Football manager games can be intimidating. Hundreds of menus, dozens of sliders, attribute screens that look like spreadsheets. Footy Manager is intentionally simpler, but there are still a few moves worth learning before kick-off. Here is everything you need to win your first match.
1. Create your club
From the welcome page, hit Start Playing and you land in onboarding. You'll pick your manager name, club name, crest and colours. None of these are cosmetic-only, your club identity carries through the whole save, and reputation grows from where you start. Pick something you're happy to see on a trophy.
2. Meet your squad
Your starting squad is generated to fit the division you're managing in. Open the squad screen and you'll see every player with their overall rating, position, role suitability, morale and fitness. Don't try to memorise every attribute, focus on three things:
- Who's your best XI? The highest-rated player in each position.
- Who has depth? Any position where you have two solid options.
- Who's a liability? Anyone with low fitness or morale you need to rest or sell.
3. Assign roles (don't skip this)
This is the step new managers most often skip, and the one that most affects match outcomes. In Team & Tactics you'll set:
- Captain and vice-captain. Pick experienced players. Captaincy boosts morale across the squad.
- Free-kick taker and penalty taker. Always go with your highest-rated set-piece specialist, not your top scorer by default.
- Player roles per position, these influence how the match engine resolves each player's events.
4. Pick a formation you understand
Footy Manager ships with multiple formation templates. The classics , 4-3-3, 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1, 3-5-2, all work. Pick one you understand and stick with it for at least your first five matches so your squad builds familiarity. If you're new to the genre, start with 4-4-2: compact, balanced, and forgiving.
For deeper formation theory, see our guide to picking the right formation.
5. Set training focus
Training in Footy Manager is configured per unit, attack, midfield, defence. For your opening matches, set training focus to whichever unit you trust least. If your defence is shaky, drill defenders. If you can't score, train forwards.
6. Play your first match
On match day you'll see your fixture, opponent, and a confirm-line-up screen. Trust your tactics, hit kick-off, and watch the event-driven match engine play out minute-by-minute with live commentary. After full-time you get a complete breakdown: ratings, key moments, post-match analysis.
7. Read the timeline
Back at your dashboard, your timeline updates with everything that just happened, fans react, board sets new expectations, players share their mood, journalists ask for press-conference quotes. This is the heart of Footy Manager: every decision pushes the story forward.
What to do next
- How the match engine works
- Captains & set-piece takers, who to pick
- Training tips: how to actually improve your players
Or just jump in and start a save, Footy Manager is free, runs entirely in your browser, and your progress is saved locally.