The MfL Rules and Regulations 2023/24

Welcome to Season 17 of The MfL. A new record number of managers this season with 32 in The Main League and 16 in The Championship. Thank you all for entering!

Firstly, if you haven’t already done so, everyone should join the following league regardless of which division you are in. This is a standard points league for all managers to use as reference when teams play each other from different leagues in the Cups.

https://fantasy.premierleague.com/leagues/auto-join/qyd4cp

ALSO…. Once the season gets started most correspondence (cup fixtures and results, manager of the month awards, random stats, etc) will be conducted via the WhatsApp group or the website theMfL.co.uk. If you’re not already on the WhatsApp group and want to be here’s the link:

Open this link to join my WhatsApp Group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/1taqYNDnSxF3h4rDh7CxSI

GAME PLAY

This is a Head-to-Head league. Points are scored each week using the usual rules of Fantasy Premier League (FPL). A managers points are scored against the other manager they have been drawn each gameweek. The manager with the highest points of the two gets 3 points, the lowest points get 0 points, and a draw is 1 point (points scored exactly the same as the Premier League). 

To play the game you need to access the FPL website or app to manage your team. Fixtures for both leagues are set by the FPL website via The MfL head to head league you have all join until the Divisional splits later in the season. Cup and divisional fixtures will be dealt with separately and posted on the website and the WhatsApp group. Points will be scored in exactly the same way though.

LEAGUE FORMAT

The Main League will function as has been for the previous few years. 32 teams, each team plays every other team once before the league splits into 4 divisions of 8, within which each team plays every other team in their division once. Division 1 champion is The MfL League Champion. The bottom 3 of Division 4 will be automatically relegated.

The Championship will be played like this: each team will play every other team 2 times, it which point they will split into two divisions of 8 teams. Each team plays every team in their division once before the champion is crowned and automatic promotion is granted to the top 2 and the winner of the play-off.

Promotion/Relegation

3 teams will be relegated from The MfL main league and the top two teams of the championship will be automatically promoted. In the final gameweek there will be a play-off between the 3rd and 4th placed teams in The Championship Division 1.

Fixtures for the first part of both leagues are determined by the Fantasy Premier League website (or app). Once the divisional stage starts fixtures will be posted on the MfL website and WhatsApp group. A full list of list of what is played in each gameweek can be found on the homepage of the website.

Manager of the Month and Spoon of the Month is awarded each month to the best and worst performing managers in The Main League, with a monetary prize for the MOTM. There will also be a MOTM and SOTM for The Championship but no monetary prize is attached.

THE MfL CUP

This cup will be played in a Champions League-style format, and will contain all 48 MfL teams. 

The 16 Championship teams will play a two-stage qualification round. Drawn randomly into 8 fixtures, all teams will face their opponent in a two-legged tie with the winners qualifying for the Group Stage of the cup. The losing 8 teams will enter a 2nd stage where they are drawn randomly into 4 fixtures, play another two-legged tie with the winners qualifying for the group stage of the cup. The 4 teams that lose are eliminated prior to the Group Stage.

From the group stage there will be 11 groups of 4 teams. Each team plays the other teams in their group twice. Groups will be drawn based on seedings determined by league position for The Main League teams, and highest scorers from the qualifying rounds for The Championship teams. The top two from each group will qualify for the knock-out stages, plus the 4 highest FPL points scoring 3rd placed teams from any groups (FPL points scored during cup fixtures).

The Knock-Out stage will be two legged up until the final. The 3 highest scoring losers from the 2nd round will be advance to the 3rd round. At any stage if their are equal highest scoring losers then a play-off will take place. Any drawn fixtures will go to a replay. Except for the final which, in the case of a draw, will be decided on FPL points scored through the Cup competition.

2nd Round (26 teams)

3rd Round (Round of 16)

Quarter-Finals

Semi-Finals

Final

THE WORTHLESS CUP

All 44 MfL teams will also compete in this competition. This is a straight knock-out, single legged rounds. 4 highest scoring losers from 1st Round and 3 highest scoring losers from 2nd Round will get through to the next round.

1st Round (44 teams)

2nd Round (26 teams)

3rd Round (Round of 16)

Money can be won for semi-finalists and finalists of The MfL Cup but The Worthless Cup is, traditionally, as the title suggests. Both competitions count as a “major” trophy.

REIGNING CHAMPIONS

2022/23 MfL League Champion

Spesh Maloney - St Ratford Villa

    This was Maloney’s 1st league title having been a founder member of The MfL (since 08/09). It was his 3rd major trophy and completes a career grandslam of the 3 major trophies (only the 3rd manager to achieve this). He has now won each major trophy once.

2021/22 MfL Cup Champion

Nicholas Lloyd - Twyford Tipplers

    Lloyd was a new manager last season and competed in The Championship becoming the first Championship manager to win a major cup trophy. And in his debut season.

2021/22 Worthless Cup Champion

Paul Freeman - Cantonian Thistle

    An MfL manager since season 2 this was Freeman’s 1st major trophy. Finally winning the trophy he lost in the final of in 2010/11!

2021/22 Championship Champion

Jon Pattenden - ExpectED Toulouse

    Champions in his 1st season, and promoted to the Main League at the first time of asking!

Other managers promoted from The Championship this season are Michael Horner (2nd place and automatic promotion), Chris Key and Nicholas Lloyd (3rd and 4th place - taking promotion from departing managers).

Division 2 Champion - Tom Cunningham

Division 3 Champion - James Duke

Division 4 Champion - Ed Rea

Championship Div 2 Champion - Jack Loxton

NEW TO THE LEAGUE

We welcome a few new managers this season, we hope you enjoy the game format! Welcome please:

Dayle Hodge

Duncan Waugh

Simon Wood

Frank Tontoh

Darren Hodge

Dan Wilkinson

Thalia Klair and Ben Price (joint managers)

And we also welcome back David Freeman who started way back in Season 3 (10/11) and has competed in 5 seasons over 2 previous stints in the league with a highest league finish of 7th in Division 1 (12/13 and 16/17) along with Quarter-Final appearances in both cups.

PRIZE MONEY

The prize money for The MfL is as follows: