Beloved Premier League Fantasy Football game announces it will not run in new season

Sky Sports microphones at Lingfield Park on January 04, 2019 in Lingfield, England.
Sky Sports will not run its Fantasy Football league in 2024/25 (Image credit: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images)

Sky Sports has announced that it will not run its own brand of Fantasy Football this season, leaving thousands of devotees to look for an alternative.

The league, in which users pick a side of Premier League players from a specified budget, has been running since 2009, with the broadcaster claiming that ‘well over a million’ people have played the game since its inception.

However, that is dwarfed by the Premier League’s own official Fantasy Premier League game, which only last season received nearly 11 million registrations…though how many of those are actually unique players is anybody’s guess.

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Disappointment as Sky Sports shutters Fantasy Football league

Sky Sports has announced that it will not run its own brand of Fantasy Football this season, leaving thousands of devotees to look for an alternative.

The league, in which users pick a side of Premier League players from a specified budget, has been running since 2009, with the broadcaster claiming that ‘well over a million’ people have played the game since its inception.

However, that is dwarfed by the Premier League’s own official Fantasy Premier League game, which only last season received nearly 11 million registrations…though how many of those are actually unique players is anybody’s guess.

A post on the Sky Sports Fantasy Football’s X account reads: “After an amazing 15 years and engaging well over 1,000,000 players in that time, we have taken the difficult decision not to run Sky Sports Fantasy Football (Sky FF) for the upcoming 2024/25 domestic football campaign.

“The passion for Sky FF has always been fantastic and it has been a pleasure watching the community grow, while working with us on the game.

“We would like to express our gratitude to everyone who has played and supported the game over the last 15 years.”

FPL Fantasy Football Premier League

Nerds like us love fantasy football as way of making spreadsheets feel cool (as if they aren't already) (Image credit: PA)

Fantasy football tips site Football Fantasy Hub, many of whose contributors worked on or won the league, expressed their disappointment at the decision, writing: “We are absolutely devastated here at the Hub as I’m sure everyone who knows is and those finding out now will also be. Hopefully it will be back.

“In terms of our chats, which we all love being a part of, we would ask you to give us a bit of time to process the information and work out how we move forward.”

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Steven Chicken

Steven Chicken has been working as a football writer since 2009, taking in stints with Football365 and the Huddersfield Examiner. Steven still covers Huddersfield Town home and away for his own publication, WeAreTerriers.com. Steven is a two-time nominee for Regional Journalist of the Year at the prestigious British Sports Journalism Awards, making the shortlist in 2020 and 2023.