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Super League Triathlon proudly presents SLT Teams!
Super League Triathlon is proud to present SLT Teams – a major expansion for 2021 that will build a team franchise concept from the ground up adding new racing dynamics, and handing power to athletes, fans and stakeholders to help shape the future of the sport.
SLT Teams sees five triathlon legends taking the initial lead as Team Managers as part of a balanced ecosystem that will utilise multiple different inputs to help guide its development, structure and rules over the coming years.
SLT Teams will be part of Super League Triathlon’s 2021 Championship Series and bring with it an extra $320,000 in prize money – guaranteeing every athlete will earn money from competing in Super League no matter where they place over the season.
Athletes Championship Teams
Championship Teams
Championship London Teams
How many athletes will be drafted onto each Team?
The 40 athletes will be split equally between each Team. That means each Team Manager will select 4 female and 4 male athletes. For alterations, Wildcards and exceptions please see the Teams FAQ below.
Who will get to pick first?
There will be a random draw made before the draft to decide the order of selection.
How will the draft work?
There will be a snake draft. That means the Team Manager who was randomly selected first picks the first female athlete. The draft then snakes all the way down to the fifth Team Manager before working its way back.
That means the first Team Manager gets picks 1, 10, 11 and 20. The fifth Team Manager will get picks 5, 6, 15 and 16.
Can I watch the draft?
Super League Triathlon host Will McCloy is chairing the draft with Team Managers Chris McCormack, Annie Emerson, Tim Don, Michelle Dillon and Ronnie Schildknecht. You can watch the whole thing and all the reactions on Super League’s YouTube channel from Thursday, August 26 (6pm BST).
What is SLT Teams?
SLT Teams is a major expansion that will build a team franchise concept from the ground up adding new racing dynamics, and handing power to athletes, fans and stakeholders to help shape the future of the sport.
How will it work?
There will be five Teams, each with a Team Manager who has a vast knowledge of the sport and has been a top-level elite athlete. They will select their Teams via a draft (see the draft rules for full details).
Who are the Team Managers?
The SLT Teams are:
How many athletes are on a Team?
Each team will consist of four female athletes and four male athletes. Additional or replacement athletes will be allocated via the Wildcard system. Any additional athletes at the start of the Series are allocated to the team who the data suggests are the weakest.
What is the points scoring system?
The highest placed three men and three women from each Team at every race of Super League Triathlon’s 2021 Championship Series will contribute the points they earn as individuals to their Team’s leaderboard. Also all points accrued via the swim, bike and run leaderboards will count.
What does that mean for the racing?
It adds a new tactical element with Team Managers actively working with their athletes to form game plans and strategies to come out on top. For example, with swim, bike and run points accrued in the opening Stage of races, do you send out athletes to just go for the win and sacrifice themselves to get the points? Do you offer up an athlete to help a potential race winner get ahead? Does a race winner try to save themselves for the latter stages? This will be for the Teams and the Team Managers to decide.
Why is this so good for the athletes?
This is a chance to be at the forefront of a new innovation in the sport, using a successful team franchise-style model, but developing an ecosystem around it that will allow input from athletes, fans and stakeholders to shape its future direction, structure and rules. It hands power back to the athletes and also gives them further earning opportunities.
What is the prize money?
SLT Teams is adding $320,000 in prize money. It is also somewhat of a redistribution of wealth in triathlon as every athlete who races will earn money, and has the incentive to really push themselves to contribute to their team and maximise the chance to earn more. By guaranteeing the payment to every athlete via SLT Teams, it also supports up and coming talent and those who are not at the very top of the game to continue to compete, develop and grow.
How much can each athlete earn?
There is a prize money breakdown for Super League Triathlon’s 2021 Championship Series on our website. Each athlete in the winning Team stands to pocket $15,000.
How will Wildcards be allocated? And what about injuries?
Any team with less than their complement of four male or four female athletes will get to pick from any Wildcards racing individual events. The Team with the fewest points in the overall SLT Teams leaderboard will get to pick first.
If all Teams have their full allocation of four male and four female athletes then Wildcards will be allocated as additional athletes with the Team with the fewest points in the overall SLT Teams leaderboard picking first.
No matter how many athletes a Team has, only the top three men and women will contribute their individual leaderboard totals, thus creating as a level playing field as possible if injuries strike.
All Wildcards and Wildcard picks will be communicated via Super League’s digital channels in the week leading up to each event.
How will I know who is on which Team while they are racing?
Each SLT Team has a different race kit making it easy to identify who they are racing for.
What is the future of SLT Teams beyond 2021?
It’s anything people want it to be. It will be as much determined by Team Managers and in the future potential Team Owners, as well as fans and athletes as by Super League itself. SLT Teams is an assembly of people passionate about redefining the sport of triathlon, and that’s the way it will remain.