Football Academy Manager: Establishing the FM Addict Academy in 20 Seasons

We recently took a sidestep away from our primary focus of Football Manager to, for the first time in the 7 years of FM Addict, play another game. Shock horror! And I enjoyed the experience of playing Football Academy Manager so much that I wanted to continue playing. So I fired the game back up and made it through 20 seasons of our first save in the game.

In our previous article, we got the lowdown on the game from developer Hubi and began to establish the FM Addict Academy, progressing to 17 prestige with wonderkid attacker Umut Ucar our best player so far with 46.8 ability at the start of season 4. Moving forward another 12 months, we’d made a few more sales but were struggling to find players capable of reaching the same standard as Ucar. Three more sales, of wingers Leo Gautier and Reggie Walker ($36k and $51k) and striker Florian David ($53k), saw our bank balance surpass $250k for the first time, hitting $311,500 in January 2030. Furthermore, my attributes had progressed significantly and more academy upgrades saw the prestige hit 22 the following month.

However, season 5 came and went without any clubs making an offer for Ucar (58.2), which meant our hot prospect simply left the academy for free. Which was frustrating, considering he had a market value of over $180k. Moving into season 6, a couple more deals for midfielder Rubén Domínguez and centre back Tom Weber brought in an additional $112k.

Season 6 – Leclerc Earns A Big Move

Ucar’s departure leaves our best player as wonderkid left back Pierre Leclerc (51.5), wingers Stefano Bruno (44.2), Tolga Aslan (41.5) and midfielder Franco Acosta (41.3), and we currently have 6 players on the academy books. A few more youngsters joined, before a big $62k sale of attacker Gabriel Lima to Breda Bloom in January 2031 took the academy’s total sales past $1m.

That was soon followed by our biggest sale yet as, for one of the first times, a proposal to Cobham Blue (Chelsea) for Leclerc (58.5) was accepted. The deal goes through in the summer and will see us earn $17,500 per month for the next 12 months ($210k in total). Before he left, we picked up a third wonderkid in German centre back Christian Muller (34.3), who we immediately proposed to Istanbul, and he agreed a $90k move in the summer. We’ll also be selling right back Enrico Messina to Havre Hope for $55k.

Season 7 – Collecting Monthly Payments

Season 6 ended with $154k in the bank, but with those 3 deals bringing decent monthly payments over the next year. That was backed up by our biggest sponsorship deal yet, signing a $3k a month agreement with Grassroot Savings. In total, that gives us a monthly income of around $35k.

On top of departures, that leaves the Academy with just 4 players in August 2031, the best of which is Roberto Teixeira (27.4). But we soon added a potential star in right midfielder Antoine Girard (34.9 at 16). Moving ahead to October, I completed my final Planning course to max out my scouting attributes, which saw us progress to 27 prestige.

The season concluded with three more sales as right back Yusuf Ozturk (33.4) went to Zurich Hawks for $61k, striker Baptiste Garcia (35.2) joined Zagreb Juniors for $52k and winger Roberto Teixeira (35.9) moved to Roda Future for $76k. Then, at the end of the season, Cordoba Spark accepted our proposal for Girard (43.2), who’ll join them for $90k.

Season 8 – Running Low on Talent

As a result, the FM Addict Academy came into the 2032/33 season with a new high of $695,005 in the bank. However, we were now losing those monthly payments from the previous campaign’s sales. We swiftly made up for that by selling defender Baris Sahin (31.2) to Zurich for $53k. We were suddenly back to just 6 players in the academy, led by left back Fabio Parisi (39.7), who has 4.5* potential, and winger Gabriel Marin (36.5). But Parisi was soon on the move, as a proposal was accepted, and he joined Breda in January for $80k.

Season 9 – Not 1, Not 2, But 3 Potential Wonderkids

We headed into 2033/34 with $600k in the bank. Another development upgrade, taking the development wing to 3*, allowed us to give players 3 training focuses. Plenty of scouting over the last couple of years had seen the academy expand to 13 players, led by Marin (47), wingers Lorenzo Ferriera (45.9), Joao Barros (42.4) and Luis Goncalves (40.4) and right back Nelson Almeida (40.2).

But we soon saw one of our busiest flurries of transfer activity. In August, Ferreira joined Roda for $92k, before Goncalves joined Rhine Bloom for $15k a month over the next 6 months ($129k total), and Barros signed for Roda for $76k. We also got proposals agreed for Carlos Faria (36.5) from Brussels Stars for $73k and left back Daniel Torres to Lille Lions for $18k a month over 6 months. But the big deal was for Marin (52), for whom we had a proposal accepted and he joined Bavarian Forge for $100k upfront and £18,500 per month for the next 6 months ($211k in total).

