When did Fantasy Football begin and what is its future?

Fantasy sports as a whole are hugely popular across the whole world. The USA has the largest number of active players involved in fantasy sports leagues with grid-iron and baseball taking up most of the action. In Europe, football is the most popular of the fantasy sports available, and in India, perhaps not surprisingly, it is cricket.

In 2018 there were nearly 60 million fantasy sports players in the US but this number dropped in 2019 going into 2020 as sports events and leagues were suspended and canceled. Now, as the pandemic restrictions are eased in some regions and countries, a type of normality is returning to the sporting world, and with it, to fantasy sports leagues too.

When you consider the popularity of fantasy sports, it is interesting to see how fantasy football came about, and also to wonder where it will head in the future.

How did fantasy sports begin?

There is a school of thought that says the first instance of a fantasy sport was back in 1951 with baseball. Dick Seitz introduced a board game called American Professional Baseball Association to the American market. Every year players could buy a new pack of cards containing the stats for the ball-players previous season.

Flash forward to 1980 and the first fantasy baseball league was formed in a Manhattan restaurant called Le Rotisserie Francais. This is why you might hear the names rotisserie sports or rotisserie baseball sometimes.

It was in 1962 though, that most people agree the first true fantasy sports league was started. A part-owner of the Oakland Raiders, along with a group of like-minded individuals formed the rather unlikely named Greater Oakland Professional Pigskin Prognosticators League.

This set the stage for numerous other rotisserie or fantasy sports to follow including hockey, cricket, tennis, golf, basketball, and formula one. Although in the US fantasy football refers to grid-iron, in Europe and the United Kingdom, fantasy football means something else, and it is the biggest ‘rotisserie’ sport there is.

How did fantasy football begin in Europe?

Fantasy football was not a long time in coming after its US cousin, grid-iron. In 1971, Bernie Donnelly, a retired economics teacher, invented fantasy football one Saturday in August.

Like many football fans, Donnelly was looking for something to do during the summer break. As many football fans understand, this time of the year means no football and any betting activity has to involve other sports. These days with the advent of the internet, anyone can go online and bet on a sport somewhere else in the world or play in a live casino if they are bored. But, not so in 1971.

It wasn’t until the mid-’80s that one Riccardo Albini brought his vision of fantasy football to the world. What happened after was Fantasy Football League in the ’90s with David Baddiel and Frank Skinner followed by the UK newspapers getting in on the act.

How did the game spread?

In the UK, there was the aforementioned TV show but the national newspapers also got in on the act. The Telegraph, The Sun, and others all started to run their fantasy football leagues.

Then, of course, came the internet. This changed everything and made playing fantasy football or other sports far easier. Leagues were set up online and as interest grew so did the cash prizes. Over the years and through recent history you can see the rise of betting in football, and FF has allowed another dimension.

One of the reasons that fantasy grid-iron took off was that it allowed fans to have an extra level of involvement in the game. Sports betting also lets fans feel more engaged, and therefore so does fantasy football.

When you consider the popularity of the sport across the world, the amount of people who like to gamble, and how easy it is to access the internet, it is not hard to see how fantasy football has spread and become so popular.

Where do fantasy football and other sports go from here?

There are still many untapped markets for fantasy sports. Although 70% of players enjoy free games, fantasy sports are now a multi-billion dollar industry. In the US alone it took nearly $3 billion in 2019 which was one of the worst years for some time. The industry saw a worldwide revenue of nearly $8 billion so imagine how big this will grow when countries such as India join in.

Fantasy sports are now so big that there are official bodies such as the Fantasy Sports and Gaming Association to oversee the interests of its participants.

Those untapped markets and emerging countries may turn out to be the biggest fantasy sports fans of the lot. India had 20 million fantasy sports players in 2017 and is predicted to become the largest market in the world with 100 million players joining.

Online casinos will also help increase the popularity of fantasy football in the future. Nearly all online casinos have a sportsbook or an area where players can bet on football. Nowadays they are branching out from slot machines and poker to virtual sports and fantasy leagues too.

