FPL Alternatives for Private Leagues

The Problem with FPL for Private Leagues

Fantasy Premier League is massive — millions of players, endless content, a polished app. But for private leagues with your mates, it has some real limitations.

The format is rigid. Everyone picks from the same template. The "meta" gets solved within a few weeks and suddenly 80% of your mini league has the same captain, the same defence, the same bench. The only creative outlet is captaincy and the occasional punt on a differential.

If your WhatsApp group used to buzz on a Saturday night and now it's quiet by November, the format might be the problem — not the people.

What to Look For in an Alternative

Before jumping to another platform, think about what actually makes a private league fun:

• Unique squads — if everyone has the same players, there's nothing to talk about
• Meaningful decisions — transfers, lineups, and strategy should matter every week
• Social features — the banter is half the point
• Commissioner control — someone needs to be able to run things their way
• Simplicity — it shouldn't feel like a second job

The Alternatives

Run Your Own Custom League

This is the nuclear option — and honestly, it's the best one. Instead of shoehorning your league into someone else's format, build the rules around what your group actually enjoys.

A custom league typically means:

• Auction draft instead of a snake draft or free picks — every manager bids from the same budget
• Ratings-based scoring instead of just goals and assists — a defender who keeps a clean sheet and plays well actually gets rewarded
• Transfer windows with blind bids instead of unlimited free transfers — makes every move count
• Commissioner control over scoring, squad rules, and season structure

The downside? Someone has to run it. Spreadsheets work but they're painful. Purpose-built platforms like SuperSmalls handle the infrastructure — scoring, standings, transfers, live auctions — so the commissioner can focus on the league.

FPL Draft

FPL's own draft mode is a step up from the standard game. Each player can only be owned by one manager, which immediately solves the template problem. Waiver wire transfers add a layer of strategy.

It's free, familiar, and easy to set up. The downside is you're still locked into FPL's scoring system and structure. No auctions, no custom rules, no commissioner tools beyond the basics.

Fantrax

Fantrax is popular for Premier League draft leagues. It's feature-rich with customisable scoring, auction drafts, and waiver systems. The depth is impressive.

The trade-off is complexity. The interface is dense, it's US-focused (the football experience is clearly secondary to NFL/NBA), and the free tier is limited. It works well for very serious leagues but can feel like overkill for a group of mates.

Sleeper

Sleeper has a slick app and great social features — group chat, reactions, trash talk built in. It's designed for American fantasy sports but has expanded to include Premier League coverage.

The EPL support is still catching up though. It doesn't have the depth of scoring customisation that dedicated platforms offer, and the UK user base is small.

The Spreadsheet

The classic. Google Sheets, a few formulas, and a commissioner who doesn't mind spending their Sunday updating scores. It's free, fully customisable, and has zero dependencies.

The problem is it doesn't scale well, it relies entirely on one person's dedication, and there's no live features — no auction platform, no automated scoring, no real-time standings. It works until it doesn't.

What We Built (and Why)

We had the same problem. My dad's league had been running for years on a combination of spreadsheets and group messages. I ended up building the website for it because nobody else in the group could. It started as a favour and turned into SuperSmalls — a platform specifically for commissioner-run private leagues.

The key differences from FPL:

• Auction drafts — live online with countdown timers, or in person with results entered afterwards
• Six positions — GK, DEF, DM, AM, MID, FWD — more tactical depth than the standard four
• Ratings-based scoring — a player's match rating matters, not just their stats
• Blind bid transfers — submit bids secretly during transfer windows, commissioner approves
• Per-manager billing — the cost is split across the group, not paid by one person

It's not for everyone. If you want the massive global competition of FPL, stick with FPL. But if your private league has gone stale and you want something that actually generates banter, it might be worth a look.