FSN1 -  21:30 28 February 2001

Welcome to FISO's first fantasy sports newsletter!

With an England team growing in confidence and 1-0 up against
Spain at half-time (with Owen seemingly playing in midfield!) ...... it is obviously time to update you on the Fantasy F1 competitions with many starting on Friday 2 March:

F1 games launched yesterday and today include:

Top Gear (awaiting news on prizes though) - http://www.ff1.beeb.com/

Sunny Afternoon - http://www.sunnyafternoon.com/f1/main.htm

Fantasy Sports Web - http://www.fantasy-sports-web.com

Fantasy League's F1 (points scoring starts from 1 April) -
http://www.fantasyleague.com/f1

It has also just been confirmed to FISO by Mark Maydon, Director of News Group Digital, that anyone using the 'Pitstop' (team changes) facility in The Sun's online Fantasy F1 competition -  http://www.f1dreamteam.com  - will incur a charge of £2.50. This is on top of the entry fee of £5 and is not stated in their promotional literature (i.e. the £2.50 is not mentioned in The Sun). With a massive prize fund of £100,000, including £50,000 for the winner, the charges still represent good value for money. In particular it is better value than the Times' F1 game which is actually the same as The Sun's above game but with less prize money!

These F1 games, and more, are reviewed on www.FISO.co.uk here:

http://www.fiso.co.uk/f1internet.htm

We hope that this newsletter has been useful - if there is any information  you would like to see us cover then just let us know via this address - suggestions@fiso.co.uk

If you know of anyone else that wants to subscribe to our newsletter then just ask them to send a message to newsletter@fiso.co.uk with subscribe in the subject line (and confirmation of their name and email in the text).

FISO - keeping you in touch with UK fantasy sports news!

Please see the very end of this message to unsubscribe from this newsletter.

Now 'Liverpool' 2 Spain 0 - after Heskey (playing from midfield) scores for England.

... and Middlesbrough get in on the act with a goal from Ehiogu at his previous home ground - England 3 Spain 0 - ... and a penalty save by Martyn! Perhaps a foreign manager was the right move after all?

On that note we're signing off.

Best wishes to all

FSN2 14:45 3 March 2001

FISO readers may be interested in the following Press Release from News Group Digital on their Fantasy F1 competition.

Newsletters next week will concentrate on F1 games yet to start, fantasy football news and a summary of some of the non-sports fantasy games that are available on the internet. For anyone interested in the latest English football team news then the link below is one of the better pages available - simply click on the team you are interested in (in the right-hand column) and the team info appears on the same page (in the left-hand column):

http://www.skysports.com/skysports/livescores/0,,1940-,00.html

Remember if you know of anyone that wishes to subscribe to FISO's fantasy sports newsletter then all they need do is send an email to newsletter@fiso.co.uk with subscribe in the subject line. To unsubscribe, instead simply put unsubscribe in the subject line.

'NEWS GROUP DIGITAL - PRESS RELEASE

28 February 2001

THE SUN IN POLE POSITION WITH F1 DREAMTEAM

The Sun Online (www.thesun.co.uk) this week launched the newspaper's hugely successful fantasy Formula One game on the web. The game - called F1 Dream Team and with £100,000 in prizes - has run in The Sun for the last five years and is now online for the first time at www.f1dreamteam.com.

News Group Digital has also formed a strategic partnership with Granada Broadband, which gives all www.itv-f1.com users access to the game.

News Group Digital Director Mark Maydon said: "As far as I am aware, Dream Team is the only fully-integrated offline-online fantasy game out there.

"And no-one comes near in offering our level of prizes - we're giving away £75,000 in cash and a further £25,000 in VIP trips to Grand Prix races.

"Punters can register for £100,000 F1 Dream Team either via the phone (09015 60 40 20, calls cost 60p/min) or on the web for £5 at www.F1Dreamteam.com. Anyone who registers by phone can log on to check their progress easily via the website. And of course, web users can use the phone to do the same should they wish.

"What's more, anyone who is too busy to log on or phone in can have the game updates sent to their mobile phone via SMS.  It's a terrific set-up."

F1 Dream Team is the second of The Sun's fantasy games to be web enabled after the football game was launched online last August. The closing date for entries is noon GMT on March 2, two days before the first Grand Prix race of the season in Melbourne.

