Fantasy Dugout: Complete Game Guide

Fantasy Dugout is a season-long fantasy football league where managers draft a squad of real players at the start of the season, then score points based on those players' real-world performances each gameweek. Leagues can use an auction or snake draft to build squads, and can score on a classic (total points) or head-to-head basis — chosen when the league is created and fixed for the season.

Each league follows a fixed lifecycle:

Any user can create a league from the dashboard. Once created, the creator becomes the league chairman. The chairman can promote other members to admin — giving them access to the admin panel — and can transfer the chairman role itself. Only the chairman can manage roles; regular admins cannot.

League settings

The admin configures the following before the draft begins — most settings are locked once the draft is confirmed:

• League name — the name displayed across the app.
• Draft format — auction or snake draft (see §03). Auction leagues also set an auction budget (e.g. £50M) that every manager receives equally; snake draft leagues have no budget.
• Transfer budget — a separate budget (e.g. £30M) each manager has to spend on players throughout the season via transfer windows.
• Squad size — the total number of players each manager must own at any time (default: 15).
• Starting XI size — how many players score points each gameweek (default: 11).

Position rules

The admin sets minimum (and optionally maximum) position requirements for the Starting XI. Two configuration options shape which positions exist in your league:

• Defender split — defenders can be tracked as a single DEF position (min. 4 in the XI), or split into Full Backs (FB) and Centre Backs (CB) separately (min. 2 each). The split option lets scoring rules differ between the two — for example, giving clean sheet bonuses only to CBs.
• Defensive midfielder — leagues can optionally introduce a DM position alongside the standard MID. When enabled, DMs are treated like defenders for scoring purposes (they qualify for the appearance, clean sheet, and goals conceded bonuses).

Scoring rules

The admin can customise how many points each in-game event is worth, including which positions it applies to and any conditions that must be met. The default scoring setup is shown in  05 below.

Inviting managers

The admin can share an invite link at any point — settings do not need to be finalised first. Invited managers create an account (or log in), join the league, and set their team name.

The draft is how managers build their squads at the start of each season. The league admin chooses the draft format when creating the league — either an auction or a snake draft. Both formats can be run online (live on this platform) or offline (however the league likes, with results uploaded afterwards). The format is fixed for the season.

Auction draft

In an auction, every manager is given the same budget (e.g. £50M) and bids against each other for players. The highest bidder wins the player at the price they bid. Fantasy Dugout uses a results-upload model — the league runs its auction however it likes (in person, on a video call, via a spreadsheet) and the admin then uploads the results.

Snake draft

In a snake draft, there is no budget — managers simply take turns picking one player each. The pick order reverses every round, so the manager who picks last in round one picks first in round two, and so on.

Snake drafts can be run live on the platform (online) or offline and uploaded. Draft order for the first season is randomised; in subsequent seasons, the manager with the lowest points from the previous season picks first.

Your squad

Each manager owns a squad of players (default 15). You can view your squad at any time on the My Squad page, which shows each player's position, club, purchase price, acquisition method (auction or transfer window), and their total points for the season.

The Starting XI

For each fixture kickoff slot you select 11 players from your squad to score points — your Starting XI. The XI must meet your league's position rules (e.g. at least 1 GK, 2 CBs, etc.).

• Selections are locked at the kickoff time of each fixture slot.
• If you haven't selected by kickoff, an auto-pick fills your XI based on position requirements.
• Only the 11 players in your Starting XI score points for that fixture — players on your bench do not.

Points are awarded based on real player performances. Stats are entered by the league admin after each gameweek's fixtures. Your Starting XI players' points are added to your weekly and season totals.

Classic scoring

In a classic league, managers are ranked by their total accumulated fantasy points across the season. The manager with the most points at the end of the season wins.

Head-to-head scoring

In a head-to-head (H2H) league, each manager is paired against a different opponent every gameweek. The manager who scores more fantasy points that week wins the matchup. Results are awarded as follows:

• Win — score more fantasy points than your opponent → 3 H2H points
• Draw — equal fantasy points → 1 H2H point each
• Loss — score fewer fantasy points → 0 H2H points

The league table in H2H mode is ranked by H2H points (not total fantasy points). Fixtures are generated automatically when the league is created and cover the full season.

Default scoring rules

During the season, managers can improve their squads by bidding on free agents — players not owned by anyone in the league. Transfers use a private bid system: all bids are hidden until the window closes.

Transfer budget

Each manager starts with a separate transfer budget (e.g. £30M), distinct from any draft budget. This is the only money you can use for in-season transfers. Winning bids are deducted from this budget; losing bids cost nothing.

Transfer windows

The admin opens transfer windows at their discretion — typically once a week or between gameweeks. Each window has an opening and closing time. Here's the process:

Releasing players

Players can only leave your squad by being nominated as part of a transfer bid. When you bid on a free agent and your squad is at capacity, you select one of your existing players to release in their place. That player is only released if your bid wins — so you never lose a player unless the replacement comes in. Released players immediately become free agents, available for any manager to bid on in any future transfer window.

Bid rules

• You can only bid up to your remaining transfer budget.
• You can update or cancel a bid at any time while the window is open.
• If you need to make room in your squad, you must nominate a player to release as part of your bid.
• Losing bids are free — your budget is only spent when you win.

Transfer history

The Transfers page shows a full history of all completed windows, including every bid placed, who won each player, and the winning price paid.

The Standings page is the main scoreboard for your league. How managers are ranked depends on the scoring format — classic leagues rank by total fantasy points, H2H leagues rank by H2H points accumulated through weekly matchups.

Season tab — Classic leagues

The Season tab shows the full league table: team name, manager name, this week's points, total season points, and a form indicator (based on the last 5 gameweeks). Your row is highlighted so you can find yourself instantly.

Season tab — H2H leagues

In a head-to-head league, the Season tab shows each manager's win/draw/loss record and their total H2H points. Managers are ranked by H2H points rather than fantasy points. Individual gameweek fixtures — showing which teams were paired and the fantasy point scores — are available alongside the table.

Analytics tab

The Analytics tab displays a cumulative points chart showing how every manager's season has progressed gameweek by gameweek. You can filter by specific teams and restrict the gameweek range to zoom into key periods of the season.

Historical seasons

Use the season selector to view standings from previous seasons. All history is preserved when the admin starts a new season.

The Stats page shows a league-wide leaderboard of all player performances across the season. You can filter by position and club to scout free agents or track your own players.

Stats shown include total points, goals, assists, clean sheets, and more — helping you decide who to target in the next transfer window.

At the end of each season, the league admin awards three trophies. These are displayed on the Trophies page and preserved permanently in the league's history.

Trophies from all seasons are shown together on one page, building up a permanent hall of fame as your league continues year after year.

Once the season is finished and trophies have been awarded, the admin can start a fresh season directly from the admin panel. Here's what happens:

• The season year advances (e.g. 2025/26 → 2026/27).
• All squad players are released — every manager starts with an empty squad.
• Auction and transfer budgets are reset to the configured defaults.
• The league returns to Draft status, ready for a new auction.
• All previous season data — standings, stats, trophies — is preserved and viewable.