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Local Rules
July 2002
Introduction -
This guide sets out the local rules operated by the league, running in tandem with the rules set down by Fantasy League. This guide is not a guide to the general rules of playing fantasy football, but rather a guide to the way we run things in our league. For more detail regarding the fundamental rules of the game you should consult your Manager's Diary or the Fantasy League website (www.fantasyleague.com).
Keeping things running smoothly takes a lot of co-operation from everyone, so you are very STRONGLY advised to read this guide closely. Many of you are seasoned campaigners by now and will rarely need to consult this guide; however, you may find it useful to keep it in a safe place for future reference. Alterations to the league's local rules can only be made at general meetings, or by democratic vote, providing a quorum is present or via the annual ballot.
1: The Auction
1.1 Managers are allocated an imaginary £20m to spend at the start of the Auction. When the Auction is completed a further £5m will be added to their Club Account (see 2.2)
1.2 Players will be raised systematically, i.e. Goalkeepers, Full-backs, Centre-Backs, Midfielders, Strikers, and lastly four players as substitutes. If no player is raised within 30 seconds, the Auctioneer will name a high scoring player from last season at his discretion.
1.2a Managers will each take it in turns to raise players at the Auction so that all managers will be required to raise players. The order of raising players will be decided according to seating arrangements on the day; the honour of making the first bid in the Superior Division shall go to the reigning Champion; by the promoted champions from the Nursery Division in the Inferior Division; by the most senior member in the Nursery Division; by the highest placed member of the Xtra Division.
1.3 A neutral will act as Auctioneer. If no such neutral is available, either The Chairman or a participating manager will be appointed by general consent to act as Auctioneer.
1.4 A neutral will act as Auction Secretary. If no such neutral is available, either The Chairman or a participating manager will be appointed by general consent to act as Auction Secretary.
1.5 All managers or their proxies must arrive in good time for the Auction. The Auction will commence at the appointed time or earlier if all participants are present. WARNING: Any manager who arrives after the advertised start time will be docked £1,000,000 from his club account for every 10 minutes he/she is late.
1.6 FORMATIONS. All managers have the option to play either 4-4-2 (2FB, 2CB, 4MF, 2STKR), 5-3-2 (2FB, 3CB, 3MF, 2STKR) 4-5-1 (2FB, 2CB, 5MF, 1STKR) or 5-4-1 (2FB, 3CB, 4MF, 1STKR). At the Auction you will be given the opportunity to bid according to formation. However, if you opt for 5-3-2, you will not be entitled to bid for a 4th midfielder until the bids commence for the four substitutes.
1.7 All bids shall be in increments of £100,000. N.B. FREE TRANSFERS ARE NOT ALLOWED, EITHER AT THE AUCTION OR WITHIN THE TRANSFER MARKET.
1.8 After managers have bid for their first XI they may proceed to buy their four substitutes. THE FOUR SUBS CAN BE IN ANY POSITION.
1.9 BIDDING BY PROXY. An absent manager may bid by proxy, provided that proxy comes from either outside that division or the League.
1.10 Any cash remaining from the initial £20m will be added to a manager's Club Account for financing transfer deals during the season up until the Transfer Deadline (see 2.2).
1.11 Any manager wishing to change his club name must pay a £5 levy, which will go towards extra Free Franchises at the end of the season.
2: Club Accounts
2.1 Each club will have an ongoing imaginary cash account to enable them to buy "New Players", as they become available, or "Free Agent" players left in the Pool. The Transfer Officer will keep records of all such Accounts.
2.2 Any cash remaining will be added to the Club Account. The Club Account initially stands at only £5m plus cash left over from the Auction.
3: The Transfer Market
3.1 Managers may make changes within their squad by buying in players throughout the season up until the Transfer Deadline (see 3.11).
3.2 The number of Transfers that each manager may make during the season is now LIMITED to TEN. Any further attempts to buy new players will be deemed invalid. The Transfer Officer will keep records of all transfer activity.
