How to Set Up Your Own Football Prediction League

Football around the world, which Americans call soccer, gives fans a variety of leagues to follow, mainly in Europe. Fans who enjoy following the different leagues may enjoy playing in a football prediction league. For these leagues, players predict who will win each game and what the final score will be for each game. Correct answers earn points. At the end of the season, the person with the most points wins the prize for the league. Some leagues offer prizes for the first three or four finishers.

Instructions

    • 1

      Gather a group of family and friends that follow football and would like to participate in your football prediction league. If you don't have enough people to participate, ask the other participants if they know someone who is interested. A solid league should have at least 10 players.

    • 2

      Ask each player to pay an entrance fee. This fee creates the prizes for the league. In most cases, you will want to pay out for the top three spots. For instance, first place earns 50 percent, second place earns 30 percent and third place earns 20 percent.

    • 3

      Create a spreadsheet to log each player's weekly predictions. The spreadsheet will also help you keep track of the scores for each player. Place each player's name in columns along the top of the spreadsheet. For the rows, input the games for each week. When players call in, enter the initials of the team each player predicts to win. After the games, you can place a mark into the space for each player who was correct.

    • 4

      Create a second spreadsheet to keep track of the final score predictions. This can be an exact copy of your original spreadsheet, but use it to input score guesses rather than team winners. After the game, mark any scores that players guessed correctly.

    • 5

      Instruct the players how and when they should make their predictions. For instance, ask each player to call in their guesses no later than one hour before the start of the first game of the week. Make yourself available to take calls from the players each week.

    • 6

      Provide each player with a print-out or email of the spreadsheet each week to show how each person did for the week. You can also provide an overview of where each player stands overall.