Planning Starts Now For Draft Day

Posted On Friday, May 21, 2010 by JakeTrain |

Football season is revving up the engines and die-hard fantasy football enthusiasts are already inhaling every mock draft, list of rankings and position battle news they can find. It may be on the early side for planning your 2010 fantasy football roster but it isn’t too early to start planning the perfect fantasy football draft! READ MORE



If you have never been a fantasy football commissioner, you probably don’t realize the amount of planning and preparation that goes into staging one of the most enjoyable-and often memorable-times an “adult” can have annually: his/her fantasy football draft. To help make this occasion a success, fantasy football commissioners should start planning now.

Hurdle number one is always getting everyone in the league in the same place at the same time. Fantasy football is never going to trump most real life responsibilities for most of us so the best way to ensure you will have time for a fantasy football draft is to simply plan it early. As someone who has been in this position, it’s far easier said than done.

There are two ways to take on this challenge. The first way involves setting the time and date before filling the league. In doing so, you can simply fill the league with people who are available to be a part of the draft. If there is a conflict, you just keep looking before filling the spot. This method requires some time, which is why you should start sooner than later.

The second approach and probably the more common in leagues where most members are returning from previous patronage, is to conduct a quick survey. Talk to your league’s members and find out what dates are absolutely in conflict with their schedule. Also find out any preferences to location and potential budgetary concerns each member may have. Once this information is gathered, use it in selecting the best time, date and venue to hold your league’s draft. Providing these details to your league in late May and early June gives them enough time to plan accordingly and be in attendance.

Lastly, I want to mention draft proxies. A proxy is someone who essentially represents the owner of the team and drafts in their absence. Using a proxy works as often as it fails. Regardless, make sure everyone in the league is aware of the situation prior to the draft. If a proxy is to be used, make sure the entire league knows who the proxy will be and has time to voice concern or veto that person’s involvement. I’m not against using a proxy when needed, but I would express caution to any commission in handling these situations as it can lead to problems at the draft and throughout the season.


Rules of Thumb For Draft Planning

Plan early. You should be sending out reminders, not invitations in the weeks leading up to your draft. Make sure EVERYONE is planning early, not just you. One bad egg can make the whole room stink on draft day!

Better to have more room than not enough. I hate walking into a draft and finding myself having to cover up my rankings like a 4th grader taking a math test or worried about spilling my drink across the keys of my laptop because there isn’t enough room to work.

Extra seating and tables. Along with having plenty of room, being prepared to accommodate more people and their needs not only makes life easier but also makes everyone happy!

Electrical needs and equipment. If needed, who is bringing extension cords and/or power strips, internet routers and/or wires and if you are having it at a local eatery be sure to find out if you need to tape down wires and cords prior to the draft.

Non-participant support. Most commissioners also have a team to draft. If you think you are going to run the event as well as draft a championship caliber team you better have a horseshoe nearby! Find some nice people to lend a hand and don’t forget they need to know as early as possible too!

Draft etiquette. Expectations should be discussed and understood by EVERYONE involved with the draft. Everyone runs with different crowds and has differing views on what “happens” at a fantasy football draft. Make sure league participants are on the same page in terms of what the draft should be regarding food, smoking, beverage, language, are girlfriends/boyfriends/children allowed etc.

Be committed. If you are the commissioner and tell your league the draft will be live, the time and energy you put into making it happen falls under your duties as commissioner. If you don’t have the desire and passion to make a live draft successful, use an alternative style of draft.


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