How to Run a Fantasy Football League

Fantasy football has exploded into a hobby that now is nearly as addictive as watching the games on television. People of all ages and races compete in a game of knowledge and luck. If you are looking to start your own league with friends and family, then there are a few words of advice you should take into account before starting.

Instructions

    • 1

      Get the word out. Contact friends, family, coworkers, anyone who you think will be interested. Inform them about your league, when the draft will take place and how everything will work. Some leagues decide to hold a draft at the commissioner's house. You can conduct the draft online, but it lacks the social dynamic of an offline draft. I advise setting a date several weeks in advance if you wish to conduct the draft at your home. This will give people an opportunity to take time off work and make plans.

    • 2

      Decide whether you will play for money. Some people just want to play for fun, while others find it more of an incentive to play with cash on the line. Playing for money can make the league more competitive, intense and fun. If you do decide to play for money make sure that you tell every owner that their money is due on draft night. This is a must. If they do not pay on draft night, then they do not pick players. Personally, I've been burned in the past by allowing owners to still draft despite not having their money. I find it much easier than hunting them down mid-season and requesting their money.

    • 3

      Move the draft along at a nice pace. More than likely your draft will last at least 12 rounds, which means it could take a couple of hours or more. Set a time limit for each pick, somewhere in the ballpark of one to two minutes. Create a list of all the players in the NFL and hand them out to each owner as they arrive. Announce the picks personally, loud and clear, so everyone knows the player is no longer available. Supplying beer or other refreshments is advisable but not necessary.

    • 4

      You ran a successful draft and week one of the season is here. Hopefully by now you have set up a private league online, where the owners can manage their teams and check stats. I recommend ESPN.com or Yahoo.com, because they have everything you need from a commissioner stand-point and are free of charge. Even if you do not draft online, you must have an online league. It makes it much easier on the commissioner and the other owners.

    • 5

      Throughout the season you will find some owners more active than others. Some will abandon their team like an old ship halfway through the season. Commissioners handle that problem differently. Some kick inactive teams out or replace them with new owners. I'll leave that up to you. Also, during the year in most fantasy leagues, owners have the option of adding new players through free agency or via traders. This is a great feature and every league should take advantage of it. However, you need to make sure you have a league-wide vetoing option for unfair trades. Once a trade is made, you need to allow each owner the option of vetoing a trade if it's too one-sided. Also set a trade deadline halfway through the year to prevent teams not in contention for the championship from trading away their top players to teams in contention.

    • 6

      After the season is over, thank all the owners for participating and award the money to the winner. Welcome active owners to come back next season and politely thank, but not invite back inactive owners. The key of any successful fantasy league is to continue to build on each season. Gain more teams, up the ante, and your league will become more competitive.