Blimey – that Ronaldo is a silly sausage, isn't he? Granted, his move to Real Madrid is certainly a glamourous one and it certainly won't leave him poor, but what he failed to realise is that playing in Spain makes him ineligible to be selected in the MacRumors Fantasy League! I'm sure he'll go crawling back to Old Trafford once he realises.
That's right - we're back for our third season, and everyone will be looking to prise the gleaming trophy from last year's champions Scouseland FC. The MFL is played using the official Barclays Premier League game, you can read up on the rules and register on their site here. Please do pay close attention to the rules, as there are a couple of additional ones from last season.
This year though, things are slightly different in so far as there are two competitions you can take part in. You can join in with either or both, it's entirely your choice – although if you do enter both then you do so with the same team.
First up is the traditional MacRumors Fantasy League. You pick your players, your players earn (or lose) you points depending on their real-life performances. The Manager with the most points at the end of the season lifts the trophy. Nice and simple.
The second competition we're running is the new MacRumors Fantasy Cup. Those who played last year will remember that – as well as the various private leagues you could join – you were also put into a 'head-to-head' league with random folk. This year, you can actually set up your own head-to-head leagues with your chums.
It works like this – each week you're randomly picked against another MacRumormonger, and your two teams go head-to-head, as it were – essentially, you're trying to outscore your opponent that week. Whichever team scores the most fantasy points wins, and gets three league points – the loser gets no league points and if it's a draw you get one each. This happens every week – until Gameweek 36 (currently scheduled for 24th April 2010), when the knockout phase begins! The top eight teams in the MacRumors Fantasy Cup are drawn against each other in a knock out competition which takes place over the next three Gameweeks. The last team standing is declared the winner!
I thought it might be nice to try out this end of season knockout phase – for one thing, it helps make it a bit different from the traditional MacRumors League, and the fact that eight players are still in it at the death will keep it interesting until the end – even if you're a long way off the top of the league you still have a chance to sneak into the knockout phase and lift the Cup!
How do I sign up?
Simply visit the Official Premier League Fantasy Football Site and register – it's totally free to do so. Then, just drop me a PM and I'll send you back the codes you need to join the MacRumours Leagues – if you could tell me your team name in the PM that would be useful too! I'm planning on posting a few updates as the League progresses, and by posting usernames rather than real names we can protect folk's privacy a bit.
Why PM? Why not just post the codes here?
The reason why I'm asking you to PM me rather than just post it here is that I'm wanting to keep it a mini-league for actual MacRumors members as far as possible, not those folk who trawl forums looking for league codes to join. There were a couple who joined up last year who I'm not totally convinced were actually MacRumors members. No names mentioned, mind.
If I pick a team now, what happens if I change my mind and want a different player or two?
At this point, you're free to pick your team and change players as many times as you like without penalty before the August 15th deadline, so don't fret about not being able to change your side to take advantage of real-life transfers or pre-season injuries.
Ooo. Is there a prize?
Er, no. Just bragging rights but don't get too smug or owt. It's just a bit of fun.
So – dust off your sheepskin coats and get signed up!
That's right - we're back for our third season, and everyone will be looking to prise the gleaming trophy from last year's champions Scouseland FC. The MFL is played using the official Barclays Premier League game, you can read up on the rules and register on their site here. Please do pay close attention to the rules, as there are a couple of additional ones from last season.
This year though, things are slightly different in so far as there are two competitions you can take part in. You can join in with either or both, it's entirely your choice – although if you do enter both then you do so with the same team.
First up is the traditional MacRumors Fantasy League. You pick your players, your players earn (or lose) you points depending on their real-life performances. The Manager with the most points at the end of the season lifts the trophy. Nice and simple.
The second competition we're running is the new MacRumors Fantasy Cup. Those who played last year will remember that – as well as the various private leagues you could join – you were also put into a 'head-to-head' league with random folk. This year, you can actually set up your own head-to-head leagues with your chums.
It works like this – each week you're randomly picked against another MacRumormonger, and your two teams go head-to-head, as it were – essentially, you're trying to outscore your opponent that week. Whichever team scores the most fantasy points wins, and gets three league points – the loser gets no league points and if it's a draw you get one each. This happens every week – until Gameweek 36 (currently scheduled for 24th April 2010), when the knockout phase begins! The top eight teams in the MacRumors Fantasy Cup are drawn against each other in a knock out competition which takes place over the next three Gameweeks. The last team standing is declared the winner!
I thought it might be nice to try out this end of season knockout phase – for one thing, it helps make it a bit different from the traditional MacRumors League, and the fact that eight players are still in it at the death will keep it interesting until the end – even if you're a long way off the top of the league you still have a chance to sneak into the knockout phase and lift the Cup!
How do I sign up?
Simply visit the Official Premier League Fantasy Football Site and register – it's totally free to do so. Then, just drop me a PM and I'll send you back the codes you need to join the MacRumours Leagues – if you could tell me your team name in the PM that would be useful too! I'm planning on posting a few updates as the League progresses, and by posting usernames rather than real names we can protect folk's privacy a bit.
Why PM? Why not just post the codes here?
The reason why I'm asking you to PM me rather than just post it here is that I'm wanting to keep it a mini-league for actual MacRumors members as far as possible, not those folk who trawl forums looking for league codes to join. There were a couple who joined up last year who I'm not totally convinced were actually MacRumors members. No names mentioned, mind.
If I pick a team now, what happens if I change my mind and want a different player or two?
At this point, you're free to pick your team and change players as many times as you like without penalty before the August 15th deadline, so don't fret about not being able to change your side to take advantage of real-life transfers or pre-season injuries.
Ooo. Is there a prize?
Er, no. Just bragging rights but don't get too smug or owt. It's just a bit of fun.
So – dust off your sheepskin coats and get signed up!