3.3 TRANSFER OFFICERS. The league's Transfer Officers will monitor all transfer activity closely. Transfer Bids may be submitted to any of these officers. Any league member can request to be present when bids are opened, and the Transfer Officer should ensure that bids are opened either in the presence of another Transfer Officer, another league member or an independent witness. After checking for validity, details of all transfers must then be forwarded to the Chairman who will notify Fantasy League.
3.3a TRANSFER OFFICERS. A Transfer Officer will be appointed for each division, to act solely for that division. The Chairman will appoint all such officers after they have volunteered for the post and been seconded by another manager.
3.4 POOL PLAYERS (a.k.a. "FREE AGENTS"). All managers may bid on a weekly basis for any Pool Players left over from the Auction, or discarded by other clubs, using cash from their Club Account. All such bids must arrive with the Transfer Officer no later than midnight on each Tuesday.
3.5 FREE AGENT REPORT. Free Agent reports are available online from Fantasy League. Managers who are not online may request copies from the Chairman who will print and despatch copies.
3.6 NEW PLAYERS. Managers will be advised of New Players through their reports or through the Fantasy League website. They will be able to bid for them on the same basis as that of Pool Players i.e. weekly, all such bids must arrive at the Transfer Officer no later than midnight on each Tuesday. (Essentially, once a player has been confirmed as having signed for a club he is available for bids; however, he must have been allocated a PIN number by Fantasy League to make the bid valid.)
3.7 If no bids are received for a New Player he will automatically become a Pool Player, available for weekly bids.
3.8 SUBMITTING BIDS. Managers wishing to submit bids for Pool Players or New Players must submit SEALED BIDS in line with the deadlines and criteria listed above. You are STRONGLY advised to mark envelopes as "SEALED BID" to avoid confusion. All bids should be sent to the SENIOR TRANSFER OFFICER and marked for his attention. Alternatively you may submit bids by e-mail. All such e-mails should be described as Sealed Bids.
3.8a In the event of two or more managers bidding the same amount for a player the successful bid will be deemed as the bid that arrived first.
3.9 All bids MUST indicate which player in the squad is to be replaced; otherwise the bid will be invalid. Please indicate the new player's position, and their PIN as allocated by Fantasy League. Remember: after buying a player your squad must conform to 4-4-2, 5-3-2 or 4-5-1, and contain no more than 2 players from any Premiership as per the original Auction Player List. Your squad must not contain more than 15 players. IMPORTANT: After transfers are completed, the Chairman may have to amend your substitutes in order to make them conform to a valid formation. Always check your team line-up before matches.
3.10 If a player changes clubs in the Premiership he still retains his original club allegiance for the duration of the season, provided he has not been discarded back to the pool, whereby he will take on his new allegiance (N.B. Fantasy League Rule).
3.11 No manager may re-purchase a player he has previously discarded during that season.
3.12 TRANSFER DEADLINE. The Transfer Deadline is now set as the final Tuesday in March. No further transfers will be permitted after that date.
3.13 Exchanges, Swaps, Player+Cash deals are permitted. Any such deals should be drawn up, countersigned by the managers concerned, and forwarded to the Senior Transfer Officer for approval.
3.14 Transfer News will be posted in The Fogg-Horn on a regular basis.
3.15 All team changes are now free.
3.16 N.B. Only the Chairman has the authority to advise Fantasy League regarding Transfers.
4: Substitutions
4.1 Managers may make as many substitutions as they like each week from within their squads.
4.2 Managers should execute their substitutions through Fantasy League. Managers can make their substitutions either by using the Automatic Team Change Line (020 7916 0707) or via the internet at the Fantasy League website (www.fantasyleague.com). For details of the Automatic Phone Line and its availability consult the Manager's Diary.
4.3: Substitutions: Managers may make substitutions on any day of the week including Sundays in line with the facilities provided by fantasy league.