Fantasy football is likely to continue to grow as more people discover that they can play online in leagues and also join up through their favorite casino. The obvious benefit of this is that an online casino can provide fantasy football, sports bets, and other entertainment between games such as poker or blackjack.

Summary

Fantasy football may have started out from a baseball board game back in the 1950s but it is hugely popular in its own right. There are European fantasy football leagues, leagues run in workplaces, ones in casinos, and of course the official Fantasy Premier League.

If you want to start playing FF then you can find many ways to join and learn many tips to become better in fantasy football too. The future of fantasy football looks strong and as the pandemic hopefully recedes, football as a whole will return to normal giving fans the chance to enjoy live action as well as the ‘rotisserie’ version.

Will Italy go all the way in Euro 2020?

Some are highly critical of Italy and keep mentioning the Italians have so far had an easy path- Turkey, Switzerland and Wales proving weak opponents. However, the Austrians thoroughly tested the Azzurri with a physical and straightforward approach in the Round of 16.

The Italians ended up reaching the quarter-final of Euro 2020 largely thanks to the super substitutions by coach Roberto Mancini. Juventus rising star Federico Chiesa and Atalanta’s Matteo Pessina proved the difference with each scoring a goal in the 2-1 win for the Italians.

While the Azzurri did not get tested in the group stage matches, Austria did put up a strong fight and in fact had the better of the 2nd half against the Italians. VAR saved Italy when canceling that Austrian goal for offside, but credit Mancini and his men for showing up during extra-time.

Chiesa’s goal was exquisite and a clear proof not just of his skills but also the fact he has been stepping up in big matches for both Juventus and Italy. Chiesa scored for Juve against Milan in Serie A and delivered the goals versus Porto (in both legs of the Round of 16 in the Champions League) not to mention his winner against Atalanta in the Coppa Italia final.

For nostalgia lovers Chiesa scored Italy’s first against Austria at Wembley some 25 years after his father Enrico scored a goal for the Italians- also on English soil at Liverpool’s Anfield- against the Czechs. It is worth noting this the first father and son to end up scoring a goal for their country in a Euro tournament.

Chiesa, the son, had a great season with the Bianconeri helping Juve finish in the top four to make the Champions League and his winner secured the Coppa Italia as mentioned above. Chiesa’s work ethic is also reminiscent of that of his father. The father Enrico worked hard while making his name particularly at Sampdoria, Parma and then Fiorentina.

For all the Italian fantasy football managers out there, do not forget to check out the most popular and the most challenging Fantasy Serie A game here: www.fantasyseriea.com and remember you can invite your family and friends to compete against you…

As for the Azzurri, next up is a tough contest against one from Kevin de Bruyne’s Belgium and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal. CR7 will surely want to end his Euro career on a high. Who is brave enough to bet against Ronaldo scoring more goals? The Portuguese superstar had 29 league goals for Juve during the 2021/21 season. It is also worth noting that CR7 ended up being the best Fantasy Serie A player in EFL’s 2020/21 season.

So all Italian eyes are likely focused on Belgium-Portugal to see who the next opponent will be… CR7 or Kevin de Bruyne?

The contenders for the Euro 2020 Golden Boot

Euro 2020 is in full swing, and while there’s been no real change when it comes to the outright favorites – for both winning the tournament, and in the race for the Golden Boot – we have seen plenty of shocks and surprises during the most of the rounds in the group stages.

So, with that in mind, let’s look away from the Euro 2020 top scorer odds for the moment, and see who’s leading the way when it comes to winning the individual accolade.

Cristiano Ronaldo

The GOAT scored a brace as defending champions Portugal beat Hungary, following an early scare in their opening match. The Portuguese captain and talisman made history, becoming the first player to score in five different editions of the tournament – a record that extends back to Euro 2004. Ronaldo also broke the record of goals scored at European Championships – previously held by Michel Platini – with his two goals in Budapest taking his tally to 11.

