Getting Started

DRAFTNIGHT turns a fantasy football draft into a synchronized live event. The commissioner configures the league and runs the room, team owners submit picks or auction bids from their phones, and a TV or projector presents the draft to everyone watching.

This guide covers the complete first-time workflow—from creating a league to starting the draft—and explains what to prepare before owners arrive.

In this guide

• Before you begin
• Set up your first league
• Launch and start the draft
• Understand each screen
• Use the draft-night checklist
• Continue from here

Before you begin

Decide who will serve as the commissioner. That person needs a DRAFTNIGHT account and access to the league from the dashboard. Team owners do not need commissioner accounts to join a live draft; they enter the room code, identify themselves, and claim their assigned team.

For an in-person draft, prepare:

• A laptop or desktop for league setup and commissioner tasks.
• A computer connected to the shared TV or projector.
• A phone or tablet with a current browser for each team owner.
• A stable internet connection for every device.
• The final team list, owner names, draft order, roster rules, keeper decisions, and pick-timer length.

JavaScript and cookies must be enabled. Keep the display computer connected to power, disable automatic sleep for the event, and use landscape orientation for the TV and draft-board views.

Set up your first league

1. Create an account or sign in.
2. From the dashboard, select Create League.
3. Complete each section of the setup wizard:
   • League Settings: Choose the league name, format, scoring, defensive format, roster, and team count.
   • Teams: Add each team and owner, arrange the draft positions, and configure logos or keepers when applicable.
   • Draft Settings: Choose the draft type, number of rounds, pick timer, and draft-night audio.
   • Soundboard Settings: Enable and configure the reactions available during the draft.
   • Other Settings: Review the remaining presentation and room options.
4. Select Create League to save the league and return to the dashboard.
5. Open the league again if you need to revise its settings. Finish team setup before relying on the draft-order preview.

Use owner names that participants will recognize, and avoid duplicate or nearly identical team names. Owners use this information when choosing which team to claim in the live room.

For detailed explanations of formats, keepers, rosters, and custom orders, see League & Draft Setup. If you selected Auction, continue with Auction Draft Setup.

Launch and start the draft

When the league is ready, select Launch Draft from its dashboard row. The launch flow lets you confirm the settings for this event without changing the basic league identity.

1. Review Draft Settings, including the number of rounds, timer, and enabled sounds.
2. Check Pick Order. Confirm the first round and inspect every round if the league uses a custom order.
3. On Review, verify the launch summary and select Create Draft Room.
4. Open the TV experience on the computer connected to the shared display. The lobby shows a six-character room code and a QR code.
5. Ask each owner to scan the QR code or open the join page, enter the room code, provide a display name, and claim the correct team.
6. Confirm that every expected team appears as joined. Assign the commissioner role if another participant will manage the live controls.
7. Select Start Draft only when the display, owners, and draft order are ready.

Creating the room does not start the draft. Use the lobby to connect devices and resolve team-claim issues before selecting Start Draft.

Understand each screen

Screen	Primary user	What it is for
Dashboard	Commissioner	Creates leagues, edits settings, launches or reconnects to a room, manages billing, and opens completed results.
Phone controller	Commissioner and team owners	Joins the room, claims a team, searches and filters players, submits picks or auction nominations and bids, checks rosters, and sends enabled reactions.
TV display	Everyone watching	Shows the lobby, room code, active team, pick clock, pick reveals, best available players, and draft status.
Draft board	Everyone watching	Presents completed and upcoming selections in a compact, round-by-round grid.

The TV display and draft board are presentation surfaces; owners make selections from the phone controller. The screens synchronize through the live room, so a completed pick should appear across connected devices without a manual refresh.

Use the draft-night checklist

Before owners arrive:

• Save final changes to teams, keepers, roster settings, rounds, timer, and pick order.
• Connect the display computer to power and the TV or projector.
• Open the TV view, enter fullscreen, set a safe volume, and interact with the page to allow browser audio.
• Keep the commissioner dashboard available on a separate device or browser tab.
• Prevent the display and commissioner devices from sleeping during the event.

Before starting:

• Confirm every owner claimed the correct team.
• Verify the room shows the expected number of joined teams.
• Read the first several picks from the displayed order and compare them with the league's official order.
• Confirm the timer and enabled sounds are appropriate for the room.
• Tell owners to keep their controller page open and their phones charged.

If a phone, TV, or commissioner device loses its connection, leave the room running and reopen the same URL or join again with the same room code. The current room snapshot should restore the timer, completed picks, and team state. See Hosting & Joining a Draft for recovery details.

Continue from here

• Read Account & Billing for one-time Season Passes, league limits, and sign-in help.
• Follow League & Draft Setup for every configuration option.
• Use Auction Draft Setup and Auction Nominations & Bidding when running an auction.
• Use Hosting & Joining a Draft for the live-room and owner workflow.
• Review Draft Controls & Broadcast before operating the timer, picks, TV, or draft board.
• Keep Troubleshooting & FAQs available during the event.

Search the knowledge base with the search button or press Ctrl+K on Windows and Command+K on macOS. For account-specific help, use the contact form.

If an active draft cannot continue, email support@draftnight.tv with URGENT, the room code, the affected device and browser, and the last successful action. Never send a password, full payment card number, or live room session token.