Sorry to hear that - where are you posting? I
Is it that it’s a keeper league that’s the issue?
Shame, would have been right up my street had I not already joined the £100
Could I please be added to the waiting list for the £100 redraft league? James Taylor / jrt55555 (Bristol)
Noel, appreciate that you’re trying to do something a bit different with league 2, but personally I think a lot of the things you yourself have listed that made league 1 a success, mainly sharing a mutual passion for the game, might be a bit lost in the added layer of complexity in the proposed league 2 (IDPs, auction format, keepers, etc). The money increase might also be an issue for some (not me personally actually).
I would be very, very keen to join league 1 and so if there was a second league created in a more similar vein to the existing one then I wonder if perhaps you may be able to find more interested parties? Perhaps their could even be a League 1 and League 2 system with annual promotions/relegations?
Who knows, just spitballing, but would be interested what others thoughts would be.
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Your saying exactly what I said to our commissioner a few days ago…
I believe a league one and two is the immediate way forward leading eventually to Noel’s grand plan …
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Wooooah, I love the idea of promotions and relegations!
Although I’d like to have a team in each if it reverted to a standard game instead of the IDP/Keepers etc.
Ideally a live auction would be the best fun but I suspect we would need a good auctioneer, OR we could all use electronic devices?
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Would be very interested to hear your thoughts on this, Noel. It seems to me that you’d probably half a league’s worth of players already made up from the waiting list for League 1 plus anyone who was in League 1 who would be interested in having a team in a second league and I’d wager finding interested parties to another League 1 style league would be an easier prospect.
For what it’s worth I agree that a live auction may be a bit tricky to administer. I’ve never done an auction league so my preference would be a snake style draft but wouldn’t be totally adverse to the idea.
Personally I think a promotions and relegation idea is great too!. I do think however that any one player should only ever be able to have one team in either league, one player having 2 teams in the same league does not sound as exciting to me. I also think in a promo and relegation situ each league should follow the same drafting format.
But that’s just my 2 pence.
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Agree with you on both counts, CitrusPlayer.
Noel - for what it’s worth, having given it some thought if you do decide to run with the currently envisaged format for League 2 (IDPs, keepers, etc) I’d be up for it, so please do stick my name down for it, although as noted above my preference would be for more of a standard-style league.
What’s the point of promotion and relegation? I mean what would be the point of being in the higher league as opposed to the lower one? If I was relegated am I then paying £100 next season for a lower prize?
Also we replaced a couple players this year, how would you be able to justify someone paying into a lower league?
It sounds very nice but it’s not like the premier league where the same teams play year in, year out. We have people who have the option to not play the next year and I’d rather not introduce something that would incentivise not to play.
You raise some fair points Simon
Cheers Gordon, I just think it’s a non starter really. Even if relegation/promotion changed nothing in terms of prizes etc… On one hand I might actually prefer being in the lower league as then presumably it would be easier to win than the higher league.
Personally I’d like to be in a league with the same people from year 1, and in respect to that we changed dates to keep Jon with us. If something like that happened again we’d maybe have to move someone (and I’m sure we all would) from one league to another which again makes a mockery of promotion/relegation.
Agree that you make some good points.
I think my main point is that it would be great to have a 2nd league (and just to be clear I’m in no matter what), but fear with the current set up there may be a danger that we are able to attract people to fill up the slots, whereas a more standard one may be an easier sell.
Am I reading it right that currently if you’re in League 1 you can’t also be on League 2 (save for Noel and scrumhalf)? If so, what’s the thinking there? Just wondering if there be others from League 1 who would be up for having a team in League 2 and whether that could help fill it up.
Just trying to help make the 2nd League a goer! You guys have a great thing going here and I’d love to be involved (wanted to join in the 1st year but as Noel may remember I was on holiday for the live draft date so couldn’t make it).
Simon’s points seem valid, I don’t think a top and bottom tier league system would work in practice.
Potentially, you could run 2 parallel leagues, and the 17th week (we finish our current fantasy season in week 16) could be an AFC v NFC style final between the winners of the two leagues. Except you’ll then be in a situation where teams could meet each other with the same players and I’m not sure the Fantasy NFL website even supports that kind of scenario.
