Terms and conditions

The service

The site is run by Scott Eason as a private project. It is free to play, there is nothing to buy, and access is by invitation through a group, or by starting a group of your own as its organiser. The site is not affiliated with, licensed by or endorsed by any league, club, competition or governing body. Team and competition names are used to identify real fixtures, and any badges or logos remain the property of their owners.

Accounts and guest players

Keep your password or PIN to yourself: anything done under your sign in is down to you. Give accurate details when you sign up, and play one entry per group. Playing under two names in the same group is cheating, and the organiser can remove you for it.

Accounts are for players aged 16 or over. Younger players join as guests, added by the group organiser, who should have the agreement of the player or, for children, a parent or guardian.

Groups

Every group has an organiser who controls it. They send invites, add guest players, reset forgotten PINs, remove members, hand the group to someone else or delete it entirely. Deleting a group, or removing a player, permanently deletes the picks made there, though final tables of seasons already finished stay with the group (names and points only) as its history. Invite links let anyone holding them join, so share them only with people you want in your group. Groups are private unless the owner makes them public, in which case the group name and its points appear on the public leaderboard: choose a group name you are happy to show, not a person's full name.

Pots

Some groups like to put a few pounds in a pot. The site gives organisers a display that tallies what a pot would pay, and that is all it is: a display. The site never collects, holds, transfers or pays out money, has no wallet and takes no cut. Any pot is a private arrangement between the members of a group, made and settled entirely away from the site, and members are responsible for their own arrangements, including keeping them lawful wherever they live. Nothing on the site is a betting or gambling service, and the pot display is not a promise that anyone will pay anything.

Playing the game

Each round locks at its deadline and picks cannot be changed after that. Scoring is 3 points for the exact score and 1 for the right result. Only confirmed full time results are entered. Fixtures move and mistakes happen: fixtures, results and scoring may be corrected, and the corrected table stands. Leaderboards and weekly winners are for bragging rights, and the site itself offers no prizes.

Play fair

No offensive, misleading or infringing names, for you or your group. No abuse of other players. No attempts to break into the site, disrupt it, overload it, scrape it or interfere with anyone else's picks. We can remove names, picks, guests, groups or accounts that break these rules, and in serious cases block access entirely.

Availability

The site is provided free and as available. Features may change, be suspended or be withdrawn, and the whole service may close. We aim to be reliable but do not promise uninterrupted or error free service, and on rare occasions picks or points may need to be restored from a backup.

Liability

Nothing in these terms excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded, including for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or for fraud. Beyond that, the service is free, and to the fullest extent the law allows we are not liable for losses arising from using it, from relying on anything shown on it, or from arrangements between group members, including pots.

Ending things

You can stop playing whenever you like: members can leave a group, and you can ask for your account to be deleted, as set out in the privacy and data protection notice. We can suspend or remove accounts, guests or groups that break these terms.

Changes to these terms

These terms may change as the site grows. The date at the top shows the current version, and playing on after a change means you accept it. Anything significant will be flagged on the site.

Law and contact

These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have jurisdiction. If you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland you can also bring proceedings in your local courts. Questions go to admin@thehomegames.co.uk.