Having experimented with a new system for the Scout Picks last season, once again, we’re tweaking the setup for the forthcoming season – hopefully for the better.

We’re still giving you, the Fantasy Football Scout community, the opportunity to get involved and take on our lineup.

We have, however, decided to scrap the weekly vote which, at times, could sometimes result in spam comment posting and the occasional exploit.

Instead, we’re turning to a lottery to select a community member to select their picks in each Gameweek.

If you wish to submit a Scout Picks squad and be the community’s champion in the forthcoming Gameweek, you’ll need to submit your details via this form.

Twenty-four hours later we’ll announce the selected champion and he/she will then have until Thursday afternoon to submit their picks.

This will then go head-to-head with our squad, which will be selected using the old traditional method of argument and discussion behind the scenes – at which point I’ll put my foot down and pick Leighton Baines regardless. So there will only be one set of Scout Picks from us this season.

We’re also planning a couple of new articles, centred around the Scout Picks.

We’ll bring you a Provisional Scout Picks selection on Tuesday detailing our early thinking. This article will also be used to announce the community champion for that week.

We’re also planning a new ad-hoc article that will reveal some of the discussion and tension going on behind the scenes, as a way of letting you get a view of our own selection process and any particular dilemmas in a given Gameweek.

Then, on Friday, you’ll get the final Scout Picks from us and your champion.

We’re still offering a prize alongside this process. The community member who beats our picks by the biggest margin over the campaign will win a £100 Amazon Voucher and a place in our Contributors and Moderators League for the following season.

How Do I Get Involved?

Would-be community “Champions” must put themselves forward by submitting their details on the Scout Picks Champion Entry form.

We will create a community article on Monday each week to announce that applications are open and link to the form.

An applicant will be chosen at random the following day and announced in our Provisional Picks article.

The successful community “Champion” must supply their final Scout Picks XI to Jonty (jonty@fantasyfootballscout.co.uk) by 3pm on Thursday of that week. They have the option to tweak their Picks until 3pm on Friday.

Community Champions may seek the help and advice of others on the site once announced.

Should the community “Champion” fail to provide an initial or final Scout Pick selection, then an “Assistant Manager”, chosen by us, will gain control of the selection to represent the community for the Gameweek in question.

What do I need to do if I become the Community Champion?

You must select an Fantasy Premier League squad of 11 players in any valid FPL formation and using the regular FPL rules – eg: only three players per team permitted.

We will set a budget for your XI. Initially, this will be 82.5 and will increase as the season progresses and prices rise.

You may consult with the community in order to gain advice on building your Scout Picks for the Gameweek.

You do not need to submit any test to accompany your Picks but we may use a contribution should you wish to submit up to 200 words.

How Will the Scout Picks Be Scored?

We will total up the FPL points for both our Scout Picks and the community’s Picks.

No captain will be applied.

No chips will be applied.

Are there any other rules?

Yes there are. Plus, we reserve the right to make up some more along the way once we get started.

For now, we’re stipulating the following:

• Community Champion Nominations must be registered users on Fantasy Football Scout and must not be under moderation at the time.
• Scout Picks cannot be posted as a nomination on behalf of another user.
• Nominees must be willing to supply a valid email address for contact throughout the selection process.
• Any nominee or Champion voted by the community, who is later put under moderation, will not be considered for that Gameweek.
• We reserve the right to change and overrule the selection of the chosen Community Champion at anytime.

We are now accepting applications for Gameweek 1 so head over to the entry form if you fancy getting your name in the hat.

You have until 2pm on Tuesday to get your application submitted.