Singapore Premier League releases new fantasy football game

Singapore Premier League (SPL) fans will now have more ways to get invested in the local football scene, thanks to the introduction of fantasy football.

The SPL Real Manager game, announced by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) on Monday (Mar 14), will allow fans to interact with their favourite players and teams in new ways. 

Users will be allowed to pick a team ahead of every matchweek of the SPL. A team of virtual players will rack up points according to how their real-life counterparts perform during matches.

Other key features include a budget of $120 million, unlimited transfers between matchweeks, a maximum of three players from the same club as well as a transfer deadline set at 10 minutes prior to kick-off of the matchweek’s first match.

The SPL Real Manager application will be available for download on both the Google Play Store and Apple Store or played on a computer web browser at www.spl.sg/spl-real manager.

The game will initially be available to play only as a beta version which will conclude on Apr 27 with all scores being reset.

The full launch will commence from May 6, including a competitive league with prizes and will coincide with the second round of the 2022 SPL season.

The game is powered by the Real Manager platform of Funatix Club, announced on Monday as the Official Fantasy Football partner of the SPL. The multi-year agreement with FAS is worth approximately $808,000, said FAS in a press release. 

The SPL will be the second league in Asia to partner with Funatix Club, after Thailand’s League 1. Other leagues in the world partnering with Funatix Club include the Swiss Super League and the Mexican Liga MX.

FAS General Secretary Yazeen Buhari said that the introduction of fantasy football in Singapore’s football league was another avenue for the FAS to engage local football fans.

“Fantasy football has become an integral part of the fan experience in recent times, and we are excited to be able to make this aspect a reality for the SPL… The SPL Real Manager Initiative is a result of the feedback garnered from engagement with SPL fans and we believe that this will be the perfect complement to the action on the pitch,” he said. 

Ohad Crystal, Chief Executive Officer of Funatix Club, added: “We are very excited to cooperate with the Football Association of Singapore. I was impressed by the growth and appeal of the Singapore league in the last few years; this growth is not a coincidence but a result of the hard and professional work of the FAS team.”