How to Win the Saints Fantasy Premier League

The Saint spoke to the league leader in the football club's FPL League

The Premier League is the most-watched football league in the world. Fantasy Premier League (FPL) has captivated the minds of many aspiring football managers.

For those unacquainted, FPL is a virtual game where players rely on the performances of real-life football players to gain points for their own team. 

FPL playership has skyrocketed in the last decade, rising from three to over eleven million players. St Andrews is no exception to this FPL outpouring, with a variety of students becoming consumed by the competition. 

One of the town’s numerous student leagues is the Saints Fantasy League, consisting of an assembly of students who participate in the University’s Six-a-Side and Sunday League, eager for some virtual footballing competition.

The Saint sat down to speak with a couple of the leading managers in the league. 

The league leader, Maximilian Volmar, only began playing fantasy football at the start of the season, but is sitting pretty at the top of the table. 

“I have always been a Bayern Munich fan, but now I follow the Premier League closely because of FPL,” the manager of Bukayo Sakmaballs said. 

“This season has been unpredictable and competitive,” Volmar continued. With many influential players failing to hit their marks this season, and several new talents emerging in the Premier League, many fantasy teams have endured a rollercoaster season so far. 

Volmar also commented on the pleasure of participating in the FPL league. “Football is already so captivating, but playing FPL just adds another dimension to the entertainment, especially when competing against other students.”

The German student told The Saint his secrets to success. “I try [to] have a balanced team of both players that are consistent point scorers and shorter-term picks with favourable fixtures,” he said. “I put in players who I think are good but may have been ‘unlucky’ but look like picking up points.”

The league’s organiser, Laki Palaniappan, is an experienced fantasy player.

“I’ve [run] a league [with] friends from home for years now and thought it was time to bring it to St Andrews,” Palaniappan told The Saint.

This campaign, he is hopeful for a high finish with his side, Lakinfenwa, having won the league last season. 

“I have been doing my best Newcastle impression,” said Palaniapan, disappointed with his season so far. He nonetheless stays positive ahead of the run-in — “A lot can change between now and the season’s end.”

Palaniappan remains hopeful of catching up to the top spot of the league. “Volmar will have to watch his back,” he said. “He has used three of his chips with seven rounds to go, which could prove to be a major error.”

As with any other friendly league, the Saints Fantasy League includes a forfeit for the bottom-place team. 

The manager of BasedBillyBunter, who remains anonymous, will have to stage a great escape to avoid the forfeit of taking a cardboard cutout on a date. The Bunters find themselves in a similar position to the Wolves, with a sizable gap at the bottom of the league.  

As for me, I’ve had a poor FPL season. My advice? Do not captain Viktor Gyökeres and do not place any faith in Tottenham players keeping clean sheets.

It remains to be seen who will prevail in this season’s Saints FPL.