Football Manager 26: Will a Computer Game Help Women’s Football Grow Even More?

New Features in Football Manager 26

Football Manager 26 marks an important milestone in the history of the long-running sports management series. For the first time, players can manage female teams alongside their male counterparts through this latest installment. This expansion reflects a growing interest and recognition of women’s football within both the gaming community and real-world sports.

Enhanced Representation

Miles Jacobson, Studio Director at Sports Interactive, emphasized that adding the women’s game to Football Manager was no easy task. “We’ve had our scouting setup for 30-plus years in men’s football but we had to start from scratch on the women’s side,” he stated.

Realistic Data and Attributes

To ensure accurate representation, Sports Interactive has built a comprehensive database of over 40,000 female players and staff. This includes more than 36,000 female players and 5,000 staff members across 14 playable leagues in 11 nations on three continents.

The company also worked closely with 40 clubs to gather data directly from women’s teams as part of their extensive scouting operations. “We have a direct relationship with these 40 clubs, and we hope they will benefit from our database because the majority of them run both men’s and women’s teams,” Jacobson explained.

Challenges and Solutions

The process of integrating female football into Football Manager was challenging due to the scarcity and inaccuracy of data available. “Although data is prevalent in men’s football, it is not the same for women’s football where it is often inaccurate or missing altogether,” Jacobson noted.

To address this issue, Sports Interactive conducted a meticulous review process, working with an ‘army of people from the women’s game’ to ensure proper representation. “We had a big debate that went on for many months about how to deal with the differences between male and female players in the stats,” Jacobson added.

The company decided to keep the statistics separate, comparing women’s attributes among themselves and men’s among themselves, rather than forcing a direct comparison. “The fastest woman in the world is slightly slower than the fastest man, but we thought it was unfair that the fastest woman in the game wouldn’t have a 20 rating for pace or acceleration,” Jacobson explained.

Impact on Women’s Football

Former professional players Mollie and Rosie Kmita were involved in recording motion-capture sequences for female players, highlighting the game’s commitment to realism. “Growing up, I would never have imagined playing Football Manager because it wasn’t a space for us,” Mollie said.

“Normalising women’s football in the game is exciting and we’ll see the repercussions of that,” Mollie continued. “For someone who has never been interested in women’s football before and decides to manage a women’s team, the amount of information and knowledge they will learn about players, teams, and leagues is exciting.”

Ben Haines, Ellen White, and Jen Beattie are also excited by the potential impact. “We’re about to engage a whole new audience,” Ben Haines noted. “I’m excited to see how this community continues to grow.” This expanded user base could lead to greater awareness and support for women’s football through increased visibility and engagement.

Conclusion

The launch of Football Manager 26 represents a significant step forward in the representation and accessibility of women’s football. By leveraging its extensive data collection capabilities, Sports Interactive is not only enhancing the gaming experience but also potentially contributing to the growth of this important part of the sports world.