About Fantasy Football

If you’ve found this website I’m guessing you know the in’s and outs of Fantasy Football. However, for the uninitiated, curious or carelessly absent minded, here’s the beef.

Fantasy football is a game that casts you in the role of a Fantasy Manager, given the task to pick a squad of real-life players who score points for your team based on their real-life performances in matches. Players typically score points for actions such as scoring goals, keeping clean sheets (successfully preventing the opposing team from scoring over 90-minutes) and goal assists (providing a pass that directly leads to a goal). The game can be played solo, with managers pitching their team against all other registered managers in the game. However, the preferred option is to also enter your team in a private mini-league with friends or colleagues. That’s where the real fun lies. Does winning a league against your mates prove a superior knowledge of football? Of course it does.

There are now many different versions of the game in existence, all with their own rules and scoring systems although the original inventors of the game are Fantasy League Ltd. They first brought the game to the UK in 1991, although things didn’t really spark until the 1993/94 season when the Daily Telegraph licensed the game and introduced it to the masses. In January 1994 the TV show “Fantasy Football League”, hosted by Baddiel and Skinner also aired, bringing the concept yet more attention. The glorious emergence of the internet has since resulted in a boom in the number of Fantasy Football games available. It’s now believed there are well over a million Fantasy Football managers in the UK.

The game appeals to football fanatics, football statisticians, frustrated armchair managers and all-round know it alls. Tick one of more of those boxes and you’ve got the potential to get hooked. Tick all four, like me, and you’ve got what it takes to become slightly obsessed and avoided at parties.

So where do you start? With so many different games out there, it’s far from straightforward finding the right one for you and any mates you’ve convinced to join in. These days you can shop around and make a selection based on your level of interest, commitment and the cash in your pocket. If you’re searching for a game, be sure to read the Play Fantasy Football section of this site where I compare and review each of the big Fantasy Football games out there. These reviews are updated each season to give you a guide to the best games available for you and your mates. Go investigate and have a great time. Just don’t blame me when you spend the entire season cheering every Chelsea clean sheet.