Play Fantasy Football - It's free, fun and a great way to kill time at work

The footy season is just about to kick off and that means that all wannabe football managers will be trying their hand at another season of Fantasy Football.

Many football fans are not familiar with the game so I figured I'd do a post to explain just how it works and why it's so much fun!

Fantasy Football gives the regular footy fan the opportunity to show off his superior knowledge of the beautiful game by allowing you to become the next Sir Alex Ferguson or (more likely) the next Luiz Felipe Scolari.

How it Works

Once you have signed up to play the game you will be allocated a transfer budget(100 points) to bring in a squad of 15 players which consists of 2 goalkeepers, 5 defenders, 5 midfielders and 3 strikers. You are only allowed to choose three players from the same team so choose wisely!

After you have ‘bought’ your 15 players you can select your starting 11, captain and formation. The game is based on the actual matches taking place on the weekend and you receive points based on how your player's performed. For example if you select Didier Drogba as one of your strikers and the Ivorian bangs in three goals against Hull in Chelsea's opening game, you will receive points for every gal he scored. At the other end of the pitch clean sheets from your goalkeeper and defenders will also bag you lots of points. I think you get the basic idea but here is a breakdown of the point scoring system

The more points you score, the higher your rank will be and if you manage to end up ontop of the standings at the end of the month or the end of the season you can win some awesome prizes. With the number of player's currently sitting at 967, 810 the chances of you actually winning this thing are slim but it's fun and a great way to keep kill some time at work (I hope my boss doesn't read this)

You are also able to create private league's in which you can take on your friends or colleagues to see who really knows their footy. I've done this for this blog by setting up our own private league which you can join by using this code: 119924-196924

I've just about finalised my team ahead of next weekend's opening fixtures and with this being my third season playing the game I’m feeling confident of doing well this time round. This game requires dedication though, and some tactical awareness or you'll find yourself bottom of the log after the first Gameweek!

Tip: Read the FAQ/HELP section as it pretty much explains everything.

So if you’re keen on playing, head over to the official fantasy football site and join in on the fun....