EPL Fun Pool 2 - Here We Go Again

The goal of this pool is for people to enjoy themselves watching soccer. It is meant to be an alternative to fantasy sports and/or gambling, while still giving people something to root for. Instead of rooting for something that nobody else cares about — i.e. your fantasy team — root for a team that you can enjoy with other people! Cheer for that team to win the game, to qualify for Europe, to win the league! Go to a pub! Have friends over! Watch with your kids! In any case, I hope you have fun.

- Jackson

How does it work?

The basic structure is: you have a $60 budget to spend on four English Premier League (EPL) teams, with the prices listed below. you have to pick four, no more no less. At the end of the season, you get points based on how those 4 teams finish in the English Premier League and/or which European competitions they qualify for next season. :

  • EPL Champion - 50 Points

  • Qualify for Champions League - 30 Points

  • Qualify for Europa League - 20 Points

  • Qualify for Europa Conference League - 15 Points

  • Finish in Top Half of EPL Table - 10 Points

  • Relegated (Finish in the bottom 3) - NEGATIVE 20 Points

As we saw last season, there are many factors that determine which competition teams will qualify for — where they finish in the EPL winning various other cups — so the best advice is to not think too hard about it, pick some teams you want to watch, and just have fun with it. Last year’s winner Molly Schroeder sealed her victory because 12th place Crystal Palace unexpectedly won the FA Cup. To quote Paul Bettany, “who the fuck knows right?”

What’s new this year?

This year, we are adding a new element to get the FA Cup involved as well. You will select one of the three tiers below, and anytime a team from your tier beats a team from a higher tier (including EPL teams), you get 1 point added to your score*. The tiers — and some of the extremely British team names in each — are:

  • EFL Championship (2nd tier of English Football)

    • Sheffield Wednesday, Queens Park Rangers, Wrexham

  • League One (3rd tier of English Football)

    • Plymouth Argyle, Stevenage, Huddersfield Town

  • League Two and below (4th - 8th tier of English Football)

    • Accrington Stanley, Scunthorpe United, Dagenham & Redbridge

So for example, if you pick “League One” and any team from League One wins an FA Cup match against a team from EFL Championship OR the EPL, you get 1 point added to your score for the season. If you pick “League Two and below” you get points anytime they beat a team from the EPL, Championship, or League One.

* This will begin with the FA Cup 3rd Round, since Rounds 1 and 2 are just between the lower division teams.

Tiebreakers

If two or more people are tied on points at the end of the season, the tiebreakers are as follows:

  • Any $ you didn’t spend from your initial $60 budget will be added to your score

  • Sum of the EPL standings across your 4 teams (i.e. having a team finish 2nd is better than 3rd, even though they receive the same points)

  • Sum of goals scored across your 4 teams

  • Closest on the tiebreaker submitted, which is your guess of the total goals scored across your 4 teams