Do CPU Controlled Clubs Without Sugar Daddies Ever Improve Their Facilities?

[BigHairyAndy]

Question in title.

I'm playing FM11 as Dufftown (renamed Dufftown Glenfiddich) in a custom database where I basically have the Highland League and the North Caledonian League as the top and second tiers of a small custom nation structure, roughly equivalent in standard to Luxembourg or San Marino. I'm in season 9 just now, my fourth at Dufftown, and we've just upgraded our training facilities to (Genie Scout warning) 10, which qualifies as average training facilities. This plus turning full time over the summer means I'm finally in a position where my players are progressing instead of stagnating or regressing.

The problem, however, is that as far as I can see no other club in the entire structure (30 clubs split into two divisions) has improved its training facilities even once in the past nine seasons. This means that apart from my club, pretty much every other team in the country has players who are gradually getting worse. Even Invergordon, my old club whom I lead to consecutive titles in the first few seasons, who were easily the biggest club in the country until I overtook them last season, and whose finances are very comfortable, are still training in the same useless facility they were when I resigned six seasons ago. I don't think money's the issue, as ten of the clubs have comfortably more than the £550k the first batch of upgrades cost me, and most of the clubs have very low wage bills.

So the question is: Will this situation ever change without sugar daddy intervention? Do CPU managed clubs ever take the initiative and upgrade their infrastructure (stadia excepted; I know they'll sometimes build a new stadium)? (FMRTE warning) Is there anything I can edit to make this more likely? It'd be really nice to have some competition, to say nothing of having it actually be worth my effort loaning players to other clubs in this system, but I'd rather not just go and FMRTE them all as that removes the dynamic, organic element from the league's development.

All answers/thoughts/suggestions welcome (unless you have issues with me using Genie Scout and FMRTE, in which case this isn't the thread for you).

[vurogj]

I've just had a peek at Scotland in my 6 country FM2011 game, and the lowest team I can find that's ever done anything to their facilities was Arbroath upgrading their youth facilities in August 2014, four months after a consortium took them over. They were yoyoing between Scottish Second and Third Divisions at the time. Now into 2027, Genie tells me they are at Training 5, Youth training 2. Only 11 of the 200 Scottish clubs in the game have training facilities at 10 or above. 14 have youth training at 10 or above.

As you mentioned Luxembourg and San Marino, I had a look in Genie at those as well, all San Marinese clubs have 2/1 for training, all bar one Luxembourg club have 3/3 or less, the exception is one of the two semi-pro clubs, that has 5/1.

I don't really have any conclusions of theories for you, but I hope the data is of some use. If you'd like a wild guess, I'd say it's unlikely there'll ever be much (if any) construction in your custom league, as the reputation doesn't make it worthwhile.