In their place came three potential wonderkids in Spanish goalkeeper Pablo Arias (44.5), German midfielder Markus Konig (42.8) and Turkish centre back Yasin Yavuz (41). While the academy had grown to 18 players at the end of season 9. But Konig didn’t hang around long, as we had a proposal accepted by Yigidolar 58, who he joined for £14k plus £10k per month for 6 months ($77k total) in the summer. And even before those deals were completed, the bank balance hit the $1m mark for the first time.

Season 10 – Biggest Transfer Yet

We marked 10 years of the FM Addict Academy with the biggest one-off transfer fee so far, as winger Nelson Almeida joined Orange Bay for £136k. That shot the bank balance up to a huge $1.3m, and we still had 12 players in the academy. $300k of that was spent on further improving the Development Wing, which will allow us to train players on 4 focus areas when completed in April, and improving the Technique Lab to 4*.

In January, winger Alexander Cooper (50.1) joined Strasbourg Flame for $121k, Barros (54.9) went to Rotterdam Forge for $105k and a proposal for Joao Pinheiro was accepted for him to join Orange Bay for $70k. But the biggest deal saw star man Arias (57.6) join Watbridge for $183k. So it’s pretty clear that, as your prestige ramps up, it becomes a little easier to sell players. And that latest batch of deals took the bank balance beyond $1.5m, before Another wonderkid was secured as 14-year-old winger Lars Van Leeuwen (31.5) joined the academy in February.

Season 11 – Ten Players Over 50

More big deals followed at the start of the 2035/36 campaign, including winger Bruno Cavalcanti going to Belgrade Flame for $109k and Emre Tas going to Eindhoven Youth for $110k. We also saw Dias join Bordeaux Bloom for 12 monthly payments of $12k, before star player Yavuz (55.8) joined Levante Storm for a new high one-off fee of $192k.

We began the season with 16 players in the academy, led by striker Romain David (54.9), wingers Robin Kohler (53.2) and Benjamin Bertrand (52.7) and striker Niccolo De Santis (52.6). The academy has rocketed to 42 prestige and, with all the training facilities now at 4*, which boosts training by 80%, I plunged another $300k into another Development Wing upgrade, which will allow us to train all players on 5 focuses.

Moving into 2036, we had 10 players with ability over 50, with Kohler leading the way at 59.1. However, several 19-year-olds will leave at the end of the season if we can’t sell them. A surprising deal saw Empoli Rising agree to pay $110k for 16-year-old-old winger Davi Oliveira (33.6) in January, before Breda paid $70k for midfielder Sascha Zimmermann (52.7), Duarte Faria joined Bordeaux for $103k and Riccardo Monteiro (58.6) went to Swabian Stripes for $159k.

Five of our players, led by Kohler (62.9) and De Santis (62.5), surpassed the 60 ability mark, but they were all 19 and would leave as we couldn’t find a deal before the end of the season. But they were joined by a potential star in Brazilian centre back Henrique Teixeira (48.4). We did manage to do deals for David (60.4), who joined Torino for $147k, and Jayden Van Der Meer (57.4) to Levante for $182k. While one of our biggest-ever deals saw a proposal for Kerem Keskin accepted and he went to Paris Elevé for $240k.

Season 12 – Wonderkid Britto Signs Up

That latest flurry of deals went through in July 2036, taking us into season 12 with a new high of $2.22m in the bank. While the departure of several 19-year-olds left us with just 7 players in the academy, led by the amusingly named French winger Tom Thomas (54.2) and Turkish winger Ahmet Cetin (52.5). The latter was soon on the move, as he sealed a $129k move to Torino Sparks, which took our total sales past $4m. A few days later, our biggest sale so far saw Van Leeuwen (50.2) offered to Swabian Stripes, who accepted and paid $240k.

Another potential wonderkid arrived in September, as 17-year-old Eduardo Britto (41.4) joined the academy. And, after a new recruitment drive bolstered the academy, we bagged $235k for Teixeira (57.2) in January. That drive continued through the remainder of the season, taking the academy to a new high of 20 players by May 2037.

Season 13 – Maxing Out Facilities and a Flurry Of Sales

Our best sponsorship so far kicked off the 13th season, bringing in $7,300 per month ($87,600 total) for the next 2 seasons. A couple more sales in August pushed the bank balance past $3m for the first time, and work in the Dormitory was completed, enabling us to have up to 32 players in the academy. It also bumped our academy prestige to 49. But, a couple of weeks later, the $112k sale of centre back Elliot Carter (48.5) pushed the prestige to 50! That allowed me to spend $600k on boosting the Finishing Hall and Technique Lab to 5*, which will provide a 100% training boost.

Britto (51.2) is now the best player in the academy, along with right back José Torres (48.6), Dutch goalkeeper Rick Van Vliet (46.2), striker Kai Roberts (46) and midfielder Finley Wright (44.8). Another recruitment push in October saw the academy rise to a new high of 28 players, only one of which was over 18, leaving us massively in need of some transfers.

