Fantasy Football Draft Party – The Ultimate How to Guide

Are you wanting to host an epic fantasy football draft party, but aren’t sure where to start? Have you seen pictures of fantasy football draft parties on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, and are starting to get jealous? If you’ve experienced this, or some other type of FOMO when it comes to fantasy football drafts, this article is for you.

Whether you just watched Season 1 of “The League”, or you’re looking for ways to reinvigorate your league, hosting an epic draft party is exactly what you need.

How to Find the Best Fantasy Football Draft Board

Your fantasy football draft board will be the focal point of the entire draft, so the best advice I can give you is, don’t go cheap. Did you decide to make your own pizza for your party? Of course not, so don’t even think about making your own draft board. Sure, you could throw something together, but we’ve seen tons of DIY draft boards that have been epic fails.

Lucky for you, we’ve found the best place to buy a fantasy football draft board online. This company has sold thousands of draft boards, and they have everything you need. They’re also a Rotowire partner in 2019. Their player labels are accurate, large, and contain every fantasy relevant player. In fact, if you opt for the package to add IDP labels, you’ll be getting over 570 labels! With epic draft board designs including the Backside Beauty, Frontside Beauty, Classic Commish Choice, and Gametime, you’ll find something that will make your league mates proud.

Things to consider with your draft board:

• How tall and how long is it? You’ll want to make sure it can fit on your wall.
• How many player labels are included? If you’re in a deep league, you’ll want to have over 400 labels.
• How big are the player labels? Some draft boards on eBay have tiny labels that are 1 inch x 2.5 inches. Make sure to select a kit that comes with 4 x 1 labels.
• What is the overall rating of the company? Again, purchasing on eBay may leave some doubt about the quality. With 360 Fantasy Football Draft Boards, you’re getting a board backed by a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee.
• How is the board shipped? If it’s folded up in an envelope, good luck getting your board to lay flat. Make sure to get “Tube Shipping”.

How to Pick the Venue for your Draft Party

Don’t overthink the venue. But don’t wait until the last minute to pick one.

There are a few simple rules to follow when selecting the venue for your fantasy football draft party. If you stick to these three simple rules, you’ll be setting yourself up for an epic draft party.

Rule 1: Avoid hosting at a restaurant / bar, but make sure they are within walking distance.

We typically recommend hosting your draft party in a private venue, as things tend to get heated. And the last place you want to be when your two buddies drop the gloves is at a Buffalo Wild Wings or a TGI Fridays!

That said, if you are in a responsible league that can behave in public, we suggest taking your draft party to a pool or other venue outdoors.

Rule 2: Find a location with enough space & a large blank wall.

If you want to go with renting a place through VRBO or Airbnb, make sure you’re picking a place that has adequate space. Typically you can view pictures of the room / house you’re renting, but keep in mind that the living room needs to have a large open wall.

Be careful if you decide to rent a hotel. Hotel rooms typically are not large enough to hold 12 people, and oftentimes the walls are covered with permanent art / fixtures, making it difficult to find a place for the draft board.

Rule 3: Get away, but make sure there’s WiFi

You could host your draft party at your buddy Tony’s house, but wouldn’t you rather get away? The most cliche idea is to fly out to Vegas and plan a weekend around around the draft party, but you don’t have to drop a couple thousand dollars to host an epic party.

Here are a few of the most popular places to host a fantasy football draft party:

• Resort / Hotel on a Golf Course – Classy and fun
• Resort / Hotel in the Mountains – Rugged
• Hotel in Vegas – High roller
• Hunting Camp – If you’re into that kind of thing
• At a Pool Party – If you’re brave enough

Fantasy Draft Party Checklist

• [  ] Pick up a Draft Board.
• [  ] Pick a Venue.
• [  ] Confirm WiFi is available.
• [  ] Print offline ranking sheets.
• [  ] Determine your draft order.
• [  ] Communicate the Venue / Day / Time to your entire league.
• [  ] Check in with your league the week before (not kidding).
• [  ] Check in with your league the day before (seriously, not kidding).
• [  ] Pick up Beers on your way – BYOB.
• [  ] Know where the closest pizza delivery place is.
• [  ] Clearly state any rule changes
• [  ] Plan a celebration for the champion.
• [  ] Plan an even better celebration for the loser.
• [  ] Be Safe, and Have Fun!
• [  ] Regret terrible draft picks in the morning (optional)

As you can see, it’s not difficult to host an epic fantasy draft party. You just gotta put some effort in!