How to run a Last Man Standing competition
Running a last man standing competition is easy for about three rounds. Then two people have used the same team twice, somebody swears they sent you their pick, and you are scrolling a group chat on a Sunday night working out who is left.
What to decide before you start
Who is in it
Work, the pub, the five-a-side group. Any size from two upwards works.
When the deadline is
Before the first match of the round — and never move it once picks are in.
What happens if somebody forgets
Eliminating people for forgetting kills it by round four. Pick for them at random instead.
Whether there is money in it
If there is a pot, agree the amount and who is holding it up front.
What happens if everyone goes out at once
Either it rolls over into a new competition, or everyone standing comes back and it carries on.
Why a spreadsheet stops working
It is not the maths. It is that you are the single point of truth for something twenty people care about — picks arrive in four places, a reused team goes unnoticed for three rounds, and every dispute lands on you.
Set one up in a minute instead
Standing does the admin: it holds the picks, refuses a team somebody has used, locks the round at the deadline, works out who survived, and shows everyone the same thing.
- Create a competition and name it.
- Choose for fun or for money, and whether it uses wildcards.
- Send the invite link. Anyone who opens it is in.
- Make your own pick each round.
Who holds the money?
You do. No money goes through Standing — you collect the pot and you pay it out, the same as you would have on a spreadsheet. That is what keeps it free, and it means nobody is waiting on a platform to release their winnings.
Set one up now
The link is the only thing you have to send.
Create a competition