Rules
How this tournament works. Real results decide the table, with shock results and power-ups adding a little strategy along the way.
The picks
Everyone takes turns picking Premier League teams, one at a time, in a snake draft - the order reverses each round, so nobody picks last twice in a row.
Once you pick a team, it's yours for the whole season. There are no trades and no swaps - pick wisely. Any teams left over once everyone's picked are wildcards - nobody owns them, but they still play a part (see Banana Skin below).
Match points
Every team scores points based on its real Premier League result. These are your base points. They're always yours.
Performance bonuses
Two extras on top of the result, for how the team actually played. Both stack with each other and with your base points, so a 3-0 win is worth 5.
- Goal Glut - your team scores 3 or more in a single match.
- Clean Sheet - your team concedes nothing. It counts in a goalless draw too.
Unlike the shock results below, these two still apply in a Player Derby - they describe how your team played, not who it played.
Player Derby
Sometimes two teams owned by the same player will play each other. This is a Player Derby.
Player Derbies use the normal match-point rules. There's no additional Derby shock result.
Both teams score independently, so you receive the combined points from both teams.
Player Derbies don't trigger opponent-based shock results such as Giant Killer, Underdog Draw, or Banana Skin, because both teams are owned by the same player.
Example
Liverpool 2-0 Sunderland (you own both)
Liverpool +3 · Sunderland +0 · you earn +3 in total
Liverpool 1-1 Sunderland
Liverpool +1 · Sunderland +1 · you earn +2 in total
It's your teams against each other. There are no extra points, but you can't lose the fixture entirely.
Shock Results
Shock results happen automatically based on what happens on the pitch - you don't choose or activate these, unlike power-ups below.
Sunderland
You
2–1
Arsenal
A mate
Beat a team with more Premier League points than you before kick-off and earn a shock result based on the gap.
- 1 to 5 points ahead → +1
- 6 to 10 points ahead → +2
- 11+ points ahead → +3
The Premier League table is checked immediately before kick-off.
Every team starts the season level - nothing carries over from last year, so Giant Killer and Underdog Draw can't trigger in the first gameweek. Once results start coming in, so do the upsets.
Ipswich
You
1–1
Man City
A mate
Leicester
You
0–1
Southampton
Wildcard
Lose to a team that nobody in the sweepstake picked.
Nobody likes losing to nobody.
Power-ups
20 power-ups across the season - cards you choose to hold and play yourself, unlike the automatic shock results above. 10 unlock in August, 10 more in January. A shared budget of 3 uses per half (Block doesn't count against it - it has its own separate use per half). Pick the right moment and they could change your season.
First half - unlocks from August
Pick a fixture
Pick a fixture involving one of your teams. Win it and double your points. Draw or lose and you get nothing.
Predict a 0-0
Predict an upcoming fixture finishes 0-0.
Beat a team above you
Pick one of your teams to beat a team currently above them in the table.
Target a rival
Pick a mate's team to curse. If they lose their next fixture, they take the hit.
Target a rival
Pick a mate's team. If they lose to an undrafted team, they take an extra hit on top of the usual Banana Skin penalty.
Target a rival
Pick a mate's team. If they fail to score their next fixture, they take the hit.
Win two in a row
Pick one of your teams. Win their next two fixtures in a row.
Beat a team above you
Pick one of your teams playing a team above them in the table. Win it.
Go head-to-head
Pick your team and a mate's team head-to-head. Whoever gets the better result wins the points.
Cancel an attack
React to an attack aimed at you and cancel it. The attacker loses their power-up use, you lose your Block - the football result itself is unaffected.
Second half - unlocks from January
Take from the leader
Take points from whoever's currently sitting in 1st place.
Target a rival
Pick a mate's team to tax. If they lose their next fixture, they take the hit.
Predict 5+ goals
Predict an upcoming fixture has 5 or more goals in it.
Predict both to score
Predict an upcoming fixture ends with both teams scoring.
Beat a team 10pts above
Pick one of your teams to beat a team at least 10 points ahead of them in the table.
Go head-to-head
Pick the player right above you, then your team and theirs. Whoever gets the better result wins the points.
Beat your old rival
Pick a team that's already beaten one of yours this season. Beat them back in the return fixture.
Pick a fixture
Pick a fixture involving one of your teams and go all in. Draw or lose and you get nothing.
Beat a top-3 team
Bottom 3 only. Beat a team owned by someone currently sitting in the top 3.
Go all in
Bottom 3 only. Pick a fixture involving one of your teams and go all in. Draw or lose costs you points.
Back the comeback
Only available when one of your teams is trailing on aggregate before their second leg. If they complete the comeback and win the tie, triple that tie's Progression Bonus. No penalty if the comeback doesn't happen - elimination is already the consequence.
Wager
Wagers are entirely optional, and can only be proposed before picking starts. The Rivalry works exactly the same with or without one - a wager just gives the final leaderboard something at stake.
£1-£500
per player
Creator
proposes
Everyone
must accept
Choose how it splits
Prize pool = entry amount × confirmed players - based on the actual final headcount, never a guess.
Someone declines?The wager doesn't lock. The creator can cancel it or propose a new one.
Ties? Ranked the same as the real leaderboard - whoever joined the tournament first wins the tiebreak.
Pick your teams. Back your winners. Hunt the upsets. Save your power-ups for when they matter.
The football decides who wins. You decide how you play it.