Maydon continued: "We were overwhelmed by the online take-up to the football Dream Team and F1 looks like going the same way. Web-enabling these games gives them a whole new dimension - allowing entrants to check a raft of facts and figures we never previously had the space to publish in the paper.

"F1 Dream Team contains so much information it provides a complete Formula One site - ideal for all race buffs."


For further details, please contact:-

Meri Marrone at News Group Digital tel: 0207 782 1367 email:
meri@news.co.uk or Jane Blackburne at Granada Broadband Press Office tel: 0161 827 2876'


FSN3 19:30 5 March 2001

With the Formula 1 season underway, although with a unfortunate and tragic start, we take a quick look below at two Fantasy F1 games that are yet to start for real.


Sky Sports' Fantasy F1 2001 - http://games.sky.com/formula1/game.cgi

Sky's game goes live today (5 March) with the first GP counting towards points on Sunday 18 March (Malaysian GP).  A £5,000 first prize with 4 runner-up prizes of £250 each is offered and entry is FREE. Transfers during the season and 4 extra prizes of £1,000 for teams with the most points in each 2 month period during the duration of the competition mean continuing interest
for people behind the initial leaders (often a let down with fantasy sports competitions for many participants). Choose a team of 4 drivers and 2 teams and you can make 2 changes between each GP so there is plenty of interactivity - those managing their teams carefully should stand a greater chance than the large number who enter a team and then pretty much forget about it.

We caught up with Andrew Evans (AE), the product manager behind Sky Sports' fantasy sports games, earlier today for a quick chat during his hectic launch-day.

FISO: When was Sky's fantasy F1 first launched and how many participants have you attracted in the past?

AE: We first launched Sky Sports Fantasy F1 last year and we had 10,000 teams playing.  It was the first game we had launched free of charge and at the time it was our biggest in terms of online entrants.

FISO: Was the decision to start the game after the first F1 GP of the season made on purpose or were there delays in the testing of the site?

AE: It was made on purpose, but there was actually little choice.  Sky have recently relaunched their web-site so our plans had to fit around those and it was better from a logistics point of view to launch after the Australian Grand Prix.  We also felt that people may be more inclined to make their team selections after the first Grand Prix as they will have had a chance to see which teams/drivers are setting the early pace.

FISO: What are the main changes from last year's game or have you left things pretty much as they were?

AE: We have left things as they were because of the time constraints mentioned above, but we have tweaked the way the groups are structured to make entrants think about their selections a little more.  We hope it will show who really knows their Formula 1!!!

FISO: Who do you think will finish 1,  2 and 3 at the end of the real life F1 season?

AE: Definitely going to be closer than last year, but I'd go Michael Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard again.

Many thanks to Andrew for taking time out of his busy day.


Fantasy League's Formula 1 - http://www.fantasyleague.com/f1

Many of you may have tried the Original Fantasy League's fantasy football competition. Well now Fantasy League have tried their hand at F1.  Their full game scoring starts on 1st April 2001 (no fooling!) so their league is based on results in GPs 3 to 17. Enter early with your choice of 6 drivers from your virtual $50m and you have the chance to try out in a couple of warm-up races and win a Supercar track day.

Unlimited team changes are allowed prior to the first  2 GPs of the season ('the warm up'), after that up to 3 driver changes can be made up until 15 minutes before the start of each race (transfer ability right up to race time is always a welcome feature in fantasy sports games - as long as the servers can withstand the pressure!). In addition to the usual scoring
system (first 6 finishing places, movement in race, failing to finish, fastest lap) you can play a Joker to double all points scored from a selected GP (this is where your prediction skills are needed!).

Entry fee is £7.50 and you must be 18 or over at 4 March 2001. There are some great motoring prizes up for grabs, all provided by Unmissable.com:

· 5 star trip to the Spanish grand prix
· Supercar driving day (Porsche, Viper, Lamborghini Diablo)
· Ferrari driving experience (including the Ferrari 355 F1)
· Gift vouchers to travel sports events anywhere
· Place in the Fantasy League Powerturn Grand Prix 2001


These F1 games, and more, are reviewed on www.FISO.co.uk here:

http://www.fiso.co.uk/f1internet.htm


Finally, a quick word on fantasy football.

