For information on when to predict, please see instructions in the panel to the left. You will also find links to the upcoming fixtures there, and a calendar of the full season. Additionally there may be email alerts to remind you. Remember though the onus is on the competitor to get his/her scores in on time. If in doubt any week, just forecast all FA Cup, League Cup, Premier League, Gillingham and UEFA games.

There are four cups per season, each one of the eight 'Majors'. Though before the first Cup major, we start each season off with the 'Charity Shield'.

How it works
This always takes place on the first day of the Premier League season, between the FA Cup winner (our oldest cup) and the League winner (JP Standard League, our oldest league), to replicate the 'real' FA Cup winner versus the 'real' Premier League winner (the 'real' match is now called the Community Shield rather than the Charity Shield).

Background
Though this counts as a minor award and is not one of the majors, it's a nice one to win as everyone watches the season opener and it can often be early 'bragging rights' to the victor, knowing you have beaten another winner. It also counts as a genuine head-to-head match in the all time head-to-head records, though there are no rating points for it going towards the cup and overall rating/ranking.

Perhaps we should ask for donations each year of the members and do what the name suggests, give some to a charity of our choosing.

How it works
Predictors are drawn against each other and go head-to-head forecasting English League Cup games. You get 1 point for correctly predicting the result, and 2 points for getting the score exact (known as a 'maximum' for maximum score). If ties are drawn, total results, not maximums, decide the winner. Therefore this cup uses a different way of deciding drawn ties than the other 3 cups.

It is a straight knock out competition.

The JPLC usually starts with English League Cup games in late August or early September. All League Cup games involving Premier League and Gillingham FC are predicted. Premier League and Gillingham FC games may be included as there are often not enough League Cup games to predict in the latter stages. Games are normally on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Qualification: Cup rating - the top 16 ranked members based on their cup performance over all four cups in the previous season. Qualification is therefore based on cup performance, not on league performance.

Background
The cup started as the League Cup in 1988-1989. In 2011 after the death of first winner and most times winner Joyce Phillips, it was renamed the Joyce Phillips League Cup. The JPLC is the first cup of the season, and one of two cups in the first half of the season.

How it works
The EC is based on all UEFA European Champions League games and any Europa League games that involve English teams.

In the knockout stages, you get 1 point for correctly predicting the result, and 2 points for getting the score exact (known as a 'maximum' for maximum score).

This is the only Cup that was historically qualification-based where the 8 qualifiers were the winners (or runners-up or next-best placed predictors) from the Majors. From the 2013-2014 season this Cup was opened to all members for the first time; and from 2017-2018, the seedings system was dropped so that it became a fully open cup competition, in line with the other three cups. However for problems described below (see Qualification), numbers have to be restricted to 16 for the groups. So this cup does have a qualifying system again, though a less elitist one.

For the group stage, four groups of four produces the best two from each group progressing to play the Quarter-final, and the competition is a straight knockout from there on.

Qualification: The top 16 ESL places. If placings are tied, performance in that season's EC is the next deciding factor, followed by cup rating.

Background
The EC was started in 1995-1996 to add a European predicting interest. It is the second cup of the season, and one of two cups in the first half of the season. It was first won by Arron Springate.

How it works
Predictors are drawn against each other and go head-to-head forecasting English FA Cup games. You get 1 point for correctly predicting the result, and 2 points for getting the score exact (known as a 'maximum' for maximum score). If ties are drawn, maximums decide the winner. It is a straight knock out competition.

The FAC usually starts with the English FA Cup 3rd Round ties in January. There may be a Play off round over Christmas, often using the Boxing Day fixtures for predictions.

All FA Cup games involving Premier League teams and Gillingham FC are predicted. Sometimes Premier League games are used to 'top up' a shortfall in FA Cup games as the rounds progress. These are usually weekend games.

Qualification: All members entered. The top 10 JPSL places on the weekend before the Play-off round automatically qualify for the First Round of 16 (usually this is close to Christmas). The remaining 12 play off in December for 6 more places, and those 6 winners join the 10 already qualified, for the First Round in January. The competition is a straight knockout.

Background
The FAC is the original and therefore oldest cup competition, starting in 1981-1982 and was also known in the early years as the Predictor's Cup. It was was first won by Brian Shrubsole. It is the first cup of the new year, and one of two cups in the second half of the season.

There were no FPA competitions between 1983 and 1987, so the winners board jumps from 1982 to 1988.

How it works
The DBGT is based on regular weekend predictions, therefore predictors do not need to submit anything extra as points are derived from those. Until the 2013-2014 season, DBGT games had always used Premier and Gillingham FC matches. When Mark Lawrenson was included in 2013-2014, Gillingham FC games were not used making the cup a pure Premier League competition. However for the 2014-2015 season, the DBGT reverted to an all amateur competition.

The DBGT normally starts off in February as a drawn group competition, and for the 2024-2025 season there are 22 entrants, with two groups of six, and two groups of five. The top two from each group progress to play the Quarter-final. It is then a straight knockout from there.

You get 1 point for correctly predicting the result, and 2 points for getting the score exact (known as a 'maximum' for maximum score)

Qualification: All members entered into groups

Background
The Group Trophy was introduced in 1990-1991 as a late season cup to give those already out of the other 3 cups and not in league title contention a chance to pick up a Major. The first winner was Mark Oliver. From 2015-2016, the Cup was renamed the Dave Boston Group Trophy or DBGT, in honour of long time member Dave Boston who passed away in December 2014; Dave won the Trophy twice. The DBGT is the last cup of the season.