Some eventually arrived in December as goalkeeper Alberto Flores (48.5) agreed a $111k move to Excelsia, before proposals were accepted to take left back Duarte Melo to Eindhoven for $150k, midfielder Andre Hoffmann to Zurich Hawks for $40k and defender Baptiste Roussel to Yigidolar for $36k. Moving into 2038, star man Britto (53.4) was sold to Empoli for $140k. Anda flurry of sales arrived before the end of the season, led by Van Vliet (56.5) joining Swabian for $160k, Torres (56.7) signing for Levante for $144k, winger Mees Van Rooyen (46) going to Bordeaux for $144k and midfielder Maxime Lemaire (44) going to Cordoba for $136k.

Season 14 – More Big Sales

That mass of sales took the bank balance back up to $3.38m heading into our 14th campaign. That was boosted by midfielder Osman Sezer (47.3) joining Aragon Blaze for $128k, striker Julian Muller (48.2) going to Brussels for £130k and full back Finley Wright (53.1) heading to Istanbul for $131k. The academy was suddenly back down to 14 players, so we went back to recruiting,

Winger Mauricio Figueroa (52.6) signing for Eindhoven for $130k and centre backx Danilo Dantas (40.2) amd Ismael Cekir (54.1) going to Aragon and Rotterdam for $100k and $133k. That was followed by a proposal for winger Ethan Martin (36.6) being accepted by Leipzig Core and moving for $263k in six monthly payments of $40,500. Those players departed in January, taking the bank balance past $4m for the first time. So I blew another $900k on upgrading the Conditioning Center, Tactical Room and Vision Studio to %*, which will take us to 100% training boosts across all attributes.

Moving into 2039, the best player at the academy was winger Baptiste Gautier (59.9), along with striker Kai Roberts (59.7) and Aitor Fernandez (59), who were all 19. But it had been ages since we unearthed any bonafide wonderkids, with Van Leeuwen probably the most recent. A few more decent prospects, but none over 3.5* potential, arrived before the end of the season, and a few more players left for a total of $300k.

Season 15 – Unearthing A Superstar

That took us into season 15 with $3.8m in the bank. Midfielder Harvey Watson (46.2) was sold to Bordeaux for $191k, before Ruben Van Dam (44) joined Breda for $92k to become the academy’s 100th sale at a total earnings of $7.7m. The training facilities were fully maxed out in October, when we began work on upgrading the Dormitory to 5*. And that will fully complete the Academy upgrades.

Moving into 2040, midfielder Victor Van Dijk (50.6) went to Brussels for $192k, winger Wout Dekker (56.4) joined Swabian for $177k and centre back Ahmet Koc joined Aragon for $142k. The 15th season ended with 27 players on the academy’s books. But 7 more players were sold before the end of the campaign, with those deals boosting the bank balance to a new high of $5.6m.

Season 16 – Surpassing $10m in Sales and a New Record Transfer

That saw the academy reduced to 15 players, which was boosted by wonderkid Portuguese left back Sérgio Furtado (45.9). Vincent has grown to 54.4, behind two more left backs Sebastian Schwarz (58.7) and James Wright (55.7). However, Vincent’s growth to 58.9 at the end of the season attracted the academy’s record transfer of $431,000 taking him to Empoli.

Season 17 – More Massive Deals

That record sale boosted the bank balance to $7.78m heading into the 2041/42 campaign, before two more transfers took us $8m for the first time before the end of August. More big sales saw Furtado (54.9) join Istanbul for $228k in January and Wright, who’d become our best player at 63, move to Strasbourg for $212k. But we snapped up two more wonderkids in 15-year-old English winger Harvey Fletcher (31.4) and French winger Sylvain Dubois (53.6). Fletcher (41.9) agreed a $77k move to Rhine, before a massive deal saw Dubois (66.1) join Lille for $387k and Vasco Cruz went to Empoli for $201k.

Season 18 – Bank Balance Hits 8 Figures

Those deals boosted the bank balance to $9.5m in July 2042 and reduced the academy to having just 12 players of a possible 40, with the best player being hot-headed Portuguese winger Carlos Correia (59.3). But in January 2043, the $119k deal for midfielder Victor Van Der Meer (46.1) sent our bank balance past the $10m mark for the first time. And another handful of transfers boosted that to $10.3m at the end of the season.

Season 19 – Perrot Becomes Our Best Player Yet

The FM Addict Academy only had 14 players coming into the 2043/44 campaign, led by French centre back Enzo Perrot (59.8) and Argentinian winger Franco Dominguez (58.3). Four more sales saw the bank balance climb to $11.3m and the academy prestige boosted to 69 as we moved into January 2044.

The 19th season concluded with Perrot becoming the academy’s first player to surpass 70 ability. He was closely followed by midfielder Dirk Van Leeuwen (65.4), who sealed a summer transfer to Bordeaux for $188k, while 17-year-old Dominguez had improved to 64.7. And a flurry of transfers at the end of the season saw the bank balance go past $12m.

Season