Those taking part in real-life fantasy football competitions (English Premier League - EPL) may have been disappointed by your very poor points score at the weekend. Well not to worry, most teams did poorly! Those who are taking part in TelegraphPremierLeague's online game (TPLO) will know that I have been leading the game since mid December. Well with only scoring a miserly 21 points at the weekend I was amazed to see my lead pretty much stay the same. With 70 points in hand, I'm hoping to hang on for that first prize, and more importantly, the title of TPLO winner 2000/01.

With the weekend's games not producing many goals one would be led to think that tonight's match between Sunderland and Aston Villa would produce a glut. However with Phillips not playing and Villa's strikers off-form, perhaps this won't be the case. A very difficult game to call, although I would say most likeliest goal scorer is Don Hutchinson. I'd guess a 2-1 but if there hadn't been so few goals at the weekend I might have gone for 1-0 or a surprise 0-1.


FSN4 8.30am 13 March 2001

Fantasy Football enthusiasts may be interested in the following Press Release from Anco, the developers of PlayAsManager.com - possibly the future of commercial fantasy football management games?

Later this week there will be an update on fantasy F1 games with a brief look at some unusual fantasy games!


ANCO KICKS OFF PLAYASMANAGER.COM WITH TEAMTALK SIGNING

London - February 2001: Anco Online Limited, the UK's oldest, independent computer and video game developer, has launched PlayAsManager.com, the first truly interactive football management game for the net, scoring an exclusive marketing deal with the UK's leading football web site, Teamtalk.com, to
promote the game as it evolves over the coming months.

Kicking off immediately, PlayAsManager.com allows users to take over the reins of any one of the 92 Premiership and three Nationwide League teams, and includes FA and Worthington Cup competitions as well as boasting the only 3D watch game that players can download.

PlayAsManager.com lets users buy and sell players, edit team and individual statistics, create their own playing styles and tactics, visit forums and chat rooms to interact with other human managers and download and watch any games that have been played in full 3D.

Logging on to the www.playasmanager.com website, potential Alex Fergusons or Arsene Wengers can download the game software in a matter of minutes, following the simple instructions, and register to play a full season, usually lasting between 3-6 months, for just £10. League and cup prizes, as well as promotions, will ultimately be awarded for all competitions.

The co-operative marketing deal between Anco and TeamTalk, which runs until April 2001, will see TeamTalk taking a share of revenues received from players joining up to play PlayAsManager.com through the TeamTalk portal www.teamtalk.com ), while the game can also be accessed through the home site, www.playasmanager.com.

On completion of the deal, Saul Leese, Anco Online's European Marketing Manager, said: "Teamtalk.com fits into our marketing strategy perfectly. They're a forward thinking company with experience in the football content business and will help us to build PlayAsManager's profile as the game evolves over the coming months."

Anco expects the TeamTalk marketing deal to be the first of many, while a special banner mechanic, also being devised, will allow other portals to gain revenue from users accessing the game through links from their sites, as part of a special "pay-per-user-generated" scheme. 

Leeds based Teamtalk.com receives some 1.5 million hits per month from football enthusiasts all over the UK and recently raised £93 million to develop its business here in the UK, as well as to launch offices in a number of key European territories.

Teamtalk commercial director Mark Woodhead commented: "PlayAsManager.com is the next stage in online football games, combining the quality gaming experience of Anco's console products with the interactivity and customer reach of the internet. We expect it to be a big hit with our 1.5 million users."

PlayAsManager.com is based upon Anco's long-running and award winning off-line Player Manager game, which has been released on both PC CD ROM and PSX world wide. Over the years, Anco has worked with famous managers who have endorsed the game in each territory, including Guy Roux in France, Fabio Capello in Italy and, most recently, Alex Ferguson in the UK. 

Other managers who have worked with the development of PlayAsManager.com include Coventry City's Gordon Strachan and Newcastle's Bobby Robson. Here's what the experts had to say about the product:

Bobby Robson: "It's amazing! What it really does is give the amateur the chance to be a professional - to be the top man!"

