Football squares number generator
Draw the random numbers for your squares board. Pick the size, press the button, and write the digits along the top and down the side.
How to use the squares number generator
- Fill the board first. Everyone should pick their squares before any numbers exist. That is what makes the pool fair, because nobody can choose squares based on the numbers.
- Choose the size. A standard board has 100 squares (10 by 10). For a small group, a 25-square board (5 by 5) works well.
- Draw. Press Draw the numbers. The row digits go down the side next to the away team, and the column digits go across the top above the home team.
- Write them down. Copy the numbers into your spreadsheet or write them on your board. Then play: the last digit of each score picks the winning square.
How the numbers are drawn
The generator uses a Fisher-Yates shuffle, the standard way to put a list in a random order. Every ordering of the ten digits is equally likely, and no digit can appear twice. The random numbers behind it come from your browser's secure generator, not from a pattern that could be guessed.
If you would rather not handle any of this by hand, a SquaresBets board draws the numbers for you with one tap, only after the squares are claimed, and keeps the result on the board for everyone to see. You can also print a free squares sheet with the numbers filled in.
Common questions
How do I randomize the numbers for football squares?
Wait until every square is taken, then shuffle the digits 0 to 9 once for the rows and once again for the columns, so each digit is used exactly once on each side. Press Draw the numbers on this page and it does exactly that, then write the result along the edges of your board.
Is this number generator really random?
Yes. It uses a fair shuffle (each digit is equally likely to land in every position) driven by your browser's secure random number generator, the same kind used for security. The numbers are drawn on your device and are not sent or saved anywhere.
Should the rows and the columns have the same numbers?
No. Each side is shuffled separately, so the numbers down the side usually differ from the numbers across the top. The two teams' scores are unrelated, so each needs its own draw.
What numbers do I use on a 25-square (5 by 5) board?
A 5 by 5 board has five rows and five columns, and each one covers a pair of digits: 0 and 5, 1 and 6, 2 and 7, 3 and 8, 4 and 9. Choose 25 squares above and the generator shuffles the five pairs for you.
Should I draw new numbers every quarter?
Most pools draw once and keep the same numbers all game. Some redraw before every quarter so that nobody is stuck with unlucky numbers all game. Either works, as long as everyone agrees before the game starts. Tick New numbers for every quarter to get four separate draws.
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