Profile
The Club Profile screen gives you a simple and quick look at the club’s key information. Club Details, League History, Staff, recent Results, Kits, Stadium information and Club information are all present and displayed for your perusal.
These also all apply to international teams.
Information
The ‘Information’ sub-tab displays all the information about the club’s stadium and training ground, and any other facilities they may have, such as a youth academy.
Training Facilities and Youth Facilities operate on a scale of ten as follows, from best to worst (if the facilities are rented, this is displayed in parentheses):
State of the Art, Excellent, Superb, Great, Good, Average, Adequate, Below Average, Basic, Poor
The Stadium Condition and Pitch Condition fields exist on a scale of seven:
Perfect, Very Good, Good, OK, Poor, Very Poor, Terrible
What benefit does increasing the quality of various facilities have for my team?
Facilities directly affect player development. An increase in quality of training facilities allows player attributes to further develop, allows them to become more likely to realise their full potential, improves the rate at which they progress, and also improves the coaching staff working there, which in turn benefits the players again.
The same applies to youth facilities; the players and coaches working in this part of the club reap many of the same benefits at a markedly more important time in their careers. Increasing the standard of Youth Recruitment, for example, boosts the quality of potential ability among players coming through into your annual youth team intake.
Each time the Board decides to improve an aspect of the club’s infrastructure, it upgrades to the next level up the scale.
If technology elsewhere improves at a pace you can’t keep up with, you’ll be notified that your facilities have been downgraded in their grading; they haven’t physically changed, but the standard at which they exist has been re-evaluated.
The cost of each stage of improvement depends on the standard of existing facilities, starting out smaller for minor improvements, and then into several millions for high-end adjustments.
Training facilities cost slightly more as additional investment is required for the scale of the work being done and additional staff requirements that may come with it, and they are adjusted depending on the financial state of the country where the work is taking place.
Affiliate Clubs
Teams are increasingly seeking arrangements with others in order to create mutually beneficial situations both on and off the pitch. From local relationships to international partnerships and corporate groups, the footballing world is connected like never before, and affiliations are a major part of that.
Any clubs affiliated with yours are displayed on this screen and you can also begin the process of finding a new affiliation from here, as well as from the Board Requests screen by selecting ‘Networking -> Affiliate Club’. Depending on the size of your team, you may also request that the Board ‘Look for Senior Affiliate’ to which you act as an affiliate and benefit accordingly; primarily from the ability to receive players on loan from them, but also potentially through shared scouting, finances and facilities.
Any proposed affiliations appear under the ‘Proposed Affiliates’ option.
There are several types of affiliation, each offering different benefits.
- A local partnership in which players are loaned.
Players are made available for loan from the senior affiliate at no cost to the lower affiliate.
- A local partnership in which facilities are shared.
The teams share training facilities, typically to benefit the lower affiliate.
- A national partnership in which players are loaned.
Players are made available for loan from the senior affiliate at no cost to the lower affiliate.
- Financial benefits for both teams.
A commercial link-up that boosts club finances, usually with an overseas team in a ‘new market’.
- Benefits for the youth setup for both teams.
A link-up with a foreign academy whereby players from the affiliate may appear in youth intakes.
- The senior affiliate has first option on the affiliate club’s players.
The senior affiliate has the right to match any transfer offer accepted for a player at the lower affiliate.
- An international partnership in which players are loaned.
Players are made available for loan from the senior affiliate at no cost to the lower affiliate.
- To avoid work permit regulations.
Players are loaned from the senior affiliate until they’re able to acquire a nationality that doesn’t require them to qualify for a work permit. These deals are usually struck with teams in countries where the naturalisation period is shorter than average.
- The senior affiliate sends youth players to the affiliate club to gain experience.
Youth players at the lower affiliate spend time training with the senior affiliate.
- The senior affiliate sends reserve players to the affiliate club to put them in the shop window.
The senior affiliate sends unwanted players to the lower affiliate to try to make them more attractive for a transfer offer.
- The affiliate club receives players from the senior affiliate to aid them in their bid for promotion.
The lower affiliate is sent players to aid in their promotion challenge.
- The affiliate club receives players from the senior affiliate to aid them in their bid to avoid relegation.
The lower affiliate is sent players to aid in their survival bid.
- A shared youth team where players can be sent.
Some teams share an affiliate and they combine to provide the lower affiliate with players to develop and hone.
- A mutually beneficial relationship.
All other affiliate links where no specific reason for the relationship exists.
If you have managed a club for a successful period of time, your Board may allow you to request a specific type of affiliation to benefit your own needs, and over an even longer period of time the Board will be willing to allow you to specify a club to approach for a link-up. These options will become available to you as part of your conversations with the Board.
Affiliations may be cancelled for a few reasons; the most common among them is if the lower affiliate is promoted to play in the same division as the senior affiliate. Underuse of the affiliation – particularly with regards to loans – is another common outcome, while a change in reputation between the two clubs can either cancel the deal outright or see the senior party in the arrangement change.
Board Confidence
If you’re going to be successful in your job, it’s imperative that you satisfy the demands of the Board and the Fans – and they can be quite demanding. The Overview screen is mostly concerned with progress towards the Club Vision, which in turn directly affects the Manager Performance assessment. You are assessed on a grading scale, with A+ being the best grade, and everything below that increasingly poor.
The ‘Confidence’ screen breaks all of this down into more detail. The Board and the fans deliver a summary of their satisfaction with your work in a number of key areas – Club Vision, Matches, Transfers, Tactics, and Squad management, and each of these sections have their own dedicated screen available from the ‘Confidence tab, covering the reasons for their (dis)satisfaction in greater detail.
It almost goes without saying that by ensuring you’re trending positively in as many areas as possible, you will enjoy a long and prosperous reign at your club.
How do I ensure the Board are happy and that I keep my job?
The most important thing is to ensure you’re constantly aware of Board confidence, both on an Overall level and in each contributing area. A brief shortlist of things to always keep at the forefront of your attention also goes a long way to ensuring long-term success:
- Keep your players happy.
- Perform well on the pitch, in terms of both result and performances, while working towards short and long-term objectives connected to the club’s vision.
- Manage your finances properly.
- Don’t make excessive or unlikely Board requests and demands.
- Understand your status within the club; wait until you’re established before asking for more.
Keep tight control over these areas, follow the advice laid out throughout this manual, and you should be in a good position to move forward in your career.
What are the different levels of Board confidence and what do they mean?
Untouchable
In terms of the 1-20 attribute range as seen on player profiles, imagine this to register at around the 16 or above mark. This is the strongest level of confidence you can have and it means your job is as safe as can be.
Very Secure
We lose a couple of marks dropping to Very Secure but you’re still highly impressive and have the Board’s full backing.
Secure
Another couple of marks drop off as we’re ‘only’ Secure now; you’re doing a good job, and the Board have no concerns with your management.
Stable
Consider this to be just above 50%; you’re trending slightly upwards, but things are finely-poised and the next few results could swing things up or down.
Insecure
We’re now dropping below the mid-point threshold and your job could be in peril if you don’t start to pick up points. It’s at this point that the Board might start to consider calling a meeting for you to explain yourself.
Very Insecure
One step down is Very Insecure; your job is now in great peril, and a win in your next fixture is of paramount importance.
Precarious
Anything at 6/20 or below on the comparative attribute scale means you’re almost certainly on the verge of being sacked; the Board may take action at any time, and another defeat before then will almost certainly result in the termination of your contract.
Under Review
This is used immediately following a Board takeover while the new Chairperson evaluates the managerial situation at the club.