5 Ways to Level Up Your League’s Fantasy Football Draft Party
Draft day is the greatest day of the year. It’s Christmas for adults. And there’s nothing more fun than a really good draft day party. Good food, good friends, bitter rivalries, and endless hours of trash talk.
We’ve compiled a list of some recommended will tips for hosting a successful fantasy football draft:
Drinking Penalties
We use penalty flags (cheap on Amazon, or make your own) in one of my leagues, which owners will throw at each other when a “Draft Penalty” is made. Subsequently, the offending owner is then forced to do a shot (or in our league, we do shots of Champagne just because it’s ridiculous). Here are a few ideas for said “Penalties”:
Every time an owner uses a draft extension.
If an owner tries to draft an already-taken player.
When an owner takes a player from a pre-decided team (usually a mutually hated team in the league)
2. Get a Digital Draft Board
A draft board is a must-have. Along with kicking up the realism of the draft day experience, it also aids in keeping things running smoothly. Instead of owners constantly asking “Who was just picked”, “Who’s on the clock”, “Who are the top QBs on the board”, or “What is this burning sensation?”…Ok maybe it can’t help with the last question, but having a draft board will answer ALL of those other questions and more. Not to mention, if you have a digital-based draft board like FanDraft, you can really kick the realism up a notch.
3. A small humiliation for the Toilet Bowl winner
Purchase and decorate a toilet seat that the prior year Toilet Bowl winner has to wear around their head for the duration of the draft.
It’s a small humiliation, but also irritating enough to really not want to get stuck with that title.
4. Destination Draft
Doing a destination draft turns the draft party into a full-on multi-day draft vacation.
Find a fun city like Las Vegas, LA, or Nashville, and then get an AirBNB that will comfortably sleep your whole crew. The great thing about having 10-12 of your friends agree on this, is you get fantastic buying power. Head to some cheaper location like Arizona, and you can get a mansion with a pool, basketball court, and a kick-ass space to hold a draft.
5. Awards / Introductions
Every league should start off with a brief speech from the Commissioner, who can take a moment to give a league cheers, as well as honor the prior year's champion. It can also be fun to print out little certificates for made-up recognitions from the prior year, such as: “Most Average Team”, “Team with the Worst Draft”, “Owner We Forgot Was In The League”, etc.
Want to REALLY level-up your league’s draft party?
Make your league’s draft feel like an actual draft, with FanDraft: Fantasy Football Online Draft Board.
Custom logos, team walk-up songs, a streaming ticker and draft clock, multiple draft board displays, and tons of other feature’s that will take your draft to the next level.