COMPETITION FORMAT

MEL runs a two-phase season designed to deliver maximum competitive intensity at every stage. The League Phase determines which franchises advance. The Playoff Phase, culminating in the Grand Final, decides the champion.

Season Structure

League Phase

Round-Robin

Semi-Finals

Knockout, single match, neutral venue

Grand Final

Knockout, single match, designated host city

The Head-to-Head Match

Every MEL match is a direct head-to-head contest between two city franchises. The match runs across all three disciplines in a defined sequence. Each discipline’s events produce scores that feed into a single cumulative match total. The franchise with the higher cumulative score at the conclusion of all events wins the match.

A standard MEL match day includes the following events:

Tent Pegging

Individual Lance Round, Individual Sword Round, Group Lance Round (additional rounds per season schedule)

Show Jumping

Individual Qualifier Round, Team Jump-Off

Dressage

Individual Test, Team Test

Because tent pegging fields the largest number of riders per franchise and runs the greatest number of competitive rounds, it commands the greatest allocation of total match points. Strong performances in show jumping and dressage can and do decide closely contested matches. No franchise can win consistently on tent pegging alone.

Match Points: League Phase

Win

3 points

Draw (equal cumulative match score)

1 point for each franchise

Loss

0 points

At the end of the League Phase, franchises are ranked by total match points. Where two or more franchises are equal on match points, ranking is determined by cumulative discipline score differential across all League Phase matches. If franchises remain equal after this tiebreaker, head-to-head League Phase results between those franchises apply.

The Grand Final

The MEL Grand Final is the season’s flagship event. The host city is announced before the start of each season. The Grand Final follows the standard head-to-head match format, with all three disciplines in full competition. The franchise leading on cumulative match score at the close of all Grand Final events is named MEL Champion and receives the MEL Trophy. The Grand Final is broadcast live across all Strawberry Sports Management platforms.

Officiating, Integrity, and Welfare

An independent Match Commissioner presides over each MEL match to oversee rule compliance and fair play. Discipline-specific officiating panels, appointed by MEL’s officiating authority, judge each discipline independently. Anti-doping protocols for riders follow World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) guidelines. Anti-doping protocols for horses follow FEI standards. All results are subject to MEL’s official review process, and formal protests are resolved through the league’s published protest and appeals procedure.