But if you have at least 32 players, better to create 2 leagues than just 1 league with a huge waiting list. Even if we’re not all in direct competition, we can still be involved in the community and discussion together.
All good points guys and will try to address them now.
My first reason for the complexity of the second league was two fold and I obviously misjudged some things - that being I thought many of the Originals would migrate to the new league as I thought they on the whole wanted to play the same guys but equally their knowledge and interest showed by trusting a stranger (me) off the net and traveling so far (in some cases abroad) for my original standard league venture last year plus how into stats and the whole thing they showed in the first season that the hardcore would love the added aspects of the new league - a keeper aspect that kicks in from year II down the line plus IDP’s - thought it would get their juices flowing as you would sometimes think about the long haul and not just the immediate season plus up’ing the entry cost was to make the extra time invested to be worth it as the rewards both mentally and finically would be greater - and the winning of ££££ might help them justify the time spent on fantasy to partners etc… especially if then spent any winnings on a holiday or taking there other half out - lol.
Alas that didn’t happen making a bit of a blockage effect - I thought over half would jump ship allowing many spaces in my existing standard league for rookies and those who missed the boat last year to fill in - with eventually who knows down the line some kind of promotion relegation system from the beginner league to the big daddy serious league (but that was just a down the line thought).
My second reason was I didn’t want to be in 2 leagues that were the same so from my own point of view wanted a very different experience if I was going to be putting the time in to them to run and paying to enter so wanted it to be different from what I had already so that meant doing all the things at the other end of the scale from what I had set up last year - so I have never ever done a PPR (points per reception) league so added that in, an IDP (Individual Defensive Players) league for money (only for fun so far) so that was in - never been in a dynasty league but thought that was to much as people are spending money and could leave - so need to be able to attract new GM’s possibly in future seasons so thought a happy balance would be 1 keeper allowed each side of the ball - so one Offensive and one IDP tops per team each year from year II onwards. To have some annual carry over came up with a way the previous years finishing spots determine draft spots the following year - huge advantage for stato’s to plan as they would have all off season knowing there draft spot the next year - very different to my current league.
So that was my thought processes but it has not worked out. Oh and the reason for myself and ‘Scrumhalf’ being in both leagues was twofold - me I have to be in both to LM them… and ‘Scrumhalf’ is based in USA and gets the draft kits for me as NFL.com will not ship them outside the US (their silly rules) plus coming so far - Florida, USA - his air-fares out weigh any prize money but he does it for the love of the competition so I felt it was only fair to allow him to be able to take part in everything I was doing that weekend to make the trip more value.
However people are allowed to do both leagues - if you read my long rules I do believe I put in there somewhere (or perhaps I sent out by e-mail to all existing players) that they should commit to one or other league before I launched these details publicly and that would be reserved for them - but to give others a chance to join the leagues they could only ask to join the other league (if spaces allowed) after July 1st - to give new people a chance to join in my leagues.
Now we are past that date of course anyone can apply for the second league but again I thought people would only want to do both leagues if both offered very different experiences.
Right now I am at a serious cross-roads and very unsure what to do with time now becoming an issue - do I stick with League 2 as is, do I scrap having a second league this year or do I turn it in to a complete mirror of the existing league - but if I do that I really don’t want to be in 2 leagues the same for money so would need me to see if my personal mate (and co-runner of some of my game ventures) wants to be GM of league 2 (but he’s not a big money gambler or as in to NFL as me) or it means me handing off control of this second league to someone else who’s in the second league - a bit like the Premier League split away from the FA - but that also means I don’t any longer have full control over everything which is scary in some ways to me as it takes time to build up a reputation and with the sharks out their as I know some of you have heard stories about really only want to have my name behind games I actually run as should anything ever go wrong with a handed off league that people believe I had something to do with it reflects badly on me and possibly could hurt my name I put to future ventures. That’s why I said privately to someone from here I chat to on Facebook I would give it to mid July tops to make a decision and kind of if I didn’t have 8 sign ups for the league as it stands by then it would be only right to knock it on the head or convert to a mirror of the existing league - as people could have made travel plans and spent money on coming to this event.
