Despite the excitement of fantasy football, things can sometimes turn stale especially if you’re in the same fantasy league for years. Why not respark your love for the game with a new fantasy league?
Finding a new fantasy football league to enjoy can consume a chunk of your time which, we all know, you’d rather spend researching players and matchups for your league. Well, have you decided to start your own fantasy football league?
Before you start tinkering with lineups and other activities that will soon be second-nature to you, learn about easy steps in creating a league of your own in this comprehensive guide.
1. Get enough people to join your league
Your fantasy football league can have a number of teams depending on how many people there will be. It usually ranges from eight to ten teams. Furthermore, it’s always encouraged to have an even number of teams in the league.
2. Provide names for the league and teams
Decide on the name of your fantasy football league. Each team owner should submit the name of their teams. It can literally be anything you want so be creative!
3. Pick an agreed date to hold an annual player draft
The player draft will give you time to choose the players you want for your team. It is also known as the fantasy football draft. The best time period to host your draft coincides with the weekend before the start of the NFL regular season.
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4. Decide on an agreed entry fee
Come to an agreement with the other players on how much the entry fee should cost. It can be as high or low as you want. The entry fees pooled together will form the cash prize for the winners called the pot. However, not all fantasy football leagues need an entry fee. Most of the time, people only play for bragging rights and, of course, fun.
5. Appoint a commissioner for the league
After the league is set up, you will need a commissioner for the league. They will be responsible for giving the verdict in any and all feuds and controversies that you will come across in your league.
6. Draw up standard rules with the commissioner
With the commissioner present, you can now decide on a set of rules that will minimize the difference of opinions among team owners while still keeping everything fun. As a league commissioner, you will have the ability to customize some of the rules such as the following:
- Scoring. You will need to come up with the scoring system of your fantasy football league. It also should entail how much fantasy points a player can obtain for each action made such as yards gained, touchdowns, receptions, etc.
- Playoffs. Another mechanics you will have to determine is the number of teams that will be competing in the playoffs. Moreover, a decision on which NFL weeks will these games be played.
- Waiver Wire. It is also important to come up with the outline rules for waiver wire pickups. This also covers the number of free agents a team can add as well as the selection order.
- Trades. To have order in your fantasy football league, you will also need to make a process that allows or vetoes trades. You can also apply a voting policy in which other league owners can turn down a trade if the circumstances prove that it is one-sided.
7. Decide on how to track and record league statistics
The last thing that needs to be in order is the process of recording and tracking statistics for your fantasy football league. Most of the time, owners get to have reports regarding their team’s results in the preceding week and a summary of the season-to-date standings.
There are two ways you can utilise to record and track your statistics. The first and most recommended method is using a free fantasy football hosting site. Another means for you is going back to basics and calculating the stats on your own with the use of a sports page.