The lobby is where you go to mingle. A lobby, in fantasy football parlance, is the place where you go to join leagues with others. But not all lobbies are created equal.
DataForce offers a wide selection of league variants, which can make finding the perfect league take a little more effort. So, we’ve put in place a number of excellent tools, and some great advice for using them.
1. Log in first!
If you have an account already, always log in before visiting the lobby to avoid any confusion. There are three good reasons for this:
- You can’t buy without logging in first, of course!
- Your My Account page lets you specify your time zone. If you aren’t logged in, everything will display in Eastern time. HINT: At the very top left of the page is a running clock – that will show you exactly what time the software thinks it is for you!
- Different states charge different regulatory fees, so the price in the lobby is dependent upon where you live. Don’t fall into the trap of finding the perfect league in the lobby, then logging in to deposit money, then returning to the lobby only to learn you’re a couple dollars short!
2. JOIN to follow the league
DataForce allows you to JOIN a league before you pay. This puts the league on your radar, sliding it onto your My Leagues page where you can keep track of it. It also means that when the league has enough “joined” members to fill it, you’ll start getting email reminders to pay.
Joining does not automatically reserve your spot! You must take the second step by clicking the PAY button that appears. Or, see below about using the shopping cart to pay.
JOIN is the right move if you’re trying to decide between several leagues. DON’T use JOIN to simply avoid paying until the last minute. That always backfires.
Always. If you think you can race the other “joiners” to jump in before it fills, you’re likely to be disappointed.
Instead, if you join multiple leagues, we strongly recommend you choose one and pay for it! Shuffle the money around later if you change your mind about which one to play in. Have that money right there already deposited, so you can move quickly between leagues if you need to.
3. PAY now if you want to play!
It’s the only way.
A league will only fill if twelve people (or ten, or fourteen, whatever the league calls for) choose to pay for it! Joining a league does not help it fill.
If you want to play in a league, help it fill! I can’t say this strongly enough. Vote for the league with your money, and vote early.
4. You can leave a league anytime before it fills
You’re not stuck if you change your mind.
Even if you’ve already paid, you can exit the league by clicking on the LEAVE button. That puts your money back in your DataForce account for you to withdraw or use elsewhere.
Once the league fills, though, you’re in it! That’s because the software assigns draft positions immediately, the moment it fills. We obviously cannot put your team back in the lobby once that is done.
One little note on this: The assignment of your division and your draft spot are completely, absolutely, 100% random. It makes absolutely no difference who you are, or at what point you pay.
5. Pay with your shopping cart
Not quite sure how much a league costs? Buying into several leagues at a time? Just in a hurry?
All of these call for using the shopping cart to deposit and pay for your leagues
Join as many leagues as you want, and then click on the shopping cart icon. It’ll calculate everything for you, and step you through depositing exactly the amount of money you need.
6. Count on scarcity
If we added one league of every possible combination, our lobby would contain 483,840 options. That’s how many valid combinations can occur. You just aren’t going to always find the perfect league, and will need to compromise on occasion.
Additionally, because we attend and monitor every live draft, we can handle only a limited number of events per day. This is especially true of auctions, because auctions require more attention, more bandwidth, and more time to complete.
If you find a league to your liking in the lobby, GET IN IT NOW. Plan ahead! Please don’t come to us later saying “Are you going to be adding any more Silver bestball guillotine leagues?” The answer is almost certainly no – you missed your chance. Even if the question is “Can’t you add one more league on Saturday?” the odds are against you.
7. Use the filters
To find that perfect league, use the filters box. Check the options you’re interested in — maybe Bronze, Head-to-Head, Single-year and Contender leagues, and cut down on the lobby display. That can take over a hundred options and limit it to a few for you to decide between.
If you find yourself repeatedly using the same filters, click on SAVE PREFERENCES. Then, each time you return to the lobby, you can just click LOAD PREFERENCES to get that filter combination back.
8. Rulebooks and videos
Not sure about how to play a particular variant? Mousing over or touching a blue bubble will give you a short description.
Most of the options in the filters also contain a yellow rulebook icon (click to read that portion of the rulebook) and a red video icon (watch a short clip, usually about two minutes long).
You can also browse and subscribe to our Youtube page here: https://www.youtube.com/@dataforceff
9. The calendar
A further trick to finding the perfect league is to click on VIEW CALENDAR. It’ll bring up a calendar of every option in the lobby, and you can then click on any leagues that fit the date and time you’re looking for to see further details.
It’s color-coded!
- Blue: Email draft
- Orange: Email auction
- Red: Live draft
- Purple: Live auction
10. MyFantasyLeague has its own section
Are you a MyFantasyLeague groupie? Your section is at the very bottom of the lobby, where we list a few league options hosted there. Be aware that because the leagues are hosted on a third-party pay site, we have to charge an additional $7 for these leagues.
You’ll also want to review a few rule changes and read about the differences between the DataForce and MyFantasyLeague platforms.
🏈 Leagues Forming Now at DataForce Fantasy Football! 🏈
Ready to draft? We offer the widest variety with the best prize payouts anywhere!
Come check out what we have available in our lobby and Orphan Marketplace.
Join the fun and draft your winning team today at DataForceFF.com!
Lee Harmon
Commissioner