For decades, school sport rankings have been dominated by subjective methods that produce inconsistent, biased, and often inaccurate results.
Originally developed by Arpad Elo in the 1960s for chess, the ELO system has been adopted by FIFA for world football rankings, the Premier League, and major esports competitions worldwide.
Every team has a numerical rating. When two teams play, their ratings adjust based on the result AND the expected outcome.
“Beating a strong team earns more points than beating a weak one. Losing to a strong team costs fewer points than losing to a weak one.”
Four steps that turn match results into accurate rankings
Before every match, we calculate the expected outcome based on the rating difference between the two teams.
The K-factor determines how much a single result impacts the ratings. NextGenLive uses sport-specific K-factors calibrated for each discipline.
After the match, ratings adjust based on the actual result versus the expected result. Upsets cause larger swings.
We don't just consider wins and losses — the margin matters. A dominant victory adjusts ratings more than a narrow win. This rewards genuine dominance, not just scraping by.
What makes NextGenLive rankings the most trusted in school sport
Our database spans back to 1876 with 58,000+ matches. More data means more accurate ratings.
ELO adapted for rugby, hockey, netball, cricket, and football with sport-specific parameters.
Hemisphere-aware seasons — Southern (Jan–Oct) and Northern (Sep–Jun). Ratings regress between seasons.
Every rating is calculated from real match results. No votes. No panels. No bias. Just data.
Rankings process automatically as new results come in. Always current, always accurate.
Every team gets a 0.000–1.000 Power Rating. Easy to understand at a glance how teams compare.
Understanding where your team sits on the rating scale
These are internal ELO ratings. On the public site, we display the Power Rating (0.000–1.000 scale) for simplicity. Power Rating = ELO ÷ 2000.
Explore the full live rankings table, track your team's progress, and see who's climbing the ladder.
