Provide consistency between events.
4. To Support event organizers and builders.
According to their website "The RFL is investigating becoming an official event sanctioning body" and its main role is to promote "a discussion among all these event organizers so that they can help each other with resources and advice".
History
The RFL was founded in November of 2002 out of an ongoing discussion among many of the combat robot event organizers. The inaugural meeting coincided with the 2002 Las Vegas Street Fight, where the name was chosen and the first set of rules passed unanimously.
One of the RFL's most important initiatives was the creation of the RFL Standard Extensible Rule Set, the adherence to which is mandatory for membership.
Organization
The RFL is comprised of a globe spanning group of active robot combat event holding organizations. Those actively hosting events are able to vote (by simple majority) on changes to the rule sets, and can sponsor RFL membership for fledgling event organizers. Members are divided into General (good standing, get to vote in all issues), Provisional (New members, voice but no vote), and Associate (Sponsored by a General Member for the sole purpose of holding a sanctioned event). They also recognize Dormant and Suspended membership statuses.
Within the organization there is a Commissioner who serves as spokesperson, assigns committees and tasks, and calls votes (although votes may also be called by any member with a second supporting the call). There is also a Lieutenant Commissioner who serves in his absence as well as a Secretary and a Treasurer.
