Game Guide

Team Changes

Substitutions

You are free to make substitutions or transfers at anytime during the season. The deadline for each match is right up until a game's scheduled kick-off, allowing for your last minute changes of heart.

This means that even if matches are still being played, you can make changes for subsequent fixtures without losing points for players in the current match.

However, it is important to note that if a player is not in your starting line-up at the scheduled kick-off time, then he will not score any points for your team.

If you want to make a substitution with immediate effect, just visit your team screen and drag the shirt icon of the player you wish to bring in on to the pitch in place of the player you are subbing off. They will then swap over there and then in time for the next scheduled kick-off. Be sure to press the SAVE button for your changes to be stored.

Supersubs

The Fantasy League Supersubs function allows you to plan your team’s substitutions in advance. With Supersubs you can choose to set up your squad two, four, six, eight or ten days in advance, allowing you to pick which players will be playing for which fixtures for the upcoming matches. Basically you have total control, allowing you to relax and enjoy the weekend, safe in the knowledge that your players are out there scoring you points, or otherwise.

To set up your squad for forthcoming matches, click on the SUPERSUBS button on your team screen and follow the on-screen instructions to set up your team. This will only take a minute or so but make sure you check your selections carefully to ensure the correct players are in for their matches.

An email confirming your selections will be automatically sent out. We strongly recommend you save this or a printout of your choices as we are unable to look into any Supersubs queries without either of these.

Transfers

Under the standard rules of Fantasy League Professional, team changes are available right up until the scheduled kick-off time for any match.

Making a transfer is easy. Simply click on the 'TRANSFER' button on your team screen, and follow the simple instructions. All you have to do is select the outgoing and incoming players, click 'SAVE' and you're away.

which are set down by the league chairman at the start of the season.

Remember to input any necessary money for the sale or buying of players in accordance with your league's local rules.

Club quotas and player classifications

At the start of the season, the league chairman will set a limit on the number of players each manager may select from any real-life Premier League club, which could be a maximum or one, two or three players from any real-life club. Managers may not select more players from each club than the limit allows, and will be restricted from making their requested transfer if they try to exceed that limit.

Sometimes during the course of the season players will move between Premier League clubs, which could take teams above the club quota limit. When this happens, Fantasy League will update the player's club on the Player List, but the club will not change in the team who had the player before the real-life transfer took place. This is to prevent creating invalid teams. The player will still score points based on goals/assists/clean sheets for his new club. If this player was sold or released, he could only be subsequently selected as if playing for his new club.

For example, when Craig Bellamy moved from West Ham to Man City last season, he would continue to show as a West Ham player for a team that already owned him. If that team then released Bellamy, any team (including your own) that subsequently selected him would need to take him on as a Man City player.

Transfer Windows and Sealed Bids

Fantasy League Auction allows each manager to make transfers during the year, to get rid of dead wood and bring in the latest Premier League starlet.

Transfers are made through the Sealed Bids Engine, with 'transfer windows' set-up throughout the season.

The Sealed Bids Engine provides every manager with a password-protected area where bids are submitted and held until the transfer deadline. Once the deadline is passed, the system automatically compares the bids and a list of the winners (and losers) is shown.

A Fantasy League Auction league gets 12 Sealed Bid Windows across the course of the season. The chairman can set up a league's bid windows whenever they want after the start of the season, setting a deadline much in the same way as in the Online Auction.

Transfer Budget

Managers are given a budget of £25 million to use across the course of the season, which is separate from the initial auction budget.

Managers can make a total of 25 transfers across the season, with a maximum of five per Sealed Bids Window.

Tie Preference

During a sealed bid window, there will occasionally be a tie between managers who bid the same amount for a player. In the event of such a tied bid, the manager with the lowest league position at the time of the deadline will obtain the services of the targeted player.

When the transfer window deadline has passed, the Chairman then hits the 'Process ' button and the highest bidder for each player wins.

Squad constraints

Each manager must select a team of 16 players, and their starting eleven must be in either a 4-4-2, or 5-3-2 formation. To prevent managers from loading their bench with strikers, the 16-man squad must comply with the 'Fixed Squad' rule, where managers must have a player of every position on their bench, and may not own more than three strikers.

Teams in the league must play in either a 4-4-2 or 5-3-2 formation, with each manager's decision boiling down to owning three centre-backs and five midfielders, or four centre-backs and four midfielders, depending on which formation they set their team up in.

Note that managers may switch between 4-4-2 and 5-3-2 throughout the season, as a result of making transfers.

Player constraints

Each manager can only own a maximum of two players from anyone Premier League club.

A player's club is determined by the Premier League club he was listed at when the manager initially bought him.

For example, if you bought Robin van Persie at Arsenal and the player subsequently moved to Hull he would remain as an Arsenal player at your club until you released him from your squad (stranger things have happened!).

Player positions are strictly as the player list and no other players can be included in your team until they have been added to the Fantasy League player list.

Addition of new players

Players will be added to the player list as they come into contention throughout the season. Players who are not on the player list are not available for selection.

Formations

For any set of matches, your starting eleven can line up in one of four tried and tested formations, 4-4-2, 5-3-2, 4-5-1 or 5-4-1.

The 4-4-2 formation consists of one goalkeeper, two full-backs, two centre-backs, four midfielders and two strikers.

The 5-3-2 formation consists of one goalkeeper, two full-backs, three centre-backs, three midfielders and two strikers.

The 4-5-1 formation consists of one goalkeeper, two full-backs, two centre-backs, five midfielders and one striker.

The 5-4-1 formation consists of one goalkeeper, two full-backs, three centre-backs, four midfielders and one striker.

A set of matches is defined as all matches kicking off at the same scheduled kick-off time.

Using your unlimited substitutions you can change your formation between matches in order to use your full squad of players.

Team Changes can take place right up until scheduled kick-off times. This means that even if matches are still being played, you can make changes for subsequent fixtures without losing points for players in the current match.

However, it is important to note that if a player is not in your starting line-up at the scheduled kick-off time, then he will not score any points for your team.