Undersoil Heating - Board Room Investment

I'm playing as Preston North End. In the year 2017, doing pretty well. We're in the Premiership and have qualified twice in succession for the Europa League, last season narrowly missing out on the Champions League. No super-tactics, I never look at player recommendations, I just slog away myself.

For those who don't know PNE in the game, its a small ground by Premiership standards and the facilities when you start the game aren't great. I've got a strategy in terms of managing my budget so that, in addition to player recruitment and wages, we have enough to improve the infrastructure. Capacity is now up to 27,000, training facilities are now "Good", Youth facilities are average. So, in some respects, I have a Premiership club, still with with CCC facilities in spite of my improvements sp I'm trying to improve them further. At the end of last season, I made sure I had enough money to improve youth, training facilities and invest in ground expansion.

So why, oh why, did my boardroom suddenly splurge over £9m of my hard-earned and saved money on Undersoil Heating? No consultation. This isn't an option in the "board room". The rationale was to stop fixtures being postponed - I haven't had a single fixture postponement in all the time I've played.

Is this a Premier League requirement? Or an odd boardroom decision? If its the latter, I have to say its really annoying and this kind of thing defeats the purpose of the manager (person who is playing the game) trying to plan for the future.

I believe it's a requirement. Saves the fixture list being disrupted.

^^^

If that's the case stemlfc, then the investment is fair enough - thanks for the feedback.

Would also add though (should have said this in my OP), that if this is the case, then some advance notice from my boardroom would have been nice.

I've been in that job 7 years and am now a "World Class" manager. Its not exactly realistic that Derek Shaw (Chair of PNE) would have decided this without discussion or giving me any kind of advance notice. Feedback for SI - I know its a point that has been made oft times but I think the communication between boardroom and manager needs to be a lot better than it is.

Also, for an investment like that, surely you'd take a long term loan out rather than using the overdraft and hence compromising other areas of expenditure.

I hope, and so do many others that board to manager interaction improves in the next version.

As far as I know, it is a requirement. Though I may be wrong because league rules are not my strong point. I noticed that Sevilla (a strong European team) do not have it at the start of the game and in my game with them, they installed it in the second season. It is not that they're new to the Liga BBVA either. Spanish league requirements may be different.

In terms of a loan; The board, if the money is there, will use it. Sadly. I had a similar situation when managing in the lower divisions myself when I needed investment in other areas rather than others.

Board to manager interaction and more say in finances.

(To those who say 'Managers don't have control over finances in real life' I don't care. This is a game. I would like more control)

Portsmouth never had undersoil heating. I remember all the locals trying to defrost the snow coated pitch earlier this year cos they all got free tickets for the match. The ref still postponed though...

Can't be a Premier League requirement irl

I don't have undersoil heating, have been in the Premier League over 10 years, and have loads of money in the bank. Board have done no such thing. Quite strange tbh.

Not a requirement then.

Have you had fixtures cancelled due to the weather?

does the manager own the stadium? no...

the board give you your budget to improve the team and boot room side of the club ... not plan the future of the ground etc...

of course you can choose to not spend the cash they give you in the hope they will improve facilities .. and undersoil heating comes under the option of improving facilities when you ask the board btw.

the board do as they see fit for the long term future of the club.... good investment if you ask me

Not a requirement then.

Have you had fixtures cancelled due to the weather?

Not that I can remember with this stadium. I think some were postponed when I was far down the divisions, but that was probably with the previous stadium. No heating there either ofc.

Not a requirement then.

Have you had fixtures cancelled due to the weather?

Not a single cancellation in 7 years. Pitch quality is very good and has never even needed to be relaid as far as I can remember.

does the manager own the stadium? no...

the board give you your budget to improve the team and boot room side of the club ... not plan the future of the ground etc...

of course you can choose to not spend the cash they give you in the hope they will improve facilities .. and undersoil heating comes under the option of improving facilities when you ask the board btw.

the board do as they see fit for the long term future of the club.... good investment if you ask me

No the manager doesn't own the stadium or necessarily do the things you say. This will vary from club to club and depend on things like how long the manager has been there, the relationship between the board and the manager, the management structure of the organisation and where the team manager sits in that e.g. SAF at Man Utd is right at the top tier whereas most Real Madrid managers are just "team coaches" who are lower down the tier, with the DoF having a more important role.

But, whatever the situation (btw, remember I've been there 7 years and am "World Class"), even if the decision wasn't mine to make, you'd think I'd be told about it or have some inkling before it was done. Strategic planning occurs between the major head of functions in a business, not in isolation. Football is no different.

After one MLS season I've seen Los Angeles and Houston install undersoil heating. Apparently the grass gets chilly in 100 degree weather?