Despite the tough test (and heavy loss) against Germany (in Munich), CR7 did manage another brace in Euro 2020 against France (in Budapest) in his final game in the ‘Group of Death’… Ronaldo stands a good chance of increasing his tally in the race for the Golden Boot – and is inching towards surpassing the all-time record set by Iran’s Ali Daei.

Romelu Lukaku

The Belgian has always been among the favorites for the top scorer award, and got off to a flying start – also notching a brace in their opening game, as Belgium cruised to a 3-0 victory over Russia. The goals looked like they’ll continue as the Red Devils faced Denmark and Finland in their remaining group matches but Lukaku only added 1 more goal to his tally.

Keep in mind, Lukaku has carried on from his excellent domestic form, which saw him finish second to the great Ronaldo in the Serie A top goal scorer charts – scoring 24 goals as Inter Milan won the Scudetto for the first time in a decade.

Patrik Schick

Maybe a dark horse in terms of a Golden Boot contender, but even at this early stage of proceedings, we already have a worthy nomination for Goal of the Tournament.

Schick was clinical in the Czech Republic’s opening game against Scotland – with his second goal coming from the halfway line as he chipped goalkeeper David Marshall. While the 25-year-old scored just nine league goals for Bayer Leverkusen last season, he’s got off to a perfect start at the Euros. He did add one more goal to his tally in the final two group matches.

With so many players off the mark with a solitary goal, who else could challenge? Italy’s Ciro Immobile scored the second goal against Turkey- his first goal for Italy at a major tournament. Lorenzo Insigne also got on the scoresheet in that same match. Italy comfortably dispatched Switzerland in their second game and victory would see them qualify for the knockout stage, with Wales left to play before resting most of the starters in the 1-0 win over Wales.

A surprise name to the Dutch team selection, Wout Weghorst continued his excellent domestic form to score in Netherlands’ thrilling encounter against Ukraine. The 28-year-old scored in their warm-up game versus Georgia and earned his seventh cap in that Euro 2020 clash. He scored 20 goals last season for Wolfsburg.

The worst value Bets in football

With football matches taking place every day in leagues around the world, there are opportunities to bet on matches at pretty much any time of the day. Many punters put a lot of research into their bets and use their knowledge of the game, teams and players to pick out bets that they think have a good chance of coming in. However, other than backing a selection that you think will win, you should also take into account whether or not your bet has value.

What Is Value In Betting?

Let’s say that West Brom were playing Barcelona. The majority of us would think that Barcelona would win this match 99% of the time which is a reasonable expectation. So, does that mean that if you were backing one team to win, you should bet on Barca? That should depend on the odds that you were offered.

If a bookie was offering odds of 1 million/1 on West Brom to win, despite you thinking that they’ll lose, there is obviously value in that bet as the odds imply that West Brom will only win the match 1 in every 1,000,001 times.

Another example would be betting on the toss of a coin. There is a 50% chance that it will land on heads and 50% that it will land on tails. Therefore, the true odds of either outcome is evens (2.0). If you were offered odds above evens, the bet would have value and if you were offered odds below evens, the bet wouldn’t have value.

Bookmakers apply a margin to the odds that they offer. For example, if a bookie was offering odds on the toss of a coin, they may offer odds of 1.9 which is around a 5% margin. They apply these margins so that they are able to make a profit regardless of the outcome of an event. Bets on sporting events are a little trickier to determine whether or not they have value as the true odds of an outcome are based on stats and a lot of other data unlike the toss of a coin where it’s mathematically sound to state that each outcome has a 50% chance of occurring. Nevertheless, a margin is applied to whatever the bookmaker determines to be the true odds.

Below, we will take a look at a few of the worst value bets in football betting markets.

One way that you can add value to your betting is via bookmaker offers. The list of free bets from which bookie shows bookies that offer incentives for placing bets. By qualifying for these free bets, you can give yourself additional chances of winning which increases the overall value of your betting activity.

