The excruciating two-month wait to see the world’s greatest football league reappear on our TV screens is nearly over, as is the accompanying apprehension of another PPP/CTN Fantasy League season.

The 2011/12 edition, which kicks off on August 13, is set to feature more of the enthralling tactical battles that saw over 250 teams register last time round.

Cellcard have once again stepped up as proud sponsors to grant weekly and overall prizes. This time, the winners of each of the 38 gameweeks will be given the choice of collecting either a US$20 phone voucher or a DataCard internet dongle as well as a Cellcard T-shirt.

Meanwhile, the manager that tops the table come the end of the season will again walk away with a the latest version of an iPad powered by Cellcard 3.5G.

“This year promises to be even more exciting not only with plenty of activities and dramas in the transfer market but also some new rules to the fantasy premier league season,” said Cellcard Chief Operating Officer Kay Lot.

“There will be different rules on selection of vice-captain and the way bonus points are given, so be sure to study them well before investing in your players.”

CTN will broadcast live Premier League matches exclusively for the Cambodian audience and give reports on the gameweek winners during their coverage on Saturday. Kay Lot also highlighted their score prediction competition on match days.

“It is simple – predict a correct score and win great talk time from Cellcard,” he said.  

Last season’s champion Mick Wade is looking forward to another closely fought contest. “My main aim will be to get into the top 10 and stay there to give myself a chance to retain my title,” he said.

“I’d say up to ten managers were in contention up to the last couple of weeks last season and I’ll be surprised if this season will be any different. I’d like to thank PPP and sponsors [Cellcard] for giving us so much to look forward to again. Let battle commence!”  

First time fantasy managers need to go to fantasy.premierleague.com and create a team, bearing in mind they can make as many changes to their squad as they like before the gameweek 1 deadline of 6:30pm Cambodian time on August 13.

Once a full line up has been assembled, teams can join the PPP/CTN Fantasy League by entering the code 221510-67461 on the Join a league option of the Leagues tab. Previous managers will also need to use this code if their team has not been automatically included.

While the new look website will take some Fantasy League veterans time to adjust, the rules for our competition remain the same.

Participants must register their team prior to winning a gameweek. Registration is made by emailing details of the team name, manager’s name, actual full name, contact phone number and occupation to [email protected].

New teams can still enter the league anytime throughout the season but must register before a winning gameweek if they wish to claim a prize. Managers who have not registered will not be quoted in the Post and CTN reports and will not be eligible for prize collection.

Individuals can register as many teams as they want as long as a different phone number is given for each side registered. However, managing multiple teams in the hope of a greater chance of success is discouraged and against the spirit of competition.

Managers without a Cambodian phone number, such as those living overseas, may donate their prizes to a person of their choice by providing the benefactor’s phone number on registration. Any foreign teams that do not register will be deleted from the table after a few weeks.

Entry to our fantasy league is completely free of charge.

In order to make the league more competitive, gameweek winners will not be allowed to make excessive transfers. If the winning gameweek team includes more than four new signings from the previous week, the manager will be denied the prize, which will then fall to the next highest scorer.

Phnom Penh Post and Cellcard employees are allowed to enter but will be exempt from prize collection.

In the event of a tie in highest score during a gameweek, the winner with the least transfers will take the spoils. If the transfer number is the same, each winner will be offered the usual choice of prizes.

Managers may also make use of regular tips from the aptly named ‘The Scout’ published on fantasy.premierleague.com. “Each week, ‘The Scout’ will scour the statistics, analyse form and assess the formations and tactics of Barclays Premier League bosses,” touts the website.

“He’ll highlight players and teams that stood out, interrogate the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index to decipher the Bonus Point allocation and even clear up any controversies and queries along the way.”  

So whether you are as old and wise as Sir Alex Ferguson or as young and enigmatic as Andres Villas-Boas, be sure to set up a team and register by email it as soon as possible to enjoy another nail-biting campaign of the PPP/CTN Fantasy League.