NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, FanDuel announced the launch of “Championship“ leagues – a new and improved way to play season-long fantasy sports with friends, family and colleagues. Available on FanDuel in time for the upcoming NFL season, the new leagues give fans the opportunity to play season-long fantasy using FanDuel’s salary cap roster format, without having to deal with typical issues that arise in traditional season-long formats, such as injuries, dues collection and payment, or friends who lose interest and stop playing midseason. The new leagues also give participants the opportunity to win more throughout the season – dues are collected upfront and commissioners can pre-set weekly winner payouts and the end-of-season grand prize.
“Championship” leagues will provide participants with increased in-season flexibility compared to traditional season-long leagues. Unlike the existing formats that lock after Week 1, FanDuel’s new offering will allow friends to create new leagues at any time throughout the NFL season. Once “Championship” leagues are formed, participants will create a new lineup each week using FanDuel’s salary cap roster format, which will allow participants to overcome unexpected injuries or move on from underperforming players.
“We’re entering football season stronger than ever and are changing the way people play season-long fantasy – we’ve truly designed an offering with commissioners in mind,” said Nigel Eccles, CEO, FanDuel. “This is our big jump into the season-long fantasy market and there isn’t another product that gives users the flexibility and prize options that we have now.”
The new “Championship” leagues will launch for the 2017-2018 NFL season and include the following features:
- More opportunities to win: “Championship” league participants now have additional opportunities to win throughout the season, encouraging participants to stay active and ultimately keep the league competitive until the end. When joining a “Championship” league, participants play against friends for weekly prizes in addition to an end-of-season grand prize. The grand prize is determined by who ranks first on the main “Championship” leaderboard at the end of the season.
- Increased flexibility: “Championship” league participants will create a new lineup each week, using FanDuel’s salary cap roster format that makes all eligible players available to each participant every week. Unlike traditional season-long leagues, with “Championship” leagues, participants no longer need to invest too much time in an underperforming top draft pick or have their season end early when a top player suffers an injury at the beginning of the season.
- Stress-free commissioner tools: “Championship” leagues make it easier than ever for any fan to become a commissioner right from their mobile phone, reducing the stress that commissioners usually face. “Championship” league commissioners can set-up a league in less than two minutes, choosing the league size and entry fee. They can also create a league at any time during the NFL season, giving sports fans more flexibility than other fantasy sports platforms, and eliminating the pain points that come with live drafting.
- One-time entry fee: After a commissioner creates a “Championship” league and invites friends to join, participants pay a one-time entry fee, split between weekly prizes and the end-of-season grand prize. By paying entry fees upfront, contests are guaranteed to run each week*1, meaning participants don’t have to wait for everyone in the league to enter and commissioners don’t have to chase down friends for payment. Unlike traditional season-long leagues, where a leaguemate’s failure to set a lineup can cost other participants a playoff spot, with “Championship” leagues, that failure increases other participants odds of winning that week.
- Flexible season: Unlike traditional season-long leagues, “Championship” leagues continue into the NFL postseason, meaning the competition doesn’t stop at the end of the regular season.
For more information and to learn more about Championship leagues and Friends Mode, please visit http://fanduel.com/championship-commish.
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| 1 Per FanDuel rules, a weekly contest within a Championship league will run if 2 or more people join. If 1 or 0 people enter, that contest is canceled and the prize money that would have been awarded is added to the grand prize. |