Where Fantasy Is Reality
Sportstar|October 8, 2016

At United London FC, the position of a traditional coach is unnecessary. Instead, the line-up is SELECTED BY THE TEAM’S FANS each week. Formed this year and currently playing in the Essex Alliance Premier League — the 12th tier of England’s competitive football pyramid — United London FC claims to be the world’s only manager-less club.

Jack Williams
Where Fantasy Is Reality

At first glance, the side line of a United London FChome game features exactly what one would expect from an amateur-level football match on a rented field in England’s capital. Water bottles, a collection of balls, substitutes warming up! A crowd that United London’s chairman, Mark North, describes as “one man and his dog.”

What is missing is more notable: a manager.

At United London FC, the position of a traditional coach is unnecessary. Instead, the line-up is selected by the team’s fans each week.

Formed this year and currently playing in the Essex Alliance Premier League — the 12th tier of England’s competitive football pyramid — United London FC claims to be the world’s only manage less club. In place of a traditional coach, the team’s business model brings together elements of reality TV voting and player analytics similar to those used in video games and by scouts.

It employs a fantasy football- style system that awards or deducts points to the team’s fans (acting individually as managers) based on whether their selections make the starting 11, score or record an assist, or play a role in posting a shutout.

“IN NONLEAGUE FOOTBALL, there’s not much in the way of eyeballs, because the Premier League just takes over everything,” North, 38, said. “That’s where we want to be different, in that we are building an online fan base, rather than a localised one.”

この記事は Sportstar の October 8, 2016 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

この記事は Sportstar の October 8, 2016 版に掲載されています。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、8,500 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。

SPORTSTARのその他の記事すべて表示
Tokyo Marathon Cancelled For Amateurs On Coronavirus Fears
Sportstar

Tokyo Marathon Cancelled For Amateurs On Coronavirus Fears

Organisers in Japan cancelled the amateur portion of the Tokyo marathon, affecting around 38,000 runners, on fears about the spread of the new coronavirus in Japan.

time-read
1 min  |
March 21, 2020
Right Criteria To Pick The Tennis GOAT
Sportstar

Right Criteria To Pick The Tennis GOAT

What should the criteria be? What weight should be attached to each criterion? And what should not be considered as valid criteria?

time-read
10+ 分  |
February 8, 2020
The making of a batting behemoth
Sportstar

The making of a batting behemoth

If Steve Smith dominated the Ashes in England in a dramatic, blockbuster fashion then his like for like a replacement, Marnus Labuschagne, is the Next Big Thing after an exciting summer of run-glut.

time-read
4 分  |
February 8, 2020
WHEN ACES WERE REWARDED...
Sportstar

WHEN ACES WERE REWARDED...

It was an evening of nostalgia and celebration when the Sportstar Aces awards were given away in Mumbai.

time-read
6 分  |
February 8, 2020
A question of recognition
Sportstar

A question of recognition

After a week of awards, one wonders if it’s only a departed player that one will be named after.

time-read
2 分  |
February 8, 2020
Thinking straight, thinking right!
Sportstar

Thinking straight, thinking right!

“A lot depends on when I am bowling and what is required from me. That’s something I do when I play for India and I try to follow the same thing in the domestic circuit,” says Yuzvendra Chahal.

time-read
7 分  |
December 14, 2019
The Big Three and the Next Gen
Sportstar

The Big Three and the Next Gen

Though the Big Three are very unlikely to retire during the same year, Judy Murray, mother of Andy, echoed the sentiments of many fans worried about the impact of their departures.

time-read
9 分  |
December 14, 2019
WAKING UP TO MENTAL HEALTH
Sportstar

WAKING UP TO MENTAL HEALTH

Sport at large and cricket specifically has taken an inordinately long time to address the elephant in the room — the dark abyss of depression.

time-read
5 分  |
December 14, 2019
Like sunshine in a gloomy dressing room
Sportstar

Like sunshine in a gloomy dressing room

Bangladesh quick Abu Jayed Rahi is new in the red-ball arena, but his swing brings back old memories — of James Anderson on green tops.

time-read
6 分  |
December 14, 2019
The league of the masses
Sportstar

The league of the masses

With traditional clubs locking horns with the hard-working nurseries of the game, the I-League will continue to keep the beating heart of Indian football alive despite official apathy.

time-read
4 分  |
December 14, 2019