After each season teams must apply for a place in the Maple League and the 1st division. Teams eligible to apply for a spot in Maple League are the ones ranked from #1 to #10 in the national ranking, including Maple League teams from the previous season, plus 2–4 of the best teams from the 1st division, depending on the number of Maple League teams the previous year. The teams that are eligible for 1st division are the teams from the previous year and the two best from 2nd division. SAJL checks the applications and grants licenses according to their seed in the previous season. In seeding the teams, the winner of Spaghetti Bowl overtakes the last team from Maple League and the winner of 2nd division is favored before the last teams from 1st division.