Commissioner's Guide — Run a Football or Office Pool

Every FunOfficePools commissioner started the same way: someone in the office needed one person to run the pool, and that person didn't want to build a spreadsheet to do it. This guide covers what the job actually involves — and how little of it is actually work.

We handle the scoring, the standings, and the reminders. You handle the fun part: picking the group, setting the rules, and bragging when your pick hits.

Starting a pool in five steps

1. Create a free account

   No card required. Takes under a minute.

2. Pick a pool type

   College/NFL football, College Bowl, NFL Survivor, Football Squares, CBS Survivor, Amazing Race — or run several.

3. Set your rules

   Scoring style, spread vs. straight-up, entry deadline, tie-breakers, and prizes — every setting is yours to configure.

4. Invite your group

   Your address book remembers emails across every pool you've ever run — invite a full office in a few clicks.

5. Kick off

   Players pick from a phone or laptop, no app required. You watch the standings update themselves.

What a commissioner actually does, week to week

Once your pool is set up, running it is mostly a checklist — and we built a Commissioner Dashboard that hands you exactly that checklist every week, with a status light and a one-click action for each item:

• Confirm the week's games are loaded and picks are open.
• Watch who still needs to pick — nudge stragglers before the deadline.
• Check results and standings once the games finish — scored automatically, nothing to tally by hand.
• Send a quick message to the pool — reminders, trash talk, or a standings recap.
• Award prizes at the end of a stage or the season, using whatever prize structure you set up.

None of it requires a spreadsheet, and most weeks it takes a few minutes total.

Built for the person running the pool

Run any of these pool types

Need the full rules and settings for a format before you commit? See the Office Pool FAQ →