'If you find something you love doing then try and turn it into your dream job'

“It’s a bit like Christmas Eve for a five-year-old, or Cheltenham week for those who are into horse racing,” is how Mark McGettigan describes the day before the new Premier League season starts.

Glenties native Mark, now 32, has been a full-time Fantasy Premier League pundit for five years, operating out of a Scottish village called Houston in Renfrewshire, not far from Paisley.

“If anyone asks I tell them I retired five years ago,” Mark tells DonegalLive with a smile. “If you find something you love doing then try and turn it into your job. I’m lucky to earn a living from something I love. Even if I wasn’t getting paid, I’d be passing a lot of my time the same way anyway. 

“A few years ago, I  thought teaching wasn’t for me so stacked shelves in Asda in Barrhead, sold trainers in JD Sports for a while and worked for KN - a  telecommunications provider - at East Kilbride. I got a good contract there but I’m not even sure what I did - or was supposed to be doing - and lasted maybe three days. I was going around in circles and not sure what I wanted to do.”

Mark, was only recently married to Michaela, a primary teacher at St Paul’s in Foxbar, Paisley, and originally from Glenswilly. There wasn’t huge pressure with no mortgage and no children at the time, so maybe, just maybe, he could try something different.

Fantasy Premier League involves making a fictional squad made up of real players from different clubs in England’s top flight, all within budget with ongoing transfers with points awarded for how those players do - goals scored, clean sheets, assists. Those who participate can then set up private leagues, as well as pitting their wits against the rest of the world. Last season, some 11 million hopefuls entered. 

Managers are permitted a wholesale ‘wildcard’ change of their squad of 15 players twice in a season, a ‘free hit’ which is a change for one week only, adding their subs’ points total to their team’s points in a ‘bench boost’ and to triple the points of their captain for one gameweek of the season. Therefore, with much to ponder, there’s a strategic element.

“A lot of the work I do, you’re just talking people out of doing things that might be a bit rash,” Mark adds. “They may want to play a wildcard early for example, and the best advice I can give people is to show patience. 

“Give players time. Don’t take too many points hits. Be calm and don’t rip up your team if you don’t have to. I would study how I think the season will pan out, in depth, so a lot of my work is the bigger picture. I try and paint that picture for people.”

Mark watches lots of football, often with a pen and notepad in hand, catches up on highlights and adds his hunches to statistical information. These days, there’s no end of information or algorithms. Artificial intelligence, like everywhere else in life, is comprised of considerable pros and cons.

“For me, the fun part is picking a player out with your own eyes,” he said. “When I first decided to go for it, I saw there were a few FPL names were on Twitter and I set up FPL General in 2015, after having three top 500 ranks - out of seven, eight, or nine million people - in four years. 

“Within a month I had maybe 4,000 followers and it grew from there. People then want to listen to your stuff and read your stuff and I got a few guest appearances on podcasts before setting up my own. It just took off really. 

“Having taken the plunge, I could see if it worked out. If not, I had the business degree to fall back on. Back then there were maybe five people at it full-time, now there could be up to 100. I don’t get into any beefs with anyone and just try my best to produce good, reliable content.

“I focus on Twitter and podcasts and there are so many other platforms now, with Instagram, YouTube, Tiktok. I occasionally get people on board to help. The way things can now go out on so many channels is also something I find very interesting.”

Mark - FPL General - now has 222,000 followers on Twitter alone and has appeared on Sky Sports News, BBC Five Live and Talksport. The Premier League, this season, has decided to once again run a weekly Official FPL Show, which Mark previously appeared on, filming at Stockley Park, west London, where the VAR Hub used for top-flight matches is housed.

He’s spent time over coffee with the likes of former Manchester United Andy Cole “talking about Champions League finals and fantasy football wondering what the hell am I doing here.” Mark admits to having to pinch himself when met Matt Holland, who played and scored for Ireland at the 2002 World Cup, who knew him instantly and said: “The General is here.”

Ahead of the big kick-off on Friday night, Mark’s week focused on writing for Fantasy Football Scout and his twice-weekly podcast, The 59th Minute, which has topped the UK Podcast charts. In terms of bread and butter, the prime income source comes via subscribers on his Patreon. 