Bet Builders

Bet Builders are at the top of the Worst Value Bets list. They are offered by several bookmakers now and often go under various names such as ‘Request A Bets’ or ‘YourOdds’.

These are basically accumulator bets where all selections are on the same match. For example, ‘Harry Kane to score first, Over 2.5 goals to be scored, Tottenham to receive the most corners & Mo Salah to be carded’.

As stated earlier, bookies apply margins to all betting markets. As Bet Builders contain selections from multiple markets, these margins are combined to give a much larger margin which means more profit for the bookie and less value for the punter.

Also, with Bet Builders, bookies find it much harder to balance their books to ensure that they make a profit regardless of the result. Because of this, they apply a greater margin overall to the bet which again, decreases the bets value.

Accumulators

Accumulators are one of the most popular football bets. Many of us place an Acca on the weekends matches at what sometimes looks like good odds. However, similar to Bet Builders, the bookies margin on each selection is combined with each selection that is added to the Acca. The more selections you add, the less value the bet has.

This is why some bookies offer bonuses for winning accas with accas with more selections getting bigger bonuses. This isn’t because the bookmaker is being overly generous to customers but just that they are taking more value away from the customer with the bigger the accumulator is and so can afford to give some back and still lock in a healthy profit.

Half Time / Full Time

Half Time / Full Time bets are when you bet on which team will be winning at HT and which will be winning at the final whistle. The often high odds on this football betting market can be attractive but they are generally very bad value.

If you compare the odds for the HT/FT market of what a bookmaker offers and the odds available on a betting exchange, you’ll more often than not find a huge difference. Betting exchange odds are generally considered to be close to the true odds given that they are set by the market as no margins are applied.

All change at the top in Europe: Juve, Real Madrid & Inter lose their coaches

Now that all the European leagues have finished and the trophies have been handed out and all the confetti from the winners’ celebrations has been cleared away, you’d think there’d be a short break where we could all get our breathe back. Yet a few managers at some of Europe’s top clubs have had other ideas and decided now was the perfect time to create even more drama. How did they create this drama? Well, they all decided that now was the ideal time to fall out with their owners and walk away from their jobs.

Heavy-hitters Real Madrid, Juventus and Inter Milan have all waved goodbye to their managers in the last few days. Plus, as reported on Sky Sports, there are many in the know saying that Mauricio Pochettino at P.S.G. is deeply unhappy and could be on his way out.

It’s now created a merry-go-round of in-goings and outgoings at some of Europe’s elite clubs. So now with many top jobs vacant, and many top managers available to fill those vacancies, the football rumour mill has gone into overdrive with tales of who’s going there or who’s going where.

Juventus

It was a real surprise last year when Juventus decided to make Andrea Pirlo their manager. Pirlo had been one of the coolest looking midfielders to ever play the game and could ping the ball around the pitch with a seemingly effortless accuracy. He was a true legend of ‘Zebre’. Yet, he’d never even managed a team before he was given one of the biggest jobs in the whole of football. 

Predictably it didn’t go as well as the Juventus back-staff had hoped and Pirlo was recently let go. ‘The Old Lady’ didn’t wait long though, and have secured their old manager, Massimiliano Allegri on a four-year contract. Only time will tell if it will it be a happy reunion for the two.

Real Madrid

It has been a weird season for Real Madrid, with them always seemingly just on the edge of disaster, and yet they still managed to get to the semi-finals of the Champions League and take the La Liga race to the last day, where they were narrowly pipped at the post by great rivals Atletico Madrid.

However, a good example of how far the club have fallen this year is that when Spain compete at the postponed Euro 2020 this summer, it will be the first time in history that no player from ‘Los Blancos’ will be in the squad. It was no surprise then, that Madrid and their manager, Zinedine Zidane, split up a few days ago.

So, will the now unemployed Zidane take one of the other top vacancies? There’s talk that he wants the French national job, but with current boss Didier Deschamps being in the good books since that 2018 World Cup win, it would take France having a turgid tournament for him to get it. That’s not something that looks that likely to happen though, with the best betting sites having them priced as the favourites at 9/2.