So keep chiming in - I think also a huge barrier is getting the word out to people as this site does not currently have the active membership numbers and every where else on social media it’s hit and miss - does a person happen to see my Tweet or Facebook group post before it sinks down the time lines… there really is not a great place yet to find the UK based NFL fantasy fans - NFLUK was good but they asked me last season to stop advertising my money leagues on there so now that’s out of the window and really hurts as they had a dedicated NFL Fantasy thread and 10 years worth of existence as a UK based NFL forum. Also with my draft venue so close to an International airport and with budget flights costing less than train fares also wished I knew how to target fans from all over Europe - I mean I flew to Jersey back in April and it was just £15 each way - a single ticket to Brighton is more than that on the train - crazy. So if they new about me and looked into things early enough am sure Euro based NFL fans that perhaps don’t have enough interest amongst their local mates for a live draft could come for this event which I am trying hard to make more than just a live draft but a social gathering of NFL and fantasy NFL fans. I mean this year some people are staying in the Travel Lodge next door and am planning a Carvery before the draft the Saturday - a pub crawl the Saturday night and a Curry post draft the Sunday - just gutted that I don’t know anything yet open later than about midnight on the Sunday to carry on the social aspect for those that want an even later night (as Monday is a Bank Holiday) but looking into things.
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Thanks for taking the time to type that up, Noel - some good points and it’s good to know where your thinking is.
Well like I say I’m in for League 2 whichever way it ends up going format-wise, but i share your concerns about filling it up. I’m hoping there may be some League 1 members who may be interested in being in a second league and strengthening the existing league community. Beyond that, I’ll do my best to spread the word amongst existing leagues I’m part of to see if I can attract any others. I’m in a couple of established leagues and some dynasty leagues, so who knows I may be able to coax someone!
For what it’s worth, Noel, re promoting the leagues, I stumbled across this again from a post you put on the NFLUK forums suggesting another user use this site to help promote his own fantasy league. I know you’re not allowed to promote big money leagues on their anymore though so not sure that’s all too helpful…
Like I say, I’ll put the word round my end and cross my fingers we get some more takers - hopefully as we start to get into July / August more people will start to turn their minds back towards fantasy footballl.
Nice one jrt55555 - one thing I have no in with is BAFL players as it’s not something I ever did - play… but feel sure university teams and BAFL players some (if not many) must like fantasy NFL but as I never went to uni either never found a way to let them know about me and my games - unless they read posts by me on NFLUK - so if anyone does play the armature game or know someone that does think it would be good to try and get them involved or at least using this forum as once one does and likes it they often bring others on board.
I reckon Reddit and/or Fanduel forums might be another couple of places you might get some UK NFL lurkers
Is there a Separate playoff FAntasy League for the NFL playoffs only
I totally agree with Simon on promotion / relegation but if you do a mirror second league maybe the top 2-4 teams from each league can enter into a Champions league type scenario using the playoffs league if it exists?
I think tgis will be a nice extra element but the league will still be the focus?
Noel - That was a long post, will need to transfer to Kindle if they get any longer 
Just a quick note to say that you can buy the Draft Kits on Ebay.com and sellers will mail over if Drew is struggling.
As ‘League One’ was so enjoyable and successful, I’d replicate, if you have the time and inclination. Sounds like you would be able to get a new set of players and top up with some originals to make your 20-team target. From my point of view, I don’t enjoy keeper leagues as I want to concentrate in the task at hand not worry about the following year (when anyone with poor keepers tend to leave). You also lose the best couple of rounds of the Redraft the following season.
Cool I don’t really know about them places Simon - I’m certainly not on them but if you are by all means post about this site and my fantasy leagues so if anyone is interested they could come here to find out more - read my rules / info. and hopefully get involved. 
@Shani - As far as I know there’s nothing like that Shani so think it would just be best to keep to 2 separate leagues.
@Dean - Very interesting points mate but personally as I said I like the long term aspect and challenge. Will as I said see how things develop.