AGAIN this season, the EARLY ENTRY BONUS is in play which worth 750pts. So, what does Athis mean? Well, if you enter the competition before NOON on Saturday, August 5, you will receive those EARLY ENTRY BONUS points. I was going to increase the EARLY ENTRY BONUS this season because I thought it wasn’t that much of a benefit compared with entry close to the August 2023 deadline. However, I have changed my mind because the top three winners in the FNL 2022/23 competition entered before the season started. So, I believe if you pick the right teams, you do have a great chance of winning so the EARLY ENTRY BONUS in my eyes is about right.
I still get emails and calls commenting on the fact that we allow people to enter the competition nearly four weeks into the season. The reason for this is that a lot of our players don’t buy the paper until the season has started. Ideally, I would love to start the competition before the season starts but if we did, we would only have around half the players we normally have. My normal answer to everyone that asks this question is everyone can start either before the season starts or before the deadline at the end of August. In fact, I know that many players enter at least two teams – one before the season starts and one before August 31.
There will again be Manager of the Month awards, though this season it will be two in total – the top team and the bottom team each month. In total, there will be eight Manager of the Month awards with the last one being April 2024. However, this season the first Manager of the Month will not be a joint one. It will be just September 2023.
At the End of the Season there will be cash prizes for the top three places and once again we will have my personal favourite – aprize for finishing bottom, so why not enter two teams: one to win it and one to lose it. If you have never tried to finish bottom then give it a go, it is not easy! Again, this season you will be competing for the Barrie New Bottom Spot! Every season I like to make a few changes to the competition and this season is no different. This season there will be three changes. (So please make sure to take note of the changes).
I am changing the scoring system slightly. This season if you win a game but concede goals against, you will lose a point for each goal you concede. So, for example, if you won 2-1 at home last season you would have scored 12pts. This season it will be 11pts as you will lose a point for the goal you have conceded. If you won a game 5-2 away from home last season, it would have been 30pts, but this season because of the two goals conceded you will lose 2pts, giving you 28pts.
At the end of each month, I have been awarding 25 bonus points to each of the real-world league leaders and -25 bonus points to the team in bottom spot. These bonuses only apply to the main FNL score, not the Manager of the Month scores. This season I will be awarding bonus points each month to the top three and the bottom three. These points will be at the top 30pts, 15pts & 7pts and at the bottom it will be -30pts, -15pts & -7pts.
Finally, I am revamping the End of the Season Bonus points for The Mixture league. After some input and thoughts from some of you, I have decided to alter things slightly. This is happening because last season three other clubs won their respective leagues – Macclesfield, Berkhamsted and AFC Totton and none of these teams received points for that feat. This will be explained better in the End of the Season Bonus section of this season’s rules.
PRIZE MONEY 2023-24
OVERALL WINNER £1,500! 2ND £500, 3RD £200, 4TH £100, BOTTOM £100
MANAGER OF THE MONTH 1ST £25, 2ND £10, 3RD £5, BOTTOM £10
THE RULES FOR FNL 2023/24: (Please read these very carefully). You will need to choose 3 teams from each of the eight leagues. (Which will give you a total of 24 teams). Then you will need to nominate 3 BONUS TEAMS and they can come from any of the 8 leagues. (Please note the bonus teams are no different to the first 24 you have picked).
Finally, you must pick your 3 FNL JOKER TEAMS from the 27 teams you have already picked. Those three teams will receive double points throughout the season. That will include all bonuses awarded during the season, it will also include the End of Season bonuses. The FNL Joker teams must be teams you have already picked.
Also, if you wish you can pick 5 substitute teams, but these 5 teams must be on your FNL 2023/24 Entry Form. (More on the substitutes later in this season’s rules).
Points allocation, in all eight leagues. (Slight change to last season). League & Cup games:
Home win = 10pts + goals Away win = 20pts + goals
Home Draw = 2pt + goals Away Draw = 4pts + goals
Home Defeat = -10pts Away defeats = -5pts
Every goal scored = 1pt (This counts if your team wins, draws or loses).
Every goal conceded (Win & Defeat only)
-1pt. (The win part of this is new for this season as stated above).
Goal Bonus Points = 5pts (This is awarded if your teams score 4 or more goals, but only if they win or draw).
Clean Sheet Bonus = 5pts (This is awarded for both wins and 0-0 draws).
Concede 4 goals = -5pts (This does not apply to drawn games).
(Two-legged ties count as two separate games. Cup replays that go to penalties. The penalties are only used to decide the winner. No points are awarded for the penalties scored).
Bonus points for reaching various rounds in each Cup competition:
For reaching the FA Cup 1st round proper and each round beyond = 25pts.
For reaching the Quarter-finals and each round beyond in all the other cups that are involved in the competition, which are listed below = 25pts.
League Leaders & Bottom Club bonus: As mentioned in article 2 of this season’s changes. At the end of each month up to and including April 2024, the top three teams leading each of the eight leagues will be awarded 30pts, 15pts & 7pts respectively. The bottom three teams of the eight leagues will be awarded -30pts, -15pts & 7pts respectively. The Mixture bonus points will be allocated based on the top three and worst three teams over the eight leagues that are included in The Mixture. (Please remember and this is important: these bonus points will only count towards the main FNL season total and not the Manager of the Month points).
Manager of the Month Bonus Points. Each month the best and worst team in each of the eight leagues will be awarded 25pts & -25pts respectively. (These bonus points only count in the Manager of the Month calculations).
Play-Off Games: The actual Play-Off games themselves will be awarded points as if they were league games. The Play-Off Final winners will be awarded 50pts for gaining promotion. (These points will be awarded at the end of the season).
End of Season Bonus Points: (These points will be awarded at the end of the FNL Season in May 2024). All League Champions will receive 250pts for winning their respective leagues.
The bottom team only in each league at the end of the season’s Fantasy Non-League will be awarded -250 bonus points.
Cup Winners will receive 250pts for the FA Trophy and 150pts for the other Cups.
Play-Off Winners will receive 50pts.
Remember if your FNL Joker team get these bonuses, they will be doubled. For example, a league winner picked in August 2023 at the start of the FNL Season will win you 500pts.
The Mixture will be slightly different this season as stated above. As you know, The Mixture is made up from eight different leagues. Eight teams from each, the Northern, Isthmian and Southern Division One Leagues. The 250pts and -250pts at the end of the season will go to the best and worst team in the whole league. However, if any of the other clubs in The Mixture wins their respective league or get relegated, they will receive 150pts or -150pts. This will be halved if you substitute the respective teams in the transfer window.
Substituted teams will be awarded half the End of Season bonus points & the full Play-Off Winners bonus.
The following Leagues and Cup competitions will be involved in this season’s Fantasy Non-League:
National League FA Cup and FA Trophy. National North FA Cup and FA Trophy. National South FA Cup and FA Trophy. Northern Premier FA Cup, FA Trophy and League Cup Isthmian Premier FA Cup, FA Trophy and League Cup Southern Premier Central FA Cup, FA Trophy and League Cup Southern Premier South FA Cup, FA Trophy and League Cup The Mixture FA Cup, FA Trophy, League Cups.
Use of Substitutions. As stated above, you can select five substitutes on your FNL 2023/24 Entry Forms and out of those five substitutes you can use all five of them. Again, this season there will be only one substitution window and that will be during the month of December 2023 with your selected changes taking effect from January 1, 2024. Details on how to use your substitutions will be released nearer the time during the month of November 2023. Please also note you can change your FNL Joker teams on January 1, 2024 if you wish, but this will count as one of your Substitutions.