Gordon Strachan: "Player Manager is fantastic! I'm really enjoying this, believe it or not. I'm not going to tell my kids that because they'll want to play me. You don't want to play against the kids because if they beat you, you never hear the end of it!"

Alex Ferguson: "Player Manager gives a real insight into what management's all about"

Anco Online plans to release 'PlayAsManager.com' in 24 territories world-wide by the end of Q2 2001.


PLAYASMANAGER.COM - GAME FEATURES

· Choose to manage any one of the 92 clubs in the Premiership through to the 3rd Division of the Nationwide Leagues, in a real life online management simulation against other human managers.

· Interact with other players, discuss forthcoming fixtures or simply taunt your upcoming opposition using in-game e-mail system, group messaging, web-site forums and live web chat.

· Watch your game unfold using 2 unique game view options:

3D Match highlights - 256 colour or 3D accelerated version.
Scanner Mode - Top down view of play for the more analytical manager.

· Plan and implement a pre-match strategy using the in-game tactics designer, allowing you to give a wide range of individual instructions to each player in your squad.

· Build a squad for the future by buying players from the massive 11,000-strong international player database.

· Strike deals directly with other human managers (you never know, Beckham may well want to join Arsenal at the right price!).

· Spy on other clubs using your very own scout who can intercept messages going to and from other clubs.

· Go for silverware by competing in all of the major cup competitions in the English league.

· Immerse yourself in a wealth of statistics with 18 individual player skills and attributes and a host of post-match analysis tools.

· Check out all the very latest league news using the League Report feature.

Other Features include:

· Goals of the month - Did your team score one of the most impressive goals of the month?
· All Stars - Who are the movers and shakers in the league?
· League Hotshots - Who's finding the onion bag on a regular basis?
· League Info - Which club has scored the most goals so far? Who has the best away track record?
· Transfer List - Who's selling who at any one moment?
· League Tables, Club Fixtures, League Fixtures, Cup Fixtures

Web site Features:

Bulletin board, Live Chat, Auction Rooms (April 2001), Manager Profiles (April 2001), League tables and positions, Office Leagues, Super Leagues (April 2001) and Celebrity Leagues.
ENDS
For more information regarding PlayAsManager.com or Anco Software, contact Saul Leese at Anco Software on 01322 292513 or email saul@anco.co.uk. Alternatively you can speak to Chris Knight at 1UP Media on 0207 821 5811 or email chris@1upmedia.freeserve.co.uk.

ANCO Software Ltd. Unit 7 Millside Industrial Estate, Lawson Rd, Dartford, Kent DA1 5BP
Telephone: 01322 292513/292518 Fax: 01322 293422. Registered in England No. 2001235.


FSN 5 9.30am 15 March 2001

Ignition on, engage first gear, handbrake off and off we go! Yes, the second round of the Formula One season is upon us and FISO's FSN5 hopes to give you a quick flavour of fantasy F1 games with updates from a selection of webmasters.

Coming soon is a summary of recent fantasy football sites reviewed and listed on FISO.

Fantasy F1:

Dreamrace Fantasy F1 competition is now closed to new entries, however you can still visit the site for news and pictures from Melbourne. Also see the results of the competition (There is no password needed!) The winner after the first race is MURRAYS MISFITS with 609 points! If you would like a Fantasy F1 competition run for your company or organisation based on individual races please contact paul@dreamracef1.co.uk
or tel 01803 843493 Paul. Dreamrace F1 Webmaster http://www.dreamracef1.co.uk


FantasyF1.org.uk has now passed £1,000 for the total value of its prize fun! Thanks to all our sponsors.

For the first time ever, this season we will be allowing entries after the first race has been run. We are able to do this thanks to our shiny new online database which time stamps every team, and should two teams be tied on points, then the team entered first is placed highest. Team only score from the race after they were entered.

Some big changes are planned for the next few weeks, so FantasyF1.org.uk will be worth keeping an eye on.


SunnyAfternoon - open to anyone at anytime and free entry. No complex registration. Prizes will be paid in cash.

Current Leader : Bouldewin


Sky Sports' Fantasy F1 2001
The first GP counting towards points is this weekend. A £5,000 first prize with 4 runner-up prizes of £250 each is offered and entry is FREE so must be worth at least one entry!