Football INDEX is an online player stockmarket that allows it’s users to buy shares, otherwise known as ‘futures’, in the top 200 players in European football.

Much like the financial stockmarket, the more shares that exist in a player the higher his value. Prices for players at the lower end of the index are less than £1 per share, while the top performers often sit over £5. You could own a Ronaldo for about the cost of a beer. Mario Balotelli? Currently less than a Kitkat Chunky.

Football INDEX uses 25 of the UK’s leading news outlets including newspapers, football websites and governing bodies like the FA and FIFA to analyse the ‘buzz’ around a player. Each news story is given a score, and the highest scoring player at the end of every day pays ‘dividends’ to everyone that owns that player – at 5 pence per future held.

Football INDEX also features a ‘squad’ with weekly promotion and relegation into and out of the top 200. People can vote for players in the squad to be listed on the index, and the two highest players will be moved up into the Index at set times every Friday, with the 2 lowest valued index players dropping out of the top 200.

HOW TO MAKE MONEY?
Fundamentally there are two ways to make money on Football INDEX – buy low and sell high, or accumulate as much as possible in dividend payouts. Both methods have their own pros and cons, and generally most successful traders will combine the two for the most profit.

IS IT FOR ME?
Football INDEX is ideally suited to people looking for more long term gains, with relatively low risk. It works somewhat like fantasy football, with traders choosing their perfect group of players hoping that they will increase in value. There is potential to lose, but it is unlikely you would lose all of your money in one hit providing you are smart with your investments. Putting your spare cash into football index and employing a relatively long term strategy could prove more lucrative than any bank’s savings account – with the added thrill of a lively and constantly evolving footballing stockmarket.

HOW DO I GET STARTED?
Follow the link on the banner of this website and make your first deposit, then choose the players you want to buy. The minimum deposit is £10, but in order to set up a reasonable portfolio it would be a good idea to start with between £30 and £50. You have the option to buy ‘trackers’, which automatically purchases the top 10, 25 or 50 players (1 future each), or you can go it alone and decide for yourself. It is probably a good idea to steer clear of the trackers, as you won’t be getting a lot of value for your initial investment.

10 TIPS FOR BEGINNERS

1) BUY IN BULK – Try to buy your players in multiples of 5 or 10, and increase that as you build the amount of money you have in the INDEX. This ensures you will see reasonable profits when a player increases in value and pays decent dividends should they win the buzz.

2) HIGH PERFORMERS – There are certain groups of players that seem to do particularly well on the Index; young English players that are regularly featured on the back pages of newspapers are always a great investment. The likes of Kane, Rashford and Alli are consistently in the top 10 and seem to continually grow in value. Attacking players are more popular with the media too as they make more headlines.

3) GET THE APP – Having the Index with you on the move will become increasingly important as your portfolio grows. Whether it be quickly selling that striker that just got injured (Zlatan is still a sore point for many), or just showing your mates your 16% profit margin like they share their baby photos. It’s great to have the index in your pocket.

4) DO YOUR RESEARCH – As if we needed an excuse to watch more football, or to trawl through gossip columns to find out the latest transfer rumours. Getting ahead of the curve on players potentially rising in value is the best way to see your profits increase.

5) DON’T BE FOOLED – Seeing a player at the top of the trending list is not always the best indicator of a good investment, they may have already peaked in price. Speculation breeds activity, so looking at players that are not yet being talked about but could be is the best way to see profit.

6) PICK A STRATEGY – Decide early on how you want to invest and stick with it, the Index takes a 2% commission on every future you sell, so changing your mind often is a quick way of seeing your money start to slip away. There will be more articles about different strategies to come so keep an eye on this column for more info.

7) STICK TO PREMIER LEAGUE – Football INDEX for now is a UK based site, so the most successful players are usually playing in the Premier League or being talked about for a transfer to a top Premier League club. Even players from top clubs like Juventus and Bayern Munich rarely change in price if they are settled and happy there, as UK newspapers rarely show much interest in foreign leagues. Players leaving England will drop in value dramatically – particularly if they are heading for one of football’s newer leagues like China or the MLS.

8) THE DAMNED UNITED – No, not Leeds. The other United. Players from the red half of Manchester are very popular with UK media and as such are reliable buzz winners. Rashford and previously Ibrahimovic were regular winners, with Rooney not far behind. This extends as well to players being talked about for United; Greizmann’s value has rocketed since Zlatan’s injury amid all of the speculation around him.

9) KEEP A RECORD – While the website and the app do a good job of telling you how well you are doing, it is worth keeping a track of everything yourself as well. Either a notepad or spreadsheet allow you to look at things differently without the allure of trending lists and performance trackers leading you down a confusing path.

10) TELL YOUR FRIENDS – While it may feel like you are just being a walking advert for Football Index, it is worth remembering that the more activity on the Index the more likely it is that you will see player values increase – which in turn leads to more potential profits for you. Not that long ago Football INDEX were excited about a few players hitting the £3 mark – now there are several hovering around £5 per future and as they advertise more and more aggressively the INDEX will continue to grow.