There are two main ways of making changes to your Fantasy League Professional Team, substitutions and transfers. You can also set your side up in any of the five available formations.
Click on each "+" below to find out more:
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 set up your squad so that changes happen automatically over the next fourteen days, allowing you to pick which players will be playing for which fixtures for the upcoming matches. This allows 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.
Fantasy League Professional allows leagues to set their own rules on transfers. The Chairman will set the number of transfers allowed in your league and each manager can then make transfers during the year, to get rid of dead wood and bring in the latest Premier League starlet. The most popular, and most realistic way, is to use the Sealed Bids tool and set up regular transfer windows throughout the season.
Under the standard rules of Fantasy League Professional, team changes are available right up until the scheduled kick-off time for any match.
If your league allows transfers at any time, 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.
Remember to input any necessary money for the sale or buying of players in accordance with your league's local rules.
Sealed Bids and Transfer Windows
Fantasy League Professional Interactive and Premium leagues have the option of using the Sealed Bids Engine to set up transfer windows throughout the season.
The Sealed Bids Engine provides every manager with an area where bids are submitted and held until the transfer deadline. Once the deadline is passed, the League Chairman can process the Sealed Bids and a list of the winners (and losers) is shown.
Fantasy League Pro Interactive and Premium league chairmen can set up any number of Sealed Bids windows during the season, setting their own deadlines using the chairman's office.
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 Gary Cahill moved from Bolton to Chelsea in January last season, he continued to show as a Bolton player for any team that already owned him. If that team then released Cahill, any team (including the team that released him) that subsequently selected him needed to take him on as a Chelsea player.
Transfer Budget
Transfer budgets are set up in pre-season when the league rules are set up. Chairman can also decide whether they wish to roll forward any unused budget from the auction, therefore allowing thrifty auction bidders more buying power during the course of the season.
The number of transfers available to each team is fully customisable as part of the league rules, and the number of allowed bids is also available as an option for league chairmen to select when they set up each Sealed Bid 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 adhere to the pre-set squad constraints, determined by the league chairman, and their starting eleven must be in one of you their league's available formations. Again, these are set up at the start of the season and can be chosen from options that include 4-4-2, 4-5-1, 5-4-1, 5-3-2 and 4-3-3 formations.
Note that managers may switch between all available league formations throughout the season, as a result of making transfers and substitutions.
Player constraints
Each manager can own one, two or three players from anyone Premier League club, depending on your league rules.
A player's club is determined by the Premier League club he was listed at when the manager initially bought him.
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 during the season once they start a Premier League game, feature for over 45 minutes, or score Fantasy League points. New signings are only added once the transfer is fully completed and confirmed by both parties. Sometimes this can be a few days after the deal is reported in the media, as deals are often held up by medicals, work permits and international clearance. Players who are not on the player list are not available for selection.
Fantasy League Professional allows teams to line up in several different formations, as set down by the league chairman at the start of the season.
Only 11 players can play at any one time, so you need to find the best way of melding your team's attacking and defensive instincts into a cohesive unit.
For any set of matches, your starting eleven can line up in one of five formations, 4-4-2, 5-3-2, 4-5-1, 5-4-1 or 4-3-3.
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.
The 4-3-3 formation consists of one goalkeeper, two full-backs, two centre-backs, three midfielders and three strikers.
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.