> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://gameday-squad.gitbook.io/gameday-squad/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://gameday-squad.gitbook.io/gameday-squad/sports/gridiron/learning-the-game/competitions/special-competition.md).

# Special Competition

Our Special Competitions give coaches the chance to compete using player cards that might not normally feature in standard competitions, introducing fresh formats and new ways to play. These weekly focused competitions ensure that GameDay Squad remains a platform you can join at any time of the season without missing out on the action or the fun.

### Rookie & Sophomore

* Salary Cap: 13mil
* Rarities Allowed: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Legend (3 Legend limit) and All Star Cards
* Special Card Limit: No Limit on All Star Cards. Prize Cards are not eligible
* Special Rules: Only first and second year players are eligible
* Restrictions: None

The Rookie & Sophomore Competition is where the next generation gets its run, and it is the clearest expression of what a dynasty platform is for. Only players from the 2026 and 2025 draft classes are eligible, so the established names carrying most squads across the rest of the platform are off the table entirely.

That changes what a good squad looks like. Success here comes from knowing which rookies are getting genuine snaps, which second year players have taken the leap, and which names are about to break out before the rest of the platform catches on. Get it right and those same cards carry your squads for years.

The 13mil cap gives you 4mil of room above an all Bronze squad, the most generous headroom of any competition. That is deliberate. The eligible pool is thin, so you are given the room to pay up for the young players you believe in.

Eligibility runs off draft year, not off games played. A player drafted in 2025 who missed his first season through injury is still a sophomore in 2026/27.

Only players from the 2026 and 2025 draft classes are eligible.

### Primetime

* Salary Cap: No Salary Cap
* Rarities Allowed: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Legend (9 Legend limit) and Special Cards
* Special Card Limit: No Limit
* Special Rules: Only games played on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Tuesday AEST are eligible
* Restrictions: None

Primetime is the only competition with no salary cap and no limit on special cards. Bring absolutely everything you own, up to a maximum of 9 Legend cards, which is half your field. It is the biggest flex of a collection anywhere on the platform.

The catch is the schedule. Primetime counts only the standalone games, the ones played outside the Sunday slate, which means your entire 18 has to come from a handful of fixtures. Every round you are working out which of those games give you the deepest pool of premium players, and building the strongest squad you can from a very narrow window.

With $250 on the line every round it carries the second highest weekly cash prize on the platform, behind only Champion.

Sunday Night Football is not part of Primetime. It kicks off on Monday AEST alongside the whole Sunday afternoon slate, so it sits outside the standalone games this competition is built on.

Because Primetime runs off Australian days, here is what actually qualifies:

* **Thursday Night Football**, which kicks off Friday morning AEST
* **Monday Night Football**, which kicks off Tuesday morning AEST
* The **Wednesday night game before Thanksgiving**, Thursday morning AEST
* The **Christmas games**, Saturday morning AEST

The Sunday slate and Sunday Night Football are not part of Primetime.