Fantasy Non-League 2025-26 Details and How To Enter

INTRODUCTION TO FANTASY NON-LEAGUE

Well, here we go again, it only feels like yesterday that we were finishing last season’s competition.

This season’s Fantasy Non-League will again only cost you £5 to enter. The FNL 2025/26 entry deadline will be Midnight on Sunday 31st August 2025. It is very important that you read the rules very closely as I am making as I always do some changes to the competition this season.

My website can be found at https://iwfantasyfootball.yolasite.com/ .

TWO WAYS TO PAY:

ENTER AND PAY VIA CHEQUE / DOWNLOAD FORM

ENTER AND PAY ONLINE

Pay £5 to enter and then you will get the link to the online form to enter.

Again, this season the EARLY ENTRY BONUS is in play, which again will be 1,000pts. This subject is always a difficult one and gauging what this should be is not easy. Last season our end of season champion and second placed team entered the competition before a single ball was kicked. Yet the 2023/24 season the nearest Early Entry team finished in 52nd position. Last season our champion finished 1,970pts ahead of the second placed team and therefore had he entered his team later and not received the Early Entry Bonus he would have still finished in the top spot.

So, how does the Early Entry Bonus work? Well, if you enter the competition before 3pm on Saturday 11th August 2025 you will receive those EARLY ENTRY BONUS points. (The FA Cup does start the weekend before, but this will feature only a few of the Mixture teams). I still get emails and calls commentating on the fact that we allow people to enter the competition nearly four weeks into the season. The reason for this is that a lot of our players don’t buy the paper until the season has started. Ideally, I would love to start the competition before the season starts but if we did, we would only have around half the players we normally have. My normal answer to everyone that asks this question is everyone can start either before the season starts or before the deadline at the end of August. In fact, I know that many players enter at least two teams one before the season starts and one before the 31st of August deadline.

There will again be Manager of the Month awards. In total, there will be eight Manager of the Month awards with the last one being April 2026. However, again this season the first Manager of the Month will be September 2025 only, this means none of the games that feature in the month of August 2025 will feature in a Manager of the Month.

At the End of the Season there will be cash prizes for the top three places and once again we will have my personal favourite a prize for finishing bottom, so why not enter two teams one to win it and one to lose it. If you have never tried to finish bottom then give it a go, it is not easy! Again, this season you will be competing for the Barrie New Bottom Spot!! (If you are planning to try and finish bottom, can I suggest that you enter after the season starts so there is no chance of me accidently giving you the Early Entry Bonus).

Every season I like to make a few changes to the competition and this season is no different. This season there will be just two changes. (So please make sure to take note of the changes).

The first change is the introduction of a Super Joker. At the moment you have to pick 5 jokers these are of course 5 teams that you originally picked as your 30 named teams. These 5 jokers give you double points for those 5 teams. So now you need to pick your Super Joker which must be 1 of your original 5 jokers. This will mean that you will receive treble points for that team. However, there is a caveat to this and that is the team that you pick as your Super Joker cannot be substituted. So that team will stay with you for the whole season so pick wisely.

The second change is to do with the play-offs. Every team that makes the play-offs will receive 50 bonus points. Then the actual play-off winners in each of the leagues will receive 100pts. (These points are awarded whether you have substituted a team in or not).

The Rules for Fantasy Non-League 2025/26: – (Please read these very carefully).

1. You will need to choose 3 teams from each of the ten leagues. (Which will give you a total of 30 teams).

Then you will need to nominate your 5 FNL JOKER TEAMS from the 30 teams you have already picked. Those five teams will mean that you will receive double points throughout the season. That will include all bonuses awarded during the season it will also include the End of Season bonuses. Then you will need to pick your Super Joker which must be 1 of your original 5 jokers. This will mean that you will receive treble points for that team. However, there is a caveat to this and that is the team that you pick as your Super Joker cannot be substituted. So that team will stay with you for the whole season so pick wisely.

Also, if you wish you can pick 5 substitute teams, but these 5 teams must be on your FNL 2025/26 Entry Form at the start of the season. (More on the substitutes later in this season’s rules).