“This week is about setting up for the new season,” Mark says. “Not even in terms of buying who, more so in regards to strategy as they all want to do as well as possible in their mini-league with colleagues and things like that.”

Growing up at Station Road in Glenties, the local delicacy was, and always will be Gaelic football. The local team, initially known as Glenties before being rechristened Naomh Conaill, had never won the Donegal SFC title. However, in 2005, their unfancied side made up mainly of teens and thirtysomethings produced a huge shock to defeat St Eunan’s in a replayed final in Ballybofey. They haven’t looked back since.

“I’ve very good memories of that,” Mark says. “We came back to Glenties in a van and there must’ve been about 40 people hanging out of it celebrating. That was the first time the club had won the Donegal championship and they’ve really kicked on since.”

Last October, Naomh Conaill, captained by Mark’s brother Kevin, won that same championship for the sixth time. As for himself, Mark ended up playing for the boys in blue, in his later teens as a goalkeeper. He lined up alongside the likes of Leo McLoone and Dermot Molloy, both of whom would win the All-Ireland with Donegal under another native from the town, Jim McGuinness, in 2012, defeating Mayo 2-11 to 0-13 in front of 82,300 at Croke Park.

“I was always a bit different, in the fact I always dreamt of being a Premier League footballer. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed Gaelic football, played up until minor level and still have a great interest with my brother Kevin and nephew Eoghan playing.”

Glenties doesn’t have a soccer club and if you played it was on the tarmac at Scoil Mhuire National School, the old pitch at St Columba's Comprehensive School, or some astroturf at Portnoo. Some 10 miles east there’s Fintown Harps FC, who play at Pairc Acla, basically a pitch chiseled into the side of a mountain in a feat of architecture. 

It’s common enough for Gaelic footballers to moonlight there, although Mark was not even a teen when he signed. He remembers playing against the likes of Lettermacaward native Carl McHugh, who also played centre-back and lined up for the likes of Reading, Bradford City and captained Motherwell before winning two Indian Super League championships with Mohun Bagan Super Giant.

At post-primary attending the Comp as it’s known, Mark captained the school team under the management of John Campbell - the engineering teacher - and also lined out for Drumbar United. 

His first recollection of playing fantasy football was when Ireland were competing at the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan. His mother Kathleen’s brothers John and Michael, had a fantasy game at Sharkey’s Pub in Annagry. He was hooked from then on. 

Mark studied Business and Management at Dublin Institute of Technology at Aungier Street and after a couple of years teaching maths in Abu Dhabi, Mark and Michaela studied a postgrad in primary teaching at Strathclyde University in Glasgow.

Then came Asda, JD Sports and KN before it all took off. Mark and Michaela welcomed their first child, Sonny, earlier this year and he was christened last Sunday. Sonny Patrick has his first fantasy squad registered for this season. 

“A small part of the reason is Son Heung-min, the Spurs player, who is one of my favourite players and every player on the team has ‘son’ in their name, like Alisson, Robertson, Watson,”  Mark adds. “There’s a bar in Sonny’s actually in Glenties and we liked the name. When I was young there was always a Sonny or two in Glenties and Michaela has taught a few and they were always fun and interesting. Patrick then is after my late father and Sonny was born in the month of March, which of course, is the month when it's St Patrick’s Day.”

Away from Fantasy Premier League, Mark has opened spoken about mental health issues and says if there is to be a change in his career at any stage in the future, then counselling will be it. 

“It’s always been something close to my heart and I’ve been opening when talking about it,” he adds. “I’ve had counselling myself over the years and there’s a benefit from it. I felt as someone fortunate enough to have a platform or following, why not try and use it for something that can help. Even if that helps one or two people, that means it’s worthwhile. 

“We did a few fantasy leagues even for CALM, who are a suicide awareness charity here in the UK. Nowadays, the world has moved on and people and men aren’t afraid to talk so if I can do my little bit then I will. 

“I would think, is it really possible to be a Fantasy Premier League pundit forever? And if not, what would be best suited to me? I went down the counselling route, doing a starter course, Introduction to Counselling at Glasgow Clyde College. It’s something I will probably do further in the future. For now though, I just am buzzing to have the football back. It’s been a long summer”.