Here's the announcement:
There is no doubt in our mind now that it's time for the NFFC to expand its presence in the 12-team format on the first weekend of the NFL season in Las Vegas. We have stuck to Labor Day weekend for obvious reasons when the WCOFF was so dominant, but the landscape has changed in the last year and it's likely to change much, much more in the next few weeks. With an NFL labor deal coming soon, it's time to announce our expanded lineup of events and our new schedule.
Granted, we haven't officially announced our host hotel in Las Vegas but everything is in place at the Bellagio for both weekends. We even have a room block set aside and I will announce that next. We have the Grand Ballroom at the Bellagio on Saturday, Sept. 10th, so we can host plenty of main events at once. I'm excited for what lies ahead, yet I'm extremely sad of what has happened to some players to this point. Let's still hope for some resolution there, but move forward together.
Originally we had announced plans to expand our 12-team Primetime Main Event into the second weekend. We are hosting Primetime Main Events in Las Vegas, New York, Chicago and Online on Saturday, Sept. 3rd, but that same contest will also have live Main Events on Friday-Saturday, Sept. 9-10 in Las Vegas and Online. All participants get the benefit of watching the Thursday night opener between New Orleans and Green Bay as all teams first set their starting lineup before Sunday's slate of games. So no matter when you draft in the Primetime, you get to see the Thursday night results before setting your Week 1 starting lineup.
Four different start times for the Primetime have been announced and are on the NFFC site along with the rules. But now we feel it's time to fill the void left vacant that weekend with a whole slate of events that fantasy owners are used to. We will post all of the rules for these new contests shortly and will even create a new landing page for the Sept. 8-11 slate of events. Look for that soon. This is the first announcement that we are expanding our 12-team offerings and the rest will appear shortly.
Along with the increased number of contests, the NFFC also hopes to have a Thursday Night Viewing Party in Las Vegas, the ideal kickoff event for all of our die-hard customers. We'll also see if we can find a similar setup on Sunday for the NFL games, although that isn't a given yet. I have a few phone calls to make now, but my goal is to put on the best four days of gatherings we can out in Las Vegas for opening weekend. It's time to bring some sanity back to this industry while having an incredibly insane time out in Sin City!!!
I think most of our customers can decipher the different without my help!!! Oh, and for long-time NFFC owners, there might be a private "Fischer Party" with new hosts on Friday night!! Seriously. Stay tuned.Okay, onto the new events. Here's a look at the lineup card and this can be tweaked a bit:
Thursday, Sept. 8:
5 pm: NFFC Viewing Party (TBD)
8:30 pm: NFFC drafts (TBD, looking for feedback here)
Friday, Sept. 9:
9 am: NFFC Diamond League ($10,000 entry)
9 am: NFFC Primetime Auction League ($1,000 entry)
9 am: NFFC Primetime Draft Champions League ($1,000 entry)
2 pm: NFFC Primetime Main Event
2 pm: NFFC Primetime Auction League ($1,000 entry)
2 pm: NFFC Primetime Draft Champions League ($1,000 entry)
6 pm: NFFC Primetime Main Event
6 pm: NFFC 12-team Super League
Saturday, Sept. 10:
10 am: NFFC Primetime Main Event
4 pm: NFFC Primetime Main Event
4 pm: NFFC 12-team Super League
Sunday, Sept. 11:
Possible Viewing Party (TBD)
Just a note that these 12-team Draft Champions and Auction Leagues are just that, private leagues. All of the prize money will remain within the leagues. I'll post those rules shortly as they are done. We had 12-team formats scheduled for last year and thus I just need to tweak those rules. I have added slots for the 12-team Super Leagues with payouts of 87%+ and those rules will be posted shortly as well.
If you see any opening that I'm missing or an event that you'd like to have added, let me know here. It is possible that we will also add a Satellite League format with a playoff format consisting of h2h competition for the last four weeks, but more on that later. Getting the live events announced first is key.
There's a lot of moving parts right now in our industry, but we wanted to let those folks who are planning to go to Las Vegas that first weekend of the NFL season know that the NFFC is going to be there with familiar 12-team formats. It's time to move forward with this full slate of weekend events and provide the type of contest you're familiar with and the type of prize guarantees and first-rate customer service you've expected. And with the Bellagio as our host site, I trust that you'll also enjoy the first-rate live events. Putting on a first-rate live event is the least of our worries as this marks the eighth season of multi-city events for the NFFC/NFBC.
Look for promotional announcements for those folks who want to do multiple live events and more. There's no turning back for the industry. We must move forward and that has to be with contests and game operators you know and trust. We believe the NFFC will be that home for hundreds of players this year. Thanks all.