Wales Amateur/Semi-Pro to Europe Challenge

[Speedyol]

This is my first challenge, if any info is missing, please let me know and ill update/add it. Thanks for any help with creating the challenge. I want to do this challenge myself too.

Game version
I hope it does not matter what game version people use, You can join and use the one you happen to like the most. I use FM20, but my guess is most people use FM21 or FM22 and that is no problem.

The Aim
To take a Amateur or Semi-Pro club in Wales second division (JD Cymru North/South) as far as possible in European competition. 
Competing in the Champions league, Europa League and Europa Conference League (European Champions Cup, EURO Cup and EURO Cup II)

Second part of the challenge is to get Wales as a nation up as far as possible in the ranking systems, And if possible get more teams to enter the champions league each year. Wales is a very low rated nation, and the only professional team is The New Saints. In a top division of 12 teams, the top 7 teams has a chance at qualifying for Europe. 4 teams qualify in total each year. 4th-7th place has a playoff for the last spot.

The Rules

• Start as Sunday league Manager with no licences.
• Only use tactics you have created on my own. (dont download anyone else ect)
• Don’t use the Player search page in the game. (Players scouted/shortlist page allowed)
• The usage of FM-Tools (like Genie Scout) is not allowed.
• No rage quits after you lose a game! In LLM losing means losing!
• Don’t use exploits in the game (corner exploits, Man marking exploits or Alter transfer fee for example)
• Use attribute masking to make scouting harder.

You may not move clubs unless you are sacked. If you get sacked, you can either take over a club that satisfies the original criteria, or just start again.

Leagues Loaded (Minimum, add more if you want)
Wales - JD Cymru North/South
Scotland - Ladbrokers League 2
Republic of Ireland - Irish First division
Nothern Ireland - Blue fin Sports championsips
England - Sky Bet League Two
(So you can compete in the Tunnock's Caramel Wafer Challenge Cup)

 

Edited March 15, 2022 by Speedyol

[Speedyol]

Season 1 - 2019/2020 - JD Cymru South - Winners

Club - Facilities - Transfers - Squad - Key Player - Manager

History

STM Sports was founded in 2007. They were based in St Mellons, Cardiff and played at Cardiff University Sports fields with capacity of 1000.  As I take over as manager STM Sports just starts their first season in JD Cymru South. They have never been this high up before. I will try and bring them the glory they never had in real life. (They got relegated and was dissolved on 27 July 2020)

Overview & The League

The league was very easy or I am just lucky. I decided to play a simple formation with basic instructions. I guess you can sign players who would not join in real life. I don't think many people moves to a new country or even a new town to play for football as a hobby for no pay. But I can imagine they just got offered a new job in Cardiff just the day before I asked them to join us.

Since nobody gets payed any money, I could hire all the staff I wanted and all the players I wanted. Nobody got any wages, not even me. I found a good Director of football that helped me throughout the season getting in players on trials every week. Warren Gibbs with Judging Ability 4, Potential 6. I had 33 players who was headhunted by English teams. They where offered a wage and left the club. Billericay Town snapped up 7 of my star players alone, they must have a good scout stationed in Wales. Every time someone was on the way out the door I just asked Warren Gibbs who to sign and he found star players most of the time. In march he was headhunted himself by Llangefni Town. They offered him a salary and he left.

Next Season

The board announced that it will become a Semi-Pro team. They demand that I finish top half in the Premier division. I don't know how that is possible but I asked the same of the players and they all agreed that we should aim as high as possible. Perhaps with the ability to give players a contract it might be achievable.

[SoSolidSnake]

Interesting challenge, however in FM22, the only playable amateur clubs in Wales are Swansea Uni and Cardiff Met Uni. 

Cardiff Met Uni are in the Premier division, so the only eligible club is Swansea Uni! 

[Speedyol]

23 minutes ago, SoSolidSnake said:

Interesting challenge, however in FM22, the only playable amateur clubs in Wales are Swansea Uni and Cardiff Met Uni. 

Cardiff Met Uni are in the Premier division, so the only eligible club is Swansea Uni! 

Thanks, I did not know that. I think the challenge is just as difficult with a Semi-Pro team, perhaps even harder since you have higher expenses. Ill update the OP so it allows semi-pro teams aswell.

