Football FAQs
If your question isn’t answered here, you can send it via the feedback form, or check discussions on the public board. Also, if you're a newbie, don't forget to check out the Tips page.
Yes. Ads are the main source of revenue keeping this site running. Ads are not ideal, but they allow me to offer this site for free, which most of our users appreciate. Many wonderful people also donate. Donors are allowed to be in more leagues at once. In recent years, we started requiring a donation to run a league, because we found it cut down on the number of insincere commissioners.
One person built and runs this website. I have a normal day job, and I do what I can in my spare time.
This website is "responsive" which means it will fit on any screen. But, we also have a mobile app available in the iPhone and Android App Stores. Just search for the PennantChase App!
You manage your team by setting the lineup, deciding on strategy, etc., and the game results are determined by computer simulation.
In earlier years, I loved PC baseball games like Earl Weaver and MicroLeague. I wanted to move my league online, so I built my own simulator and website. In recent years, I tried other online leagues out of curiosity, but wasn’t thrilled with the cost, and I always had complaints about the results, limitations and usability.
That depends on the league your commissioner has decided to set up, or which league you join. It could be All-Time Greats, modern players, or completely fictional – or a combination. We can use real football stats because football sim, much like fantasy football, relies solely on real-life stats, which are public-domain material.
I am listed as the commissioner for all Auto Leagues, but they essentially run on auto-pilot. I do not monitor these leagues, but there are rules in place to try to keep them as fair as possible. Contact me via one of the many forms on the site if you're having issues with an auto league.
Yes, but it takes a lot of work and dedication, and it's bad for the site if we have commissioners who aren't really dedicated. That's why we now require a donation before you can run a league. You should first visit the Test Drive league to see if you are comfortable running your own league. Then you can create your own league via the link on the homepage of the Test Drive league.
In Auto Leagues, the games start after all teams have an owner and all teams have drafted. For more details on Auto League, please read all the information on your league's homepage. For other leagues, check with your individual commissioner.
For private leagues, this is at the discretion of your commissioner, and whether the commissioner allows user's to sim games. For Auto Leagues, barring any issues with the servers, auto-sims run about every 24 hours. Users in the league can trigger games every 24 hours as well. See your league homepage or "My League List" for more details.
I personally don't like salary cap leagues, because it usually means one player can show up on multiple teams, or it's used to help "inactive" owners remain competitive. In our leagues, active owners have the advantage, as it should be. Also, if you draft the player, he's on your team alone - there are no duplicate years for one player in a league.
Some sim games use arbitrary ratings instead of real football stats to determine results. I prefer using stats because they are not arbitrary, and because real-life stats have been ruled by law to be public domain.
Prior to 1970, it's not easy to find crucial stats. This makes it hard to have those players in a stats-based sim game.
Because you aren’t very smart. Just kidding! Hey, this is a game, don’t take it too seriously. It takes some time to learn how the simulator works – and even when you think you’ve figured it out, it doesn’t always play out as you expect. Make sure you consider all stats, defense is important! Make sure you have set your depth chart and aren't allowing players (especially RB and QB) to pass or run over their real-life stats. Please see the Tips page for more info!
