Hosted Pools - Starting & Managing An Office Pool

Here are step by step instructions for starting and managing your office pool:

Getting Started
  1. Register and/or login to hostedpools.com.
  2. Click on the Create League link from the main menu.
  3. Select the type of league you want to run from the list. Available leagues will have 'Now Open' next to them.
  4. Fill in the required information, and the week you wish to start from. The league ID and password will be used by poolies to join your pool, so make that something easy to remember, and different from your personal account.
  5. You should receive an email from the site. If you don't get it within a few minutes, check your junk mail and add hostedpools.com to your safe list
  6. Once your league has been created, you will be taken to the home page for your league.
  7. Click on the 'Note' link in the league menu, to put in important information for your league. It will be displayed on the home page, above the Standings etc.
  8. Click on the 'Poolies' link to see who has joined your league, and how many teams they have registered.
  9. Click on the 'Messages' link in the league menu to view and manage any messages on the league message board. You have the ability to remove any unwanted or offensive messages.
Adding Teams
  1. To create your own team, click the 'Create Team' link from the league menu. Give your team a name, and your team will be set up. If your pool type comes with default picks, they will be added when created.
  2. To invite others, click the 'Send Invites' link from the league menu. Enter email addresses and click the 'Invite' button. Emails will be sent to each address in the list with the league ID and password, and who sent the invitation. You may only send invites if you have created a team.
Managing Teams
  1. To view the list of teams, click the 'Teams' link in the league menu. From there, you can mark teams as paid, remove teams for non-payment, and edit team names. You'll also be able to see which teams belong to which poolies, as well as their email address, in case you need to contact them. Email addresses are only viewable by league commissioners.
  2. Some leagues allow commissioners to modify picks in case someone is unable to get to a computer and calls in their picks. Go into the 'Weeks' page from the league menu, and click on the 'Commish' link for the proper week. Select the team you want to modify from the drop down, and click the 'Switch Team' button to get to the desired team. The team name will show up on the page, outside of the drop down. Select the desired pick, and click the 'Change Pick' button. Be sure the change has been made in the Pick box beside the drop down.
Payment
  1. When you have all of your entries in, and you're ready to pay for use of the site, click the 'Close Entries' link. Only do this if you have no more teams to be added. Your final total will be calculated when the entries are closed. Any coupon codes will automatically be applied at this time.
  2. The 'Close Entries' link will be replaced by a 'Make Payment' link in the league menu. Payment info, including amount owing, will be included on this page, and the link will disappear once your payment has been processed.
  3. To get an idea of what your league will cost before you close entries, you can use our pricing tool. Just select the type of pool you want to run, and the number of expected teams.