5: League Calendar
5.1 A league Calendar for the season detailing Cup Games, Transfer Deadline, Meetings etc will be drawn up at the discretion of the Chairman.
5.2 Upon conclusion of the final auction the League Calendar will be ratified and the initial draws for all cup competitions will be held.
6: Cup Competitions
6.1 The League will run two cup competitions during the season.
6.2 The Roy Pearce Trophy. The primary cup competition shall be "The Roy Pearce Trophy", which will be run initially on a round-robin "Champions League" basis, and subject to an "open draw" (i.e. no seeding) throughout. The format of the competition will be drawn up at the discretion of the Chairman and will be ratified or amended at the same time as the League Calendar. The Draw will also take place at this time. After the group qualification stage all subsequent ties will be sudden-death, with the Final contested over the final week of the season.
6.3 Entry to The Roy Pearce Trophy is provisional to all lower division clubs, subject to there being enough clubs being recruited to enable fair competition.
6.4 The Caffrey's Chalice. The secondary cup competition shall be "The Caffrey's Chalice", which will be a straight knock-out competition, with, if necessary, the top teams provided with a bye to the second round. The exact format will be finalised at the same time as the League Calendar.
6.5 All cup match scores and results will be based on weekly BULLETIN SCORES and not necessarily weekly calendar scores.
6.6 Advance notice will be given of all cup draws.
7: Promotion and Relegation
7.1 Promotion and relegation will be on a 3-up and 3-down basis for all divisions. Any changes to this policy, should any restructuring be necessary to even up divisional size, must be debated at a General Meeting or by ballot.
7.2 In the event of a manager resigning from the league in the divisions above the lowest tier, his place will be taken by the next highest manager from the division below. Any further realignments will act on this same principle of "topping-up" by merit.
8: Prize Structures
8.1 The Chairman shall draw up a Provisional Prize Structure, which will be ratified or amended at the first General Meeting of the season. The Prize Structure will detail the allocation and amount of Cash Prizes. The Prize Structure will also detail the exact criteria for winning a Free Franchise for the following season.
8.2 The individual contribution to the Prize Fund from each manager is set at £15.
8.3 Prizes shall consist of two types: Cash Prizes and Free Franchises. Cash Prizes will come from the Prize Fund. Free Franchises also come from the prize fund, and represent free enrolment for the following season, though managers must still contribute to the Prize fund for the following season.
9: General Meetings
9.1 A General Meeting will be called within one month of the season starting. Further provisions for other meetings will be made at that time.
9.2 For the purposes of League General Meetings a quorum is defined as all elected officers being present plus any other members. All members should make every effort to attend meetings.
10: Ballots
10.1 An Annual ballot will be held each season whereby new motions, ideas and issues of concern can be put to all league members. The date of the ballot will be decided by the Chairman who will advertise the ballot and compile a ballot paper for all the motions received. All motions should have a proposer and a seconder to add legitimacy. All ballot papers should be returned by the date advertised. Late papers will be destroyed.
11: Resigning from the league
11.1 Any manager who resigns from the league and rejoins at a later date must rejoin the league at the lowest level of the league pyramid.
12: New Divisions
12.1 In the event of a new division being formed all members of that division will be subject to a £5 levy to purchase a new trophy for that division, in addition to the £60 contribution that Fantasy League presently make.
12.2 When a new division is formed two more Free Franchises will be established for the league, as well as cash prizes for that division, plus one extra Free Franchise.
13: FA Cup Leagues
13.1 A Free Franchise will now be awarded to the highest scoring team across all the divisions in the Fantasy League FA Cup Leagues.