[Speedyol]

Season 2 - 2020/2021 - JD Cymru Premier - Runner Up

Club Vision - Squad - Key Player - Transfers - Finances

Overview

STM Sports had made it from Tier 9 to Tier 2 football in 13 seasons in real life before they stopped playing. Thats pretty impressive. I am on the hunt for bigger things, I want them to compete in the champions league one day. The summer went great. I signed 2 new attacking midfielders and a new young strikers who came straight into the starter eleven. I also signed a new backup keeper who really wanted to be a regular starter and complained all season. As the first match of the season approached the season preview showed that we where preditcted to finish second place behind The new saints and the board wanted a top half finish.

The chairman Geza Hajgato retired from playing this summer at the age of 38. He had only played one match this season, he was a central midfielder. He then sold the club to a local investor called Ceri Williams. He made us move from University Sports Fields to Jenner Park owned and used by Barry. The rent is £1040 per year and it has a capacity that meets the new requirement of premier league. With a average attendance of 250 people I don't think we need to move stadium any time soon. 

We lost the opening match against The New Saints at Park Hall Stadium, and we drew the next match at home against Cardiff Metropolitan University. After 5 matches we here mid table with 6 points on the board. I thought perhaps we where in for a tough season. But 22 matches into the season when the league split in half we found ourselves at second place on 39 points. The New Saints was at the top as usual with 63 points. It stayed this way until the end of the season, and we are qualified for Europe! TNS won the league a month or so before it ended because they had so many points.

Unbelievable Cup Double

STM Sports was in the Nathaniel MG Cup finals once in real life the final season before they closed their doors and dissolved the club. But I managed to win both of the cups! TNS did not compete in the Nathaniel MG Cup for some reason, It might be because they won the league the year before. Won on penalties against Airbus UK in the Quarter finals, 4-1 against Barry in the Semi finals and on penalties against Cambrian & Clydach in the finals. 
The winner of the JD Welsh Cup Qualify for Europe. I meet pretty weak sides, I won against Airbus UK 5-0 in the semi-finals. I happen to face TNS in the finals. I had lost twice to them in the first half of the season, but managed to win against them in the Championship Conference and I had not lost any matches since February so I was feeling confident. On the final day of the season 2500 people came to Cardiff City Stadium (capacity 33k) to watch the largest domestic match of the season. The match was very close.

Europe Next Season

Cannot wait to play my first matches in Europe already! We enter in the EURO Cup II First Qualifying Round. I forwarded to the draw just to see and I face St. Patrick's Athletic from Ireland. The board wants me to qualify for Europe next season and I agree that we need to qualify every season from now on, that is what this challenge is all about.

Edited March 15, 2022 by Speedyol
Removed a question that I have gotten a answer too.

[Speedyol]

Season 3 - 2021/2022 - JD Cymru Premier - Winner

Tactics - Squad - Transfers - Finances

European Competition & Scottish Challenge Cup

It was time for STM Sports first ever competitive match against anyone from outside Wales. We drew St. Patrick's Athletic in the Euro Cup 2 Best Placed - First Qualifying Round. It started by having them visit us at Jenner Park where 769 people watched us loose a boring 0-1 match. One week later we took the trip to Dublin to get revenge. I had the younger striker start this time, he has been very good in the cups for us last season and he scored 2 goals from very close range.

Our next opponent was Lech Poznań. Its a team I have managed in a previous save and they should be very strong compared to us. When we traveled to Poland Henry Sparkes got the nod to start as striker and he scored a very nice goal. Lech's striker got a goal back on a header on corner and it ended 1-1. In the home match we had our first sold out stadium and a new record high attendance of 2560 people who watched us loose to yet another goal on corner. This summer we made more money than the entire last season combined from price money and gate receipts. It was a very profitable July and by the end of the season we made a great step towards affording professional status.

This is also our first ever time participating in the Tunnock's Caramel Wafer Challenge Cup. It has teams from England, Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland all competing. We won against Kilmarnock Reserves and Celtic Reserves. We lost to Queen Of The South in the Quarter finals on penalties. They ended up winning the competition.

The League & Overcoming The New Saints

The next step has to be turning professional and the club needs money first. There is no money in wales, we need to compete in europe. IF we can win against TNS on a regular bases then this become very possible to beat small clubs from other nations as well. I brought in a new midfielder and a right fullback to strengthen the squad and kept the whole team from last year. I also signed a very weak player that was recommended, he is on a high salary as well, but I guess the new director of football isnt as reliable to find players for me. We are now second in the league when it comes to money spent on wages at £19,000 per month and our top earner on £1,400 per month. I have not given any of the staff any contracts to save money, they earn no money and do a very good job.

