FPL gains popularity among AUCians

By: Youssef Shebria

@YShebria 

Fantasy Premier League (FPL), an online game based on real football players, has been increasing in popularity worldwide and among the AUC community in the past couple of years.

This year, more than 300 AUC students and graduates played online, forming their teams by choosing 15 footballers who play in the English Premier League.

With a virtual budget of 100 million pounds (sterling), each online gamer – or user – selects 11 of the 15 players as one’s starting lineup each week, while leaving the other 4 players as substitutes on the bench.

The points of the gameweek are based on the real-life performance of those 11 players. The goal of each online gamer is to put together the best team which would guarantee them the maximum number of points each gameweek and the highest rank possible at the end of the 2019/2020 English Premier League season. 

Graduate student Salma Mashhour created the biggest AUC league this year with more than 250 players.   

“I know FPL is a very popular game among AUCians and I thought it would be interesting to compete between them. I also wanted to know if there were other girls playing and I thought AUC would be my best bet,” Mashhour said. 

Taking risks and choosing differentials (players who are not commonly selected) that deliver points is one of the best things that Mashour likes about the fantasy game. 

However, she wishes the game designers would add more features, such as a limitless wildcard where one gets to buy whoever they want with unlimited budget for one gameweek, just like in another online game, Champions League Fantasy. 

For the time being, a user gains points when one of their chosen players scores a goal or if a defender or a goalkeeper makes a clean sheet in which the team doesn’t concede any goals. Strikers gets 4 points, midfielders receive 5 points and a defender gets 6 points if they score. 

After confirming your team of 15 players, you have the chance to make a transfer after the end of each gameweek. If you make more than one transfer, FPL deducts four points on each extra transfer you make

Mostafa Asaad, a Mechanical Engineering graduate, is considered a fantasy guru whose highest season rank was around 40,000 out of more than 4 million users. Asaad used to compete against his friends during his years at AUC.  

“Fantasy is growing among the AUC community especially in the past two or three years. I became a member in four AUC leagues in the past couple of years,” Asaad said. 

Youssef Othman, AUC Film and Theater and IMC, is considered to be one of the experts in FPL playing the game since its early days in 2008.

“My advice to people is to avoid making too many transfers because it will deduct from your overall points. Sometimes the best thing to do is not to do anything with your team,” Othman added.

Othman also recalled the times when he used to play fantasy and adjust his team during his classes at AUC. 

More than six million people play FPL worldwide; more than 250,000 Egyptians began playing the game especially after Liverpool winger Mohamed Salah returned to the English Premier League. 

As of the end of the last gameweek, Egyptian fantasy player Medhat Shawky currently ranks first place worldwide in the FPL with a total of 530 points. 

The FPL ends each season by the end of the last gameweek in the English Premier League which usually takes place at the end of May. 

The winner of the FPL season receives a seven night break in the United Kingdom including VIP hospitality at two of the Premier League matches the following season along with several other rewards.