1. Choose a Team name (see the History link on the menu bar for previous names)

2. Choose a Team formation from 3-5-2, 3-4-3, 4-4-2,4-3-3, or 5-3-2 (3-5-2 means 1 goalkeeper, 3 defenders, 5 midfielders and 2 forwards)

3. Choose your Team from the Price List.

4. Restrictions that apply to choosing your team are as follows:

You have only £30 million to spend on 11 players.

You can only have a maximum of two players from any one real Premiership team as listed on the Price List.

Goalkeepers are deemed to play in all of their Premiership Team’s matches. Ask me about this rule if you are in any doubt about what this means.

5. You will be permitted to make 2 transfers during the season at any time. The player bought must cost no more than the player sold plus any funds remaining after your teambuilding phase described above. It is up to you to keep a record of how much you spend and have available to boost transfer funds. The player bought must also play in the same position as that sold. Transfers will take effect from the day after I receive notification of the transfer.

Clearly, your new player only scores points for you from the date of the transfer. You keep the points scored for you up to that date by your old player.

Aggregate transfers are permitted ie you can make both transfers simultaneously and aggregate their cost to give you an aggregate transfer fund with which to buy two new players. However, the new players must still play in the same positions as the outgoing players. Otherwise, it is not possible to make one transfer and then make another transfer at a later date which utilises any profit from the earlier transfer.

6. Points scoring is based on the Premiership match results as reported on the BBC website (see the link on the home page) as follows :-

If, by any chance, the results page is retrospectively changed by the BBC then an appeal may be made to me providing full details of the change. I will investigate any such appeal and make any necessary changes.

The format will be the Jerball League and the 2 Cups (the Winter Cup is played on the first Premiership Saturday Sept-Jan, and the Summer Cup on the same basis Jan-May). In the event of a draw, the team in a lower position in the league table at the end of the preceding day will be awarded a win on penalties. Further details including the draw will be available from the website.

The entry contribution this year is £8. This must be received by 10 August 2001, failing which the defaulting manager may be withdrawn from the league. Teams must also be submitted by 10 August 2001. Late submissions are not fair to other league managers who submit teams on time. In extreme cases, late submission will be permitted with the Jerball committee's sanction and the penalty for such late submission will be a severe points penalty equal to twice the amount of points scored by the late team at the date of submission) or 10 points, whichever is higher. Teams can be submitted by post or e-mail. They can also be submitted by leaving a phone message and confirming selection by post or e-mail the same day. If, after that date, a team submitted on time is discovered to have contravened the rules, a penalty of five points will be deducted and the error retrospectively corrected, failing which the defaulting manager may be withdrawn from the league.

Once I know how many people will be taking part, I will be able to determine the prize money up for grabs.

If you have any questions, just contact me. In time honoured fashion, the decision of the Jerball committee (consisting of Irene and Jeremy, Jeremy having the casting vote in the event of deadlock), acting reasonably, is final in relation to any rules or points totals.