MORE INFORMATION ON

FOR THE POTENTIAL MANAGER

Contents : Rulebooks : Season & Fees : Bidding Tips : 1st Round Bidding Tips

• Weekly internet access is recommended to fully enjoy this most interactive fantasy football manager game. However, your club will still play competitively in your absence.
• An e-mail address is necessary for notification and instructions during the bidding rounds.
• Internet browser (Netscape, Internet Explorer, Version4.0 or higher) capable of Javascript is required.

THE RULEBOOKS

• The "General Rules of S.L.F." (linkable from SLF menu) explains basic rules and how to bid for a squad of players. You may then sit back to watch your same 18 player team win or lose each week. This is a 'lounge-chair' and very basic way of playing SLF.
• Interactivity begins with weekly team selection. Each week you can select a new team 18 from your squad of 28. Make changes according to real life scoring ability (or lack of !). Previous week line-up is used if no input is made by you the manager. You can also enter the AFL tipping competition, and also send inter-league messages.
• To fully enjoy Simulated League Football game play, the "Club Management" booklet is available from SLF menu to registered managers with Adobe Acrobat Reader. This allows you to advance into full simulation of the real football world. Become your club's management board, team selector, manager, scout, publicity officer and treasurer all in one. Deal with player transfers, wages, poachings, gate money, grandstands, executive boxes, home-match tickets, memberships, sponsors, crowd violence, television, night game fixtures, cheer squads and AFL tipping competition.
• Don't worry if something doesn't make sense now, it will come with experience. You are not expected, nor required to become an expert of the SLF game in one season. Strategies and tactics will never be the same. If ever you get into difficulty with any rulings you can e-mail S.L.F.

S.L.F. SEASON AND FEES

• An SLF season can begin anytime during the AFL season, typically March to September. All SLF games (home and away matches and 2 weeks of finals) are played each round of AFL matches. Obviously the earlier the better, so act quickly for maximum entertainment !
• A new league begins as soon as 10 manager applications, bids and funds are obtained. Due to high demand of fantasy football, any waiting period will not be long, and there are many leagues of 10 clubs.
• Three bidding rounds then occur in less than two weeks prior to the playing season.
• Please allow approximately one week for fund transfer to be approved. You can always alter your bids if necessary before your player bids are due to be processed.
• Await e-mail confirmation for league, password, and next bidding round deadline info.
• If you submit bids before any processing deadline and then wish to change your mind, you can. The most recent set of bids sent to SLF will be used, and previous bids ignored.
• Ensure your $20 fee payment is made ... best value entertainment dollar you'll ever spend, with great chance of winning.

SQUAD BIDDING TIPS

• If you think the game is as easy as picking a team of scoring full-forwards, then think again! SLF rules limit the number of forwards you can select. Your squad is more effective with many players who score a goal or two, rather than a player or two who score many goals (Consider injury or suspension).
• Everyone will be interested in the big name full forwards. You must bid big to get them, but you each have only $2 million to spend in the first round. Should you spend $1,000k each on 2 big name players ?, or split the $2,000k evenly between 15 players ?, or make conservative $1 to 10k bids on 15 lesser known players to gain more spending power next round ???. Its up to you, I suggest somewhere between all 3 options !, see below.
• The total of your bids can exceed $2000k; You wont necessarily sign up all of your choices (10 successful bids is above average), so you wont spend all of what you bid with.
• Some times, all 10 managers ignore the biggest name player. You could have signed him for $1k in bidding round 1, rather than a fortune in round 2.
• All managers retain all unspent money in any bidding round to use in future bidding rounds and the SLF season.
• Remember your remaining bank balance increases by $2 million before second bidding round, and $1 million before third (final) bidding round.
• You need money for wages, ground improvements, increasing contracts, tradings, poachings, fines, making money, etc. I suggest saving about $700k of that final million.
• Excessive bids are often made in the 2nd and 3rd rounds in desperate attempts to get the remaining goalscorer(s), and/or trying to get their desirable team of 18 players.

FIRST ROUND BIDDING TIPS

• You've got $2000k ($2 million) to spend on 15 players most capable of scoring AFL goals...
• Go to the "Player List" link from the SLF menu.
• Select 4 of your favourite Forwards, and bid $350k on each of them.
• Select 2 lesser known forwards who you think people will not think of, and bid $1k each.
• Select 3 or 4 Half Forwards, Bid $250k each
• Select 3 or 2 Ruck / Rovers, bid $200k each
• Select 1 Centre, 1 Half Back and 1 Back, Bid $51k on each of these, ignore the most obvious choice, these blokes could go for 100s of $k, and may not be best value for money.
• Don't be scared to deviate from these bid values, you're not the only one with this info !
• Bid $101k, it simply beats all other common bids of $100k ;-)
• The total of your bids can exceed $2000k; You wont necessarily sign up all of your choices (10 successful bids is above average), so you wont spend all of what you bid with.
• It is not uncommon for managers to sign less than 5 players in bidding round 1, if they bid too low for popular players. However, don't despair, retention of unspent money in round 1 allows you to submit higher bids for the best remaining players in the second bidding round.
• As a very simplified example, use 15 bids of $200k each (total = $3000k, allowed), rather than 15 bids of $133k (total = $1995). Your bids are 50% higher, and with typical 5 bids not highest, you have more chance to sign 10 players.
• If you have 15 bids totalling above $4000k, you'll most likely run out of funds before last bid is processed.