Football Index Strategy

Traders have to adapt to ensure they make consistent profits. The main aim being to buy low & sell high, try not to hold on to futures for too long as although the player is showing profit, ultimately until that player is sold it’s not profit.

Another key factor is to spread your risk, as if you use all of your trading bankroll on one player, you aren’t only limiting your potential dividends payouts, you are also risking an injury or bad form causing your bankroll to take a knock.

How to spread the risk, splitting your budget three ways is a sensible way to go. I like to diversify my portfolio this way by splitting in the following categories -Top players, Top 200 players on the rise, and Young/upcoming talent within the squad list. See the categories below to find out more insight into the selection criteria within each of these categories.

Top players

Top quality star player to keep long term and gain media/performance buzz dividends. As the Media buzz is heavily weighted toward the UK i look for players who even play(ed) in the premier league, have global superstar stardom or consistent links to premier league teams. In addition to this I look for player who are likely to rise in value or at least maintain their value, think of player who are world class(or close to) and have their best years ahead. Look out on our blog for latest player tips within this category or on our players stats page

Top 200 rising players

Top 200 Players on the rise, these are seen as short to mid term investments that will grow in value and also likely to pick up some dividends in the meantime. In this category we tend to but not exclusively look for players under 25 with therefore their peak ahead of them. A player who is likely to be subject to transfer speculation and a player who is somewhat currently undervalued within the market are also considerations. Look out on our blog for latest player tips within this category or on our players stats page

Young squad list talent

Young/upcoming talent within the squad list - these are short to mid term investments to make a quick profit on. Looking for players who are likely to increase in value. We look for players mostly under 21 who have potential to be leading player in the future. This is a risky category so it's recommended to spread your investments over multiple players and be prepared to cut your loses on those who don't work out. Look out on our blog for latest player tips within this category or on our players stats page

Football Index Tips: Top tips for Football Index success

Now that you have your strategy planned its time to run through some tips to help you manage your portfolio on a day to day basis.

Tip 1 - Dont Let your heart rule your head

There’s nothing better than seeing a player you admire perform well, however there is no guarantee that a player you like(or even one who is a great player in general) will be a success on football index. Take into account some key factors before making your decision. Is the player's price indexing in the right direction? Is he likely to perform well more often that not? Will he be in the news due to his performance and/or transfer availability? When looking for players i try and ensure that they tick these three boxes. I also consider their age(are their best days ahead?), I consider if they are likely to be outshadowed by a team mate even when they perform well and also their current price(Is it higher than their ability?). For 'Young squad list talent' my consideration is more around age(under 21 ideally), current performance/potential but more importantly are they likely to be linked with a transfer in the near future. A wonderkid at Real Madrid is likely to stick around and get limited opportunities to shine whereas a wonderkid at Porto or Ajax for example is likely to play and if he plays well be subject to transfer speculation.

Tip 2 - Keep informed

Football Index only uses the best, most reliable sources for their Buzz data. I advise you follow suit. The sources they use are:

Talksport, UEFA, The FA, ESPN, FIFA, Football League, Daily Mail, Daily Star, The Times, Telegraph, Independent, Express, Guardian, Metro, Daily Mirror, BBC, Football365, Goal.com, Huffington Post and Sky Sports. The sources above are for Media Buzz, but you will find they only ever post information which is official.

You should also consider Google news alerts for players who you own or have shortlisted to receive updates should they make the news, this may assist in getting the drop on the rest of the market when it comes buying or selling due to transfer or injury news.

Tip 3 - Do your due diligence

Before purchasing a player check their stats and ratings.

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/ - this is a good site to look up the perceived value of a player which and track this over time. This site is also good to look up by game stats & check transfer rumours.

https://www.whoscored.com is a very useful site it colates the rating of all players in the worlds major leagues. This can be used to search for a player who you are considering or as a scouting tool - look at the player statistics in each league and see if you can unearth a hidden gem.

Tip 4 - Understand each players Dividend Potential

When picking 'Top players' it's key to understand their dividend potential, you will want to hold players that are capable of winning dividends in every single category.

The categories; Media Buzz Winner, Top Defender Performance Buzz, Top Midfielder Performance Buzz, Top Forward Performance Buzz, Overall Top Star Performance Buzz. The overall top star goes to the highest scoring player that day.

Tip 5 - Don't panic buy/sell

Panic buying and selling is a recurrent way in which traders lose money on the Football index.

When it comes to buying try and follow the guidelines in the previous steps to help avoid a panic buying. If speculation around a certain player is high and therefore their price has dramatically increased ask yourself why and consider will it continue to do so or has his price topped out? If the increase is due to transfer speculation then how likely is a transfer? When is it likely to happen? Could there be a bidding war causing more buzz? If it's due to form then consider how likely that form is to continue? Check fixtures etc. Is the form likely to lead to something else such as a transfer, 1st international call up or end of season award? Also consider that if you have missed the boat on this player's increase how likely it is that their will be a mass sell from the punters who got in early.

When it comes to selling the first think to say is that if you follow the guidelines and buy well this should reduce the risk of needing to panic sell. If the sale is due to a long term injury or confirmed transfer(and therefore subsequent price drop) it's important to keep informed to allow you to get in as quick as possible. If you miss the boat then reconsider your options in terms of keeping the player, has his price drop bottomed out? If injured, how long for? Is he likely to bounce back from it? If its due to a transfer then how likely is he to feature/star for his new team? If it's due to bad form or being dropped consider if this is a short term thing, what are upcoming fixtures like?

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