How to run a Premier League sweepstake
4 min read
A season-long league sweepstake gives everyone something to follow from August to May. It works a little differently from a knockout, so it's worth reading this once.
Setting it up
Go to New competition → Find by sport → Football and search for the league, such as the Premier League. Choose League table as the format. The teams are filled in for you.
For a league we're not linked to, use Something else, choose the sport and League table, and add the teams yourself.
Seeds: predicted finish
In a league, the seed is called Predicted finish — where you expect each team to end up, with 1 as your title favourite. Last season's table or the bookmakers' odds both work. It's what stops one person being dealt the whole top four.
Set your points first
This is the one thing people miss. In a league there are no knockout rounds, so teams are placed into bands by where they finish: Bottom half, Top half, Top four, Runner-up and Winner.
Out of the box, only Winner scores points (32). The other bands score 0. Unless you change it, whoever holds the champions takes everything and the rest of the leaderboard is a tie.
Open the Results tab, press Points per round and set something like:
| Band | Suggested points |
|---|---|
| Bottom half | 0 |
| Top half | 2 |
| Top four | 8 |
| Runner-up | 16 |
| Winner | 32 |
The draw
Twenty Premier League teams between ten people is two each; between eight people it's two each with four people getting a third. Run the draw before the season starts, or as early in it as you can.
During the season
For a linked league, each team's placing is filled in from the official table, and you can override it on the Results tab. For a league you've set up yourself, place each team at the end of the season.
When the title's decided, press Mark winner on the champions.
Share the public page early and people will check it every weekend.
Common questions
Related guides
Entering results and scoring points
Automatic versus hand-entered results, marking competitors out, choosing a winner, and setting points per round.
How the sweepstake draw works: pots, seeds and the live reveal
What makes the draw fair, instant versus scheduled draws, and how to put on a live reveal.
The live leaderboard and your public sweepstake page
The difference between your Live tab and the public page, what members can see, and how to share the link.
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