We went flying from the start of the season we did not loose any matches in the league before the end of November to the nomads. Lost a second match in April to Barry and won the league that day since TNS also lost that round. I thought it was funny that we lifted the trophy after loosing our second match of the season. With four victories and one draw versus The New Saints this season I can say for sure that we have raised us to their level. Lets just hope the good form continues next season.

Next Season

The goal will be to try and win the league every year and focus on European competition. STM Sports enter European Champions Cup for the first time ever! Lets hope we get lucky in the home fixture. With enough price money we might get professional status too.

[Speedyol]

Season 4 - 2022/2023 - Euro Cup 2 - Group Stages (4th)

Squad - Key Player - Transfers - Finances

Transfers

We have had a very good wing-back on loan from Bristol City for two seasons now that was out of contract this summer. I wanted to sign him permanently. He wanted too much money, but I waited for him to be unemployed and I offered him a contract the next day. He suddenly wanted about one third of the wages now that he is not a Bristol Rovers player anymore.

I wanted to strenghten the squad to prepare for the champions league. I checked the scouted players list and the shortlist but I saw nothing interesting. I only have one scout so the list is not very long. I asked for a meeting with our Director of football Glenn Evans. I asked him if he knew about any decent midfielders that might help us. With his impressive stats of 3 Judging Ability and 2 Judging Potential he suggested two 18 year olds from Bala and Airbus UK. With only a week until the squad registration I signed them both without hesitating. One of them had a player of a match performace in the first champions league game.

European Competition - £4.000.000 in the bank!

I got paired up against FK Suduva Marijampole from Lithuania in the Champions League Qualifying.  We dominated both fixtures but only got narrow victories. I was very happy about their performace! Out next opponent was FK Astana from Kazakhstan. The match was very close, we had about the same amount of chances and possession, but we where clinical and got more goals then them. It all went down hill from there... We lost to IFK Göteborg and was knocked down to the Euro Cup Playoffs and got one million pounds for pacticipating in the Champions league. We lost the playoffs to FC Basel and qualified for the Euro Cup 2 Group Stages. We got about five hundred thousand in loosing money and two and a half million in price money for entering the group stages. We then ended up loosing every match in the group except for the final fixture against FC Rostov

Qualifying Rounds

Group Stages

 

Staff

At the start of the season I still only have staff on Amateur contracts on no wages. I put out adverts for new coaches. Found a fitness coach with rating of 5, a GK coach with rating of 5, 1 and 6 and a normal coach of similar skill. I also signed a U19 coach with a wage of £50 per month. In march I got a increase in how many coaches I was allowed. I decided to use the staff search page this time. I sorted/searched for Unemployed Welish staff members with minimal reputation and picked between the guys at the top of the list (sorted by name i think). I hired a a physio, a new assistant, a new director and one more coach. They all wanted around £500 per month. I still have 7 staff memebers that works for free with no contract at the end of the season. I have managed to get a few coaching badges myself too. STM Sports now have the best coaching team in wales.

Glenn Evans is the employer of the year for finding superb players only gets payed with tea and crisps.

 

[kccircle]

Cracking challenge. I'm playing a similar game albeit independently from this challenge by starting with Cefn Druids. I'm on FM21 Touch and in season 2025/26 and like you managed to get to the Europa League Group Stages having fallen at the final stage in the Champions League. I lost every game but still took home £2.6m in getting there. I spent it all on Training / Youth improvements. 

 

I'll keep an eye on this challenge, but as I started outside of the parameters set I wont post

[Speedyol]

Season 8 - 2026/2027 - Euro Cup - Group Stages (3rd)

Squad - Key Player

I have been taking lots of breaks from playing this year. I have played a season now and then. And I forgot about the forum and didnt post a update. But I am back with a update. I just finished season 8 in this save and it was a tough year. TNS is impossible to beat sometimes. I lost too them 3 times this season and drew against them once. I even bought one of their best center backs during january to try and weaken their side but it didn¨t seem to have an effect.

 

The League

I have won the league 3 times now. And I only have one real opponent. The other teams can barely win against me. I play the reserve and youth players against many league opponents now. I am more interested in european competittion at the moment. I hope I can reach the group stages this summer.

[potbellypigs]

The problem I always encounter with this kind of Wales save is that it's fun building the team up to compete in the league, but once you have a good run in Europe (getting to any of the group stages) it's basically game over. Because the money you get in Europe means you can basically buy the league and you're just waiting for the next season to try and do well in Europe again. Becomes a bit boring.