2. Points allocation, in all Ten Leagues. (The same as last season).

League & Cup games:

Home win = 10pts + goals Away win = 20pts + goals

Home Draw = 2pt + goals Away Draw = 4pts + goals

Home Defeat = -10pts Away defeat = -5pts

Every goal scored = 1pt (This counts if your team wins, draws or loses).

Every goal conceded (Win & Defeat only) -1pt.

Goal Bonus Points = 5pts (This is awarded if your teams score 4 or more goals).

Clean Sheet Bonus = 5pts (This is awarded for both wins and 0-0 draws).

Concede 4 goals = -5pts (This does not apply to drawn games).

(Two-legged ties count as two separate games. Cup replays that go to penalties. The penalties are only used to decide the winner. No points are awarded for the penalties scored).

Bonus points for reaching various rounds in each Cup competition:

For reaching the FA Cup 1st round proper and each round beyond = 25pts.

For reaching the Quarterfinals and each round beyond in all the other cup competition that are involved in the competition which are listed below = 25pts.

League Leaders & Bottom Club bonus:

At the end of each month up to and including April 2026 the top three teams leading each of the ten leagues will be awarded 30pts, 15pts & 7pts respectively. The bottom three teams of the ten leagues will be awarded -30pts, -15pts & -7pts respectively. The Mixture bonus points will be allocated based on the top three and worst three teams over the leagues that are included in The Mixture Leagues. (Please remember and this is important these bonus points will only count towards the main FNL season total and not the Manager of the Month points).

Manager of the Month Bonus Points.

Each month the best and worst team in each of the ten leagues will be awarded 30, 15 & 7pts & -30, -15 & -7pts respectively. (These bonus points only count in the Manager of the Month calculations).

Play-Off Games:

New for this season is that every team that qualifies for the play-offs will be awarded 50pts. The actual Play-Off games themselves will be awarded points as if they were league games. The Play-Off Final winners will be awarded 100pts for gaining promotion. (All these points will be awarded at the end of the season).

End of Season Bonus Points: (These points will be awarded at the end of the FNL Season in May 2025).

All League Champions will receive 250pts for winning their respective leagues. Second place will get 125pts and third place will receive 60pts.

The bottom team in each league at the end of the season’s Fantasy Non-League will be awarded -250pts.

Second from bottom -125pts and third from bottom -60pts.

Cup Winners will receive 250pts for the FA Trophy and 150pts for the other Cups.

Play-Off Winners will receive 100pts.

Remember if your FNL Joker team get these bonuses they will be doubled, for example a league champion picked in August 2025 at the start of the FNL Season will win you 500pts. Also new for this season the Super Joker will gain you 750pts if that team wins their respective league.

The Mixture Leagues will be awarded the End of Season Bonuses based on the FNL Points scored over the season. However, if any of the other clubs in The Mixture wins their respective league or get relegated, they will receive 150pts or -150pts. Which will be halved if you sub the respective teams in the transfer window.

Substituted teams will be awarded half the End of Season bonus points & the Full Play-Off bonus points.

3. The following Leagues and Cup competitions will be involved in this season’s Fantasy Non-League: –

National League – FA Cup and FA Trophy.

National North – FA Cup and FA Trophy.

National South – FA Cup and FA Trophy.

Northern Premier – FA Cup, FA Trophy and League Cup.

Isthmian Premier – FA Cup, FA Trophy and League Cup.

Southern Premier Central – FA Cup, FA Trophy and League Cup.

Southern Premier South – FA Cup, FA Trophy and League Cup.

The Mixture Leagues – FA Cup, FA Trophy, League Cup.

4. Use of Substitutions.

As stated above you can select five substitutes on your FNL 2025/26 Entry Forms and out of those five substitutes you can use all five substitutes. Again, this season there will be only one substitution window and that will be during the month of December 2025 with your selected changes taking effect from 1st January 2026. Details on how to use your substitutions will be released nearer the time during the month of November 2025. Please also note you can change your FNL Joker teams (not the Super Joker) on the 1st of January 2026 if you wish, but this will count as one of your Substitutions.

Ian White.

Fantasy Non-League.