Football is arguably the world’s most beloved sport, with billions of fans worldwide. The passion for the game spans across borders, cultures, and languages, creating a universal language of excitement and rivalry. The fantasy football arena has long been one of the most engaging ways for fans to immerse themselves deeper into the sport, with millions of players joining fantasy leagues every season. However, even in this space, there is an opportunity to innovate, creating a more equitable, rewarding, and engaging experience for the millions of fans. Enter OpenFPL—a new decentralised platform built on the Internet Computer (IC) blockchain, designed to revolutionise the fantasy football experience.
OpenFPL is a carefully crafted service built to empower users, reward their knowledge of the game, and offer a space where fans have true ownership of the service itself. The decision to build OpenFPL on the ICP is not incidental; it’s the very foundation that drives the platform’s ethos. The ICP’s decentralised infrastructure provides an opportunity to create services that bypass traditional big tech players, empowering users to truly own and shape their experience. OpenFPL is a prime example of how this unique blockchain architecture can disrupt and transform the way we interact with online platforms, especially in sports.
The Internet Computer is the world’s first and only public blockchain with a truly decentralised design. In simpler terms, it offers a new type of computer system where online services can be created and operated in a way that eliminates the need for centralised control. This decentralisation is key to OpenFPL’s vision. Through its use of the ICP, OpenFPL allows football fans to shape the platform itself. The platform operates as a Decentralised Autonomous Organisation (DAO), which means that decisions about the platform’s future are made by its users. By engaging with OpenFPL, users get to enjoy fantasy football while participating in a community-driven system where they can vote on proposals and influence the game’s mechanics, features, and more.
OpenFPL has been designed with user engagement and fairness at the forefront. The platform’s tokenomics system ensures that participation is rewarded equitably. Through a mechanism of purchasing and burning the $FPL token, the platform aims to maintain a total supply of 100 million tokens while steadily building a healthy treasury. The idea is to ensure that the value created by the platform is fairly distributed to those who actively participate, be it through gameplay or governance. This is crucial in ensuring that OpenFPL isn’t just a game, but a platform that incentivises users to stay engaged, contribute, and benefit from their involvement in the ecosystem.
OpenFPL’s gameplay itself offers a unique experience compared to traditional fantasy football platforms. Every player starts with a £300 million budget to build their team, and the value of players fluctuates based on performance and community voting. This dynamic pricing system ensures that player values evolve over time, keeping the game fresh and requiring managers to be strategic. The ability to transfer players in and out each week adds another layer of strategy, encouraging active participation. What’s more, the platform eliminates the common frustration of bench players, as there are no substitutes in OpenFPL. If you pick a player, they’re in your starting XI or not at all. This creates a more streamlined and engaging experience for users.
In addition to traditional points for goals, assists, and clean sheets, OpenFPL offers an array of bonuses designed to shake up the leaderboard and ensure that no two gameweeks are the same. From multipliers for players who score multiple goals to special bonuses for young talent, the scoring system is designed to encourage managers to think outside the box and consider different strategies to win. Furthermore, the ability to pick a ‘star player’ each week who earns double points for the gameweek adds another layer of excitement to the competition.
OpenFPL’s DAO is at the heart of the platform, with governance provided through the $FPL token. Token holders can propose and vote on various changes to the game, from altering player values to introducing new features. This system ensures that OpenFPL is a platform built by the community for the community. The DAO ensures that users have a direct say in the direction of the platform, creating a truly decentralised ecosystem that reflects the collective will of its participants.
The platform also offers rewards for active participation, with a variety of reward structures for top performers on a weekly, monthly, and seasonal basis. For example, global and club-specific leaderboards reward the best-performing managers with significant payouts. The rewards system is tiered to ensure that users remain engaged throughout the season. Additionally, players can earn rewards by maintaining a high-value team, selecting the highest-scoring player in a match, or breaking all-time high scores. These rewards, which come in the form of $FPL tokens, ensure that users are incentivised to keep playing, improving their teams, and participating in the governance of the platform.
Beyond gameplay, OpenFPL has a long-term vision that includes significant societal impact. The platform’s parent organisation, the ICPFA, is committed to supporting grassroots football initiatives, particularly those focused on bringing football to underserved communities. A portion of the revenue generated by OpenFPL will go towards funding these initiatives, demonstrating the platform’s dedication to giving back to the wider football community. This focus on societal impact sets OpenFPL apart from other fantasy football platforms, adding a layer of purpose and meaning to the platform’s existence.
With its innovative use of decentralisation, community-driven governance, and a diverse array of gameplay features, OpenFPL is poised to become a major player in the fantasy football space. By offering football fans an opportunity to truly engage with the game they love while also giving them a stake in the platform’s future, OpenFPL is setting the stage for the next generation of fantasy football. It’s about owning it, shaping it, and benefiting from it. And with the backing of the Internet Computer’s decentralised architecture, OpenFPL is positioned to become a truly global platform that brings fans closer to the sport and to one another.
As OpenFPL grows and attracts more users, it is set to create a thriving, engaged community of football fans who enjoy the game in an exciting way and have a hand in shaping its future. The platform’s tokenomics, governance structure, and commitment to community-driven growth ensure that it will remain at the cutting edge of fantasy football for years to come.
In short, OpenFPL is revolutionising fantasy football by combining the passion of fans with the power of decentralisation, creating a platform that’s about the fans who make it so exciting.
