To enroll your team in the Fantasy Premier League for the 2023-24 season, visit the official FPL website and, if you haven’t already, click on ‘Sign Up Now’ to create an account.
After providing the necessary details and, if required, obtaining permission from a parent or guardian, you’ll be prompted to select a unique team name. The exciting part follows – building your squad!
As a manager, you’ll be given a budget of £100 million to assemble a squad of 15 players, distributed among two goalkeepers, five defenders, five midfielders, and three forwards. Keep in mind that you can’t exceed three players from any given Premier League team. Enjoy crafting your fantasy football team!
How to play the Game and what are the Rules?
Playing Fantasy Premier League involves aiming to accumulate the highest number of points throughout the entire 2023-24 season. With a squad of 15 players, you must choose a starting XI for each ‘Gameweek,’ and these players earn points based on their performance in each fixture.
While you have the flexibility to arrange your team in any formation, it’s mandatory to include one goalkeeper, at least three defenders, and at least one forward in your selection at all times. The order of your substitutes’ bench is crucial, as the game automatically substitutes a player if one of your starting team members doesn’t play in a particular game week.
Additionally, you need to designate a captain and vice-captain before each game week. The captain earns double points, and the vice-captain serves as a backup in case your captain doesn’t play, ensuring the alternative pick receives the double points.
Also Read: Fantasy Premier League: most frequently asked questions
Upon joining, you’re automatically part of various leagues, including a fan league based on your team support, a country league, a ‘Gameweek’ league, and an overall league. You can also create invitational mini-leagues, either classic or head-to-head, to compete with friends and family.
In addition to the standard league format, FPL teams are automatically entered into the cup, with the start date determined by the total number of players entering the game. While there are no specific restrictions on when you enter your team, fairness is maintained by allowing only one team per person.
The Points System
Players in fantasy football earn points based on their performance in a match, and the scoring system is determined by various actions. Here’s a breakdown of the points awarded for different actions:
- Playing up to 60 minutes: 1 point
- Playing 60 minutes or more (excluding stoppage time): 2 points
- Each goal scored by a goalkeeper or defender: 6 points
- Each goal scored by a midfielder: 5 points
- Each goal scored by a forward: 4 points
- Goal assist: 3 points
- Clean sheet by a goalkeeper or defender: 4 points
- Clean sheet by a midfielder: 1 point
- Every 3 shots saved by a goalkeeper: 1 point
- Each penalty save: 5 points
- Each penalty miss: -2 points
- Bonus points for the best players in a match: 1-3 points
- Every 2 goals conceded by a goalkeeper or defender: -1 point
- Each yellow card: -1 point
- Each red card: -3 points
- Each own goal: -2 points
The Transfer Market, Wildcards, and Player Prices
Once you’ve initially selected your squad in Fantasy Premier League, you have the flexibility to buy and sell players in the transfer market. You can make unlimited transfers at no cost until the first deadline of the season.
After the first deadline, you receive one free transfer each Gameweek. Making additional transfers within the same Gameweek incurs a deduction of 4 points from your total score (Classic scoring) or match score (Head-to-Head scoring) at the start of the next Gameweek.
If you don’t use your free transfer, it accumulates, allowing you to make an extra free transfer in the following Gameweek. However, if you still don’t use it, it carries over until you do, with a limit of one saved transfer at any time.
Outside of this system, you are limited to 20 transfers in a single Gameweek, except when playing a Wildcard or using a Free Hit Chip. These special chips exempt you from the 20-transfer limit.
Player prices are dynamic, changing based on the player’s popularity in the transfer market. However, these prices remain fixed until the season officially begins. The displayed price on your transfers page represents the player’s selling price, which might be lower than their current purchase price due to a 50% sell-on fee (rounded up to the nearest £0.1m) applied to any profits made on that player.
Chips in FPL
Chips in Fantasy Premier League serve as tools to potentially enhance your team’s performance during the season. However, you can only use one chip in a single Gameweek. The available chips and their effects are as follows:
- Bench Boost: The points earned by your bench players in the next Gameweek are added to your overall total.
- Free Hit: Allows you to make unlimited free transfers for a single Gameweek. After the deadline, your squad reverts to its original state at the beginning of that Gameweek.
- Triple Captain: Triples the points earned by your captain instead of the usual doubling in the next Gameweek.
- Wildcard: Grants you the freedom to make all transfers (including those already made) in a Gameweek without any cost.
The Bench Boost and Triple Captain chips can each be utilized once per season and can be activated or canceled at any time before the Gameweek deadline. The Free Hit chip, usable once per season, is applied when confirming transfers and cannot be canceled after confirmation.
The Wildcard chip, available twice a season, can be played during transfers that cost points. The first Wildcard is available from the start of the season until a specified date, and the second becomes available afterward until the end of the season. Once played, the Wildcard chip cannot be canceled. It’s important to note that playing a Wildcard or the Free Hit chip results in the loss of any saved free transfers, reverting you to the standard one free transfer for the following Gameweek.
The Deadline
Any adjustments to your team, including starting 11, transfers, captain changes, and substitution priorities, must be completed before the Gameweek deadline to be applicable for the upcoming set of matches.
Also Read: Fantasy Premier League Prize: What prizes can you win in FPL 23-24?
Deadlines are susceptible to alterations and are scheduled to be 90 minutes before the kickoff time of the first match in the respective Gameweek.
For a comprehensive set of rules and frequently asked questions (FAQs), please refer to the official Fantasy Premier League website.