It’s always a relief to know that if you are betting on sport, you’re getting the greatest odds and sign-up offers and that’s where AsiaBet comes in. They’ve also got a handy guide so you can find value in the football betting market, meaning that they might help you find a true dark horse to back in the Euro’s.

Inter Milan

Inter Milan have had a fantastic season in 2020/21. As was reported here in Euro Fantasy League, they managed to win their first Serie A title since 2010. You’d think that it would be happy times then for the winning manger, Antonio Conte, but nope. In true Conte style he has instead fallen out with the board at Inter over the lack of funds available and has washed his hands of the club, walking away.

Pundits now reckon he could be a shoe-in for the vacant Tottenham Hotspur job, but many are disputing this, saying that Spurs don’t have the transfer funds available for Conte, who’s a known heavy-spender. Maybe if Pochettino does leave P.S.G. and goes back to Spurs, then Conte could slot in at the Paris club, as there’s no doubt that he’d have bags of cash to chuck around at players there. However it does play out, it’s all change at the top in Europe.

The best Fantasy Serie A Game!

Fans of Italian football and supporters of clubs such as Milan, Juventus, Atalanta and other clubs including league champions Inter can create, compete and challenge their friends at the most popular Fantasy Serie A game www.fantasyseriea.com for free.

For several years now, www.fantasyseriea.com has led the way as the most competitive and popular Italian fantasy football game. The 2020/21 season saw Inter’s Romelu Lukaku finish as the top ranked fantasy football player and he was followed by Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

Lukaku was a key player as Inter finally won the Scudetto. As for Juve, CR7 was influential in driving the club to finish in the top four and to secure a Champions League berth. It was not an empty season for Cristiano because he was able to win the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana. It remains to be seen whether Ronaldo will remain with the Bianconeri for the 2021/22 season.

For now, fans will be enjoying both Euro 2020 (though it is being played in 2021) as well as the Copa America. Keep an eye on the exciting and challenging season ahead if you are an Italian fantasy football fan. Check out the stats for the best Fantasy Serie A football players here www.fantasyseriea.com/statistics/players and remember to invite your friends for a fun challenge!

EFL continues to garner rave reviews! Play our fantasy football games!

Over the years, Euro Fantasy League established itself as a preferred destination for Fantasy football managers and that is the praise we take most to heart. On top of that, EFL has also received multiple positive and glowing reviews over the years from multiple sources including fellow football sites and various journalists. We put a great effort into making sure our games appealing to our fantasy managers. Below is a sample of the praise EFL has received since 2013:

THIS IS ANFIELD:

“It is important to choose your Fantasy Football vendor wisely also – with one that stands out being Euro Fantasy League. The benefits of this game are there for all to see, and it is geared so that you will need to be strategic in your selections to be successful.” Here’s the link highlighting some of the praise for EFL: http://www.thisisanfield.com/2013/08/which-liverpool-players-will-you-be-picking-in-your-fantasy-football-team/

SOCCERLENS:

“As the name suggests, the game brings in players from across the continent also with Ligue 1, La Liga, and Serie A etc all in contention. Most British players will stick with an overwhelming emphasis on Premier League stars, but if you see a starlet in Ligue 1 or Serie A that will win you points, bring him into the dream team. Euro Fantasy League gives you so many more players to choose from, with over 2000 players to run the rule over before you settle on the final squad.” Visit the link to read more: http://soccerlens.com/fantasy-football-tips-201314/114217/

A DIFFERENT LEAGUE:

“On paper, Messi’s scoring record during the last two seasons has surpassed that of Ronaldo. It is still hard for many to favor one over the other. Messi tends to rely on his dribbling skills and scoring instincts while Ronaldo seems to be the more physical player relying on his powerful shots and body strength to dismantle opponents. One of the newest football fantasy games EuroFantasyLeague.com (EFL) offers fans of the beautiful game and supporters as well as detractors of both players the opportunity to pick the two stars on their team or perhaps pick one of them and then compare how they fair statistically in a season.”

