Gregg

FM2007 Blog part 8 - affiliate/feeder clubs
Current mood: naughty


Feeder clubs make their debut in Football Manager 2007. Another one of those features that's been requested many times over the years, the time was right to add them now, particularly with them no longer being just the domain of the larger clubs in real life.

There are lots of different types of affiliate clubs, and we've tried to get as many of these relationships in the game as possible, but it's up to your board to decide what type of relationship the club needs, if you one is needed at all.

I'm not going to give everything away here and now, because the feeder club module is an area where the customer (and you!) will keep finding new things over time due to the sheer amount of combinations possible, and some of the relationships are a lot rarer than others, but the general way they work is that you request a feeder club (or to be a fed club) from the "affiliates" section of the game (or from the board interaction screen) should your board be happy with having another relationship. These relationships can range from something as simple as being able to send players to clubs on loan (although these players still have the right to say no) and play the club in a friendly once a year, through to having a relationship with a club in a far flung country that might increase your global marketing presence. You can get first options at clubs, have different types of relationships around the world, and utilise your relationships with other managers by linking up with those that you have a good relationship with via manager interaction. You can even sign players who wouldn't normally get work permits (if needed) and farm them off to countries where the laws make it easier to get dual nationality.

Having feeder clubs is very useful, particularly to try out your new youth players from the new youth revamp in the game, or if you are a smaller club, giving these players their first chance to get first team football, and the possibility of getting more people through the door wanting to see the new young talent made available through your relationship with a top manager. Let alone the financial possibilities and potential new supporters that having a commercial link might bring.

Screenshots for all of this weeks blogs will be available at www.sigames.com at some point today (Friday).


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First of all, it looks like my question about loaning players so they get a work permit have been answered. I can finally sign promising south american players, loan them to a club until they get EU citizenship and take them back as soon as they reach their peak :D

And yeah, I realised it's Part 8, not 7 but I can't change it :blush: