Football Squares Generator
One per line. Squares are dealt as evenly as 100 divides.
- 0
- Entrants
- :
- Squares each
- 0
- Extra squares
The football squares generator builds the classic 10×10 grid, deals the 100 squares among your entrants, and randomises the digits along both axes. Randomising the digits after the squares are assigned is the part that makes the pool fair, and it is the step most hand-drawn grids get wrong.
How it works
- Entrant names are shuffled and dealt round-robin across all 100 squares, so everyone gets within one square of everyone else.
- The filled grid is then shuffled again, so a person’s squares are scattered rather than clustered in a block.
- The digits 0 to 9 are shuffled independently for the rows and the columns.
- A square wins when the last digit of each team’s score matches its row and column digits.
The digits must be assigned after the squares are claimed. Assign them first and everyone can see which squares carry the common scoring digits (0, 3 and 7 in American football) and the pool stops being a lottery.
Examples
Three entrants
Entrants
Amara, Caleb, Delphine
Result
33 squares each, with 1 extra square
100 does not divide by 3, so one person gets 34. The tool reports the remainder rather than hiding the imbalance.
Reading the grid
Score
24–17
Result
The square at row 4, column 7 wins
Only the last digit of each score matters. 24 gives 4 and 17 gives 7, so the holder of that intersection takes the quarter.
Frequently asked questions
Why are the digits randomised after the squares are assigned?
Because assigning them first destroys the fairness. In American football, scores ending in 0, 3 and 7 are far more common than 2 or 5, so anyone who could see the digits would take those rows first. Drawing digits after the squares are claimed is what keeps it a genuine lottery.
What happens when 100 does not divide evenly by the number of entrants?
Squares are dealt round-robin, so everyone gets the same number and the remainder gives one extra square to the first few people. The tool shows both figures so the imbalance is visible before you commit.
Which digits come up most often?
In American football, 0, 3 and 7, the results of field goals and touchdowns with conversions. A 0-0 or 7-0 square wins far more often than 2-5. That is precisely why the digits must be drawn blind.
Does it track payouts or quarter winners?
No, it builds the grid. Deciding whether to pay by quarter or on the final score, and how to split the pot, is up to whoever runs the pool.