Imagine if you will a league where salary caps are no longer, where athletes play for o money and where any player can be traded without an argument. Unless you just won Powerball and had a memory lapse or you are a Riensdorf, such a league is hard to imagine. But I am here to guide you to the “promise land” of fantasy football.

My goal has two objectives. The first being, to spread the wisdom of how these leagues are comprised. The second being, how you can learn to eat, sleep, and absorb football every single Sunday.

Here are a few basics to establishing your own Fantasy Football League:

First and foremost, rules must be established. Electing a commissioner of the league best does this. Picking one can be more difficult than it appears. All trade must be registered through the commissioner. All lineups for the week must be called in to him. He is responsible for not only a regular but also a re-entry draft later in the year. The commissioner is also responsible for a newsletter every week where schedules, records and transactions are listed. Finally, the commissioner is responsible for tallying the points for the week. If you enjoy numbers, stats and complaints, this is the job for you.

Once that is established and you have picked your commissioner, formatting the league is next. You must determine how many teams will make up your league. Anywhere from 8 to16 teams are needed to form a league, but be forewarned that the more teams you have the less the amount of talented player are available. The number of draft rounds must also be determined.

Now a point system needs to be established. There are many variations of this, make sure you fully examine them before you jump in. Getting points for sacks and losing them for fumbles can be fun but it can be a lot of work for the commissioner, so be reasonable. The system I recommend is that all touchdowns are six points expcept for touchdown passes which only count for four points. This evens out the league and makes every player just as valuable. Points for a place-kicker count as they would in a regular game: three points for a field goal and one for an extra point.

The most important part is developing a schedule. Teams should play 14 games. Week 15 serves as a playoff and the following week will count as the Super Bowl. Remember, the later you go in a season the greater the chances that one of your players will be benched to rest for the “real” post-season.w you are ready to start. If you want to learn more about forming a league hop over to your local Crown Books and pick up any copy of a fantasy football book. It will explain all the y footelements and get you well on your way to start your to joining the religion of fantasball.