# RoboCup SPL - Newsletter 2023/1
Dear Teams,
2023 has started and we are already in the third week. Less than six months until we meet again. This time in Bordeaux. During the next months you will receive further newsletters updating you with recent information and reminding you about important tasks. We wish you and your team all the best and hope to see your application for RoboCup 2023 soon in <a href="mailto:r*******c@lists.robocup.org">our mailbox</a>.
Best regards,
Your OC & TC
## Reminder Call for Participation The deadline for submitting your application for RoboCup 2023 is approaching (2023-02-15). We encourage every team which is interested in participating in SPL at RoboCup 2023 to submit their application. Even if you are unsure about your funding situation or facing other issues, please submit your application with a note about your issues. We will try our best to support you.
**Important**: The <a href="https://spl.robocup.org/call-for-applications-for-participation-2023/">application process</a> has been slightly changed. Please review your submissions.
## Timeline towards RoboCup 2023 Here are some important dates listed:
- 2023-01-20: Rule Book - 2023-02-15: Application deadline - 2023-02-28: Announcement of (preliminary, i.e. including "on probation") qualification decisions - 2023-03-15: Additional qualification material deadline for "on probation" teams - 2023-03-31: Final qualification decisions - 2023-05-01: Jersey submission by teams - 2023-05-14: DBHC defender image deadline - 2023-05-31: Release of the official DBHC defender images - 2023-06-01: Announcement of major color by teams - 2023-06-15: Announcement of the competition mode at RoboCup 2023 - 2023-06-XX: Referee Workshop - 2023-07-04: RoboCup 2023 starts
## Discord We ask all teams of the RoboCup SPL to register for the <a href="https://discord.gg/SfQ5AzD4jj">SPL Discord Server</a>. Before and during RoboCup it will be an important communication channel to stay in contact with you and your team members and to connect all teams with each other. It will also be used for announcements and challenge execution coordination.
## Rules Drafts of the 2023 rule book and technical challenges are published <a href="https://spl.robocup.org/downloads/#2023" >on the SPL website</a>. If you have questions, have found an issue, or have a proposal, please submit an issue to <a href="https://github.com/RoboCup-SPL/Rules">the Rules repository</a>.
## Jerseys As you might have seen, the rules for the jerseys have been changed. The Champions Cup will play 7 vs. 7 by default and the goalkeeper has to wear a jersey of different colour. A jersey of a third colour is needed for this purpose. If you can't manufacture a third colour until RoboCup: the TC/OC can provide you with standard red or blue jerseys with number one.
## Community Defender Images This year we are going to have a revised version of last year's Dynamic Ball Handling Challenge. Similar to last year, we ask teams to prepare Defender images for this challenge. If you want to start preparations for this challenge already: you can use the defender images from last year until the new images are available and the GameController version is updated. You can download them from the following links:
https://b-human.informatik.uni-bremen.de/public/DynamicBallHandlingDefender/ https://openlarry.de/-C3j8NDz2jdjCfjd
## Code Releases from Open Research Challenge 2022 The code releases of the three highest ranked teams in the Open Research Challenge 2022 are available at https://spl.robocup.org/rc2022/#open-research-challenge.