Each Gameweek, millions of Fantasy League managers line up their squads and chase those precious points. But by midseason, over half will have dropped off.
Missed deadlines, shifting fixtures, forgotten chips. Suddenly, another team joins the inactive pile.
For leagues and fantasy platforms, that is more than a game lost. It is a missed opportunity for engagement, loyalty, and connection. But what if a timely calendar reminder could change that?
The Scale of Drop-Off
ECAL provides the essential engagement infrastructure for world-leading fantasy games platforms, including the Fantasy Premier League (FPL), NBA Fantasy, RSL Fantasy, and NRL Fantasy. We work directly with these major brands because the challenge of sustained attention is universal.
For example, FPL is widely regarded as the world’s biggest fantasy football competition, boasting over 11 million registered teams. Yet, community data from the 2023/24 season shows that by midseason, around 63% of those teams stop making transfers for five or more Gameweeks.
That staggering figure highlights a deep-seated problem: digital drop-off. This is exactly the gap ECAL helps close, and it’s already proving effective for the world’s biggest fantasy platforms.
For operators, those inactive users represent fewer logins, reduced traffic, and lost commercial value. Even a small retention gain, say keeping 5% more players active, can translate into hundreds of thousands of extra weekly actions, content interactions, and monetisation opportunities.
Why Fantasy League Managers Lose Momentum
It is not that managers stop caring. The real challenge is maintaining consistency.
- Missed Deadlines: Once a manager forgets to set a captain or confirm a transfer, the connection breaks. It is the single biggest cause of drop off.
- Fixture Chaos: Postponements, Double Gameweeks, and shifting schedules create confusion, especially without timely updates.
- The Motivation Erosion: A few bad captain choices or price drops can quickly erode motivation.
- Life Gets in the Way: As the season rolls on, distractions pile up. Without reminders, even the most competitive fans drift away.
Attention is fragile, and without consistent cues, it is easy to lose track of the game.
The ECAL Solution: Keeping Fans Switched On
ECAL powers calendar experiences for major fantasy platforms and leagues, helping to fight fatigue and distraction, ensuring fans stay on top of every Gameweek and critical deadline.
Through a simple calendar sync, users receive important reminders directly in their personal calendar of choice (e.g., Google, Apple, Outlook) alongside their real life events, helping to avoid drop-off.
Here is how ECAL keeps fans engaged:
- Deadline reminders that matter: Fans receive clear, timely updates for transfer deadlines, chip usage, and fixture changes. These reminders arrive where fans actually manage their time: their calendar.
- Actionable Links and Resources: Each calendar event serves as an instant portal, featuring dynamic links that funnel managers directly back to the platform for immediate action. This includes links to log-ins, statistics pages, official scout guides, social media channels, and the latest insights and discussions.
- Dynamic, always up to date events: When fixtures or deadlines shift, ECAL automatically updates the synced events. No need to manually check or resubscribe.
- Behavioural re-engagement: A calendar reminder is not just another notification to swipe away. It integrates into a trusted, high attention space, becoming part of the fan’s weekly routine. This regular touchpoint reinforces habit and boosts retention over time.
- Personalised experience: ECAL allows leagues and platforms to segment reminders: sending the right message, at the right moment, to the right fan.
What Makes Calendar Reminders So Powerful
Traditional engagement channels (emails, app pushes, social posts) fight for attention. Calendar reminders do not. They quietly integrate into the user’s day to day schedule.
This placement in a personal space creates behavioural accountability. Fans do not just see the reminder; they act on it. It is subtle, reliable, and remarkably effective at reducing drop off.
Calendar Reminders in Action
Every week, ECAL powers reminders across our client platforms, helping managers stay ready for Gameweek deadlines, fixture shifts, and captain decisions across various leagues and fantasy formats.
These timely messages do more than alert users; they energise them and build habits. With dynamic links to “Play Now”, “The Scout”, and “Statistics”, managers are nudged straight back into the platform at the most critical time.
It’s engagement made effortless.
Turning Fantasy Into a Season-Long Habit
Fantasy gaming is not about sign ups: it is about sustaining the journey. ECAL helps make that possible by keeping fans connected to their passion, every single week.
Because sometimes, staying ahead is as simple as having the right reminder.
Ready to see how ECAL can help your league or platform boost retention? 👉 Book a demo
