We’ll be back again... for Footcall 2014

Only two weeks after the overwhelming success of Footcall 2012, where we had 138 teams competing, we will be coming back for the ninth time to host Footcall 2014. Here’s how you can take part...

PART 1: THE GROUP STAGES

We need your score predictions for ALL the Group Stages matches before June 2014.

A. You can submit your Footcall entry by going to the ENTER page.

B. Here you will need to complete all the yellow boxes on the screen. Give us your full name and choose a team name, you can look at the HISTORY pages for some team name inspiration, just remember to keep it clean and no more than 30 characters in length (the management reserve the right to alter any inappropriate team names). Crucially we need a phone number in case we need to contact you and a unique email address for logging in to to check your predictions. If you enter a team and also submit an entry on behalf of someone else you will need to supply a different email address to that of the one used for yourself. As last time we will send out notifications by text and those all important reminders to get your entries in. This is a completely FREE service and you can be assured that your number will not be passed on to anyone else.

C. You will then be guided through each Group of teams taking part in Olympics Football tournament. All you need to do is fill in each yellow box with a score for each match.

D. Then make payment for your entry… Entry Fee is £10. The most convenient method is through PayPal where you will also be able to use your credit card. When you click the Pay For Entry link you will be taken to the PayPal login page where you can complete the transaction.

If you prefer, you can send a cheque for £10 made payable to David Jenner to Esquire Print Ltd, Diamond Works, Maidstone Road, Nettlestead, Maidstone, Kent ME18 5HP. Or you can pay by cash. Please note that entries that have not been paid by kickoff on Thursday 26 July 2012 may not entered into the competition.

E. Once your entry has been received, your predictions will be collated and a copy will be emailed back for your reference. If you would like to alter your predictions or start again, you will need to get in touch via the CONTACT page to have your team deleted from the database so you can start over.

F. That's it for the Group Stages! All you need to do is sit back and enjoy the tournament (and Footcall) and we will keep you posted with results and league tables.

GROUP STAGES SCORING

THREE points will be awarded for guessing the exact result of the game. For example, if you predict the first game to be Honduras 1 v 0 Morocco and the actual score finishes Honduras 1 v 0 Morocco you score THREE points for correctly predicting the right team to win and the correct score.

However if you predict the result to be Honduras 1 v 0 Morocco and it finishes Honduras 2 v 0 Morocco you score ONE point for the correctly predicting the right team to win but with the wrong score.

As there are no penalty shoot-outs in the Group Stages, it is possible for matches to end in a draw. If you guess the final outcome will be a draw i.e. Honduras 1 v 1 Morocco and the result is Honduras 0 v 0 Morocco you will receive one point. Of course if it finishes Honduras 1 v 1 Morocco you will be awarded THREE points for guessing the exact score and result of the match.

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PART 2: THE KNOCKOUT STAGES

This part of the competition only comes into play AFTER the Group Stages are complete. You will receive a new Knockout Stages form showing the fixtures for the Quarter Finals through to the Final. In the Knockout Stages you need to predict ALL the forthcoming match winners from the remaining teams. That means ALL four semi-finalists, BOTH finalists and the OVERALL Olympic gold medalist (we do not need the scores for these matches). Obviously if you predict a team will go on to pick up the trophy, and they are defeated in the Quarter Finals, you will sacrifice a lot of potential points, so choose wisely!

KNOCKOUT STAGES SCORING

• You will receive TWO points for correctly guessing each of the FOUR semi-finalists (8pts)
These must be four teams from the qualifying quarter-finalists
• You will receive FOUR points for correctly guessing each of the TWO finalists (8pts)
These must be two teams from your chosen semi-finalists
• You will receive EIGHT points for correctly guessing which team will go on to lift the trophy (8pts)
This must be one team from your chosen finalists

There are a total of 24 points available in the Knockout Stages so select your teams tactically based on your half way position. It is YOUR responsibility to contact us with your predictions for the Knockout Stages before the Quarter Finals start on Saturday 4 August 2012 so we have less than 72 hours in which to receive your Knockout Stages forms back. Late entrants may result in that team not scoring any further Footcall points!

THE FOOTCALL VIII WINNER* WILL BE THE PLAYER WITH THE MOST POINTS AFTER THE FINAL WHICH IS HELD ON SATURDAY 11 AUGUST 2012. There will be a number of cash prizes based on the number of entrants to the competition.

* If in the event of a tie for points at the end, the person with the most number of THREE pointers in the Group Stages will win. If these statistics are the same, the player who accumulated the most points in the Knockout Stages will be the winner. If these again are the same, the player who amassed the highest number of points in the Group Stages will be decisive. If ALL these criteria are identical, the prize money will be shared but the title will be decided by the toss of a coin.