Here’s the link to check: http://www.adifferentleague.co.uk/p6_0_21526_how-to-resolve-messi-vs-ronaldo-epl-vs-la-liga-debates.html#.Ug78r5K2P5g

WORLDSOCCERTALK:

“The concept of the game is quite appealing — you get to select a squad from the top five leagues in Europe, so you can assemble a dream team of players from La Liga, Premier League, Serie A, Ligue Un and the Bundesliga.” http://worldsoccertalk.com/2013/08/16/eurofantasyleague-com-preview-pick-your-dream-team-from-europes-five-top-leagues/

“If you’re a fan of European soccer, Euro Fantasy League gives the opportunity to challenge your knowledge of the beautiful game by picking the best footballers from the continent. Plus, you can transfer out up to five players each month to make sure your team stays as current as possible in case of injuries or poor form.” http://worldsoccertalk.com/2013/08/12/play-euro-fantasy-league-a-new-soccer-game-with-a-twist/

And don’t forget that our sister site www.fantasyseriea.com has been the most popular Fantasy Serie A site for the past several years. In addition, www.fantasy-liga.com has consistently ranked as the top Fantasy La Liga game. We are proud to have such loyal fantasy football managers who continue to play our Italian and Spanish fantasy football games.

Top 5 Fantasy Serie A players for 2020/21 season

It doesn’t take a lot of guessing to figure that superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and Inter’s hero Romelu Lukaku are among the best ranked Fantasy Football players for the 2020/21 season.

Below is a list of www.eurofantasyleague.com EFL’s and www.seriea-fantasy.com top ranked players for the past season:

1) Ronaldo: Who else? The Juventus star finished as the highest ranked fantasy football player in Serie A. Ronaldo’s stats were simply extraordinary! He started 31 league games and made 2 appearances as a substitute. Cristiano scored 29 goals and provided 3 assists while receiving only 3 yellow cards for a total of 117 EFL Fantasy Points. It is hard to bet against CR7 scoring goals and plenty of them indeed! The Portuguese superstar helped Juve finish in the top four to secure a Champions League berth.

2) Lukaku: Inter’s attacker had a phenomenal season providing 24 goals and 11 assists in 32 starts in Serie A. He made a further 4 appearances as a substitute. Lukaku achieved a total of 114 EFL Points. Lukaku was one of the main reasons Inter ran away with the league title. The Belgian is considered one of the top goal scorers in the world and he proved why during the 2020/21 season.

3) Luis Muriel: Atalanta’s Colombian attacker had a remarkable season as a super-sub. Muriel ended up with 102 Fantasy Points mostly accumulated from restricted minutes because of competition with Duvan Zapata (his fellow Colombian striker). Muriel scored 22 goals and gave 8 assists in just 16 starts, however, he made a further 20 appearances as a substitute. One remarkable stat to look for from Muriel’s season: Muriel did not finish a single league game he started so the Colombian did not have a single 90 minute appearance in Serie A during the 2020/21.

4) Henrikh Mkhitaryan: Roma’s midfielder Mkhitaryan is perhaps a surprise name on the best 5 fantasy football players’ list for Serie A but he fully deserved making that list. He tallied a very respectable 10 assists (third most in the league) to go along with an impressive 13 goals in Serie A. He was certainly Roma’s most impressive player for the 2020/21 season. He finished with 96 EFL Points.

5) Achraf Hakimi: Hakimi was certainly one of Inter’s most influential and impressive players for the 2020/21 season. The former Real Madrid and BVB (on loan) player scored 7 goals and provided 8 assists. Hakimi also helped Inter keep 13 clean sheets. He ended up with 92 EFL Points.

Don’t forget to check the most popular Fantasy Serie A game: www.fantasyseriea.com where you can create your team and compete against everyone from friends, family, classmates and co-workers!