APPENDIX 1:
THE FREE FRANCHISE SYSTEM
Free Franchises are awarded each season to successful teams, under categories which are detailed below. The concept was originally designed to encourage loyalty among league members, keeping managers on board for the following season. With four divisions the Free Franchise allocation has been expanded to cater for successful managers in the Xtra Division. Increasing the Prize Money contribution to £15.00 has enabled this expansion. This season TWELVE managers will benefit from receiving free enrolment with Fantasy League next season-almost a third of the league. The Free Franchise criteria have remained pretty much the same since they were introduced back in 1995. The first few are simple, but it can get rather convoluted as you go down the list of eligibility-so read carefully! This is because no manager may claim more than ONE free franchise; if a manager qualifies under TWO of the criteria (e.g. Inferior Division Champions & Highest Weekly Score), his second is struck off from the list and the qualification moves down the list to the second stage of qualification (Criteria 13, 14, 15 &c). This is how the Free Franchise Awards are awarded:
· 1 Superior Division
Champions
· 2 Superior Division Runners-up
· 3 Inferior Division Champions
· 4 Inferior Division Runners-up
· 5 Nursery Division Champions
· 6 Nursery Division Runners-up
· 7 Xtra Division Champions
· 8 Xtra Division Runners-up
· 9 The Roy Pearce Trophy Winners
· 10 Caffrey's Chalice Winners
· 11 Highest Monthly Score
· 12 Highest scoring team in all FA Cup Leagues
· Then it gets complicated...
· 13 Highest Weekly
Score
· 14 The Roy Pearce Trophy Runners-up
· 15 Caffrey's Chalice Runners-up
· 16 The Roy Pearce Trophy 3rd Place Winners
· 17 Caffrey's Chalice 3rd Place Winners
· 18 Highest Scoring 3rd Place Team in League
· 19 Highest Scoring 4th Place Team in League... and so on...
APPENDIX 2:
PRIZE MONEY ALLOCATION FOR 2001-02
The total amount of cash raised last season towards prizes stood at 41x £15.00 = £615.00. Half of this goes towards keeping the usual level of Free Franchises (12), or £300, leaving £315.00 in the kitty for cash prizes. In the past the cash fund allocation has been split in the following ratios:
Champion of each division = 12.5% each............. x 4 = 50%
Runner-up in each division = 6% each.................. x 4 = 24%
Third place in each division = 2% each.................. x 4 = 8%
Winner of The Roy Pearce Trophy = 7%........................... x 1 = 7%
Loser of The Roy Pearce Trophy = 2%........................... x 1 = 2%
Winner of the Caffrey's Chalice = 7%........................... x 1 = 7%
Loser of the Caffrey's Chalice = 2%........................... x 1 = 2%
Total.................... = 100%
So how did that pan out?
Like this...
£
Champion of each division = £39.37..................... x 4 = 157.48
Runner-up in each division = £18.90..................... x 4 = 75.60
Third place in each division = £6.30....................... x 4 = 25.20
Winner of The Roy Pearce Trophy = £22.05..................... x 1 =
22.50
Loser of The Roy Pearce Trophy = £6.30....................... x 1 =
6.30
Winner of the Caffrey's Chalice = £22.05..................... x 1 =
22.50
Loser of the Caffrey's Chalice = £6.30....................... x 1 =
6.30
Total....................... = 315.88
APPENDIX 3:
EXAMPLES OF SEALED BIDS:
The following are given as examples of sealed bids. The rule of thumb in these matters is to make the bid as clear as possible. If your bid is confused and unclear the Transfer Officer has the option to destroy your precious bid. Don't leave it to chance: get it right first time!
EXAMPLE #1:
SEALED BID FROM "ANY OLD TEAM YOU LIKE"
PLAYER OUT: J ROBERTS 663 WBA
PLAYER IN: S REBROV 688 TOT £0.2M
EXAMPLE #2:
SEALED BID FROM "ANY OLD TEAM YOU LIKE"
PLAYER OUT: N QUINN 623 SUN
PLAYER IN: D DICHIO 662 WBA £0.1M
IF UNSUCCESSFUL:
PLAYER IN: P DI CANIO 666 WH £0.1M
Both these example are acceptable, but whatever you do make it absolutely
clear what your intentions are!