After the disappointing release of Football Manager 26, a passionate fan has taken matters into their own hands. Reddit user u/Nice_Ad2555 has spent almost a year crafting a solo hobby project laser-focused on the FM series’ most underrated aspect: Youth Development. The creator pitches this as more of an “Academy Manager”, but the core gameplay will likely be quite similar to the club simulator.
The fan project takes one aspect of the game, youth academy management, and a full tycoon sim. For now, the project does not have a fully dedicated 3D match engine, as the youth matches are text-based and scouting is handled in menus. This is how the developer describes the core experience for now:
- Discovery: You attend youth matches (text-based) and scout players and decide which to approach for a sign.
- Development: It plays a bit like a Tycoon game; you invest in infrastructure and staff to boost growth rates.
- The Business: You follow market demand and sell your players if there is a fitting demand, or wait till he gets a transfer offer. You use that profit to upgrade the academy to the next tier.
Operation Sports App
Your ultimate companion for sports gaming. Access in-depth coverage, thoughtful discussion, and a community built around the games—and sports—you love.
Your ultimate sports gaming companion.
An Ambitious Project, To Say The Least
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: the Football Manager games depend on their community almost as much as the actual development. This is evident with all of the great FM26 mods out there, which are very strong in terms of transforming core aspects of the game. Shortly after the creator posted, community feedback poured in with strong support.
One UX designer with an alleged 10+ years of experience provided the following advice:
“People are really bad at TELLING you what they want… create a prototype, give it to users for 2 weeks and let them play it.”
There are a lot of other great ideas under the post. Some suggest global academy leaderboards, post-sale tracking, roleplaying drama, and possibly even College Football-style recruiting (weekly pitches, interest meters, pipeline bonuses).
Will this fan-made game ever see a full release? Will it fill the gaps left by FM26? It’s way too early to tell for now, as there isn’t even a Steam page right now. However, if the community comes together and supports this project, it could be a great effort.
Published: Jan 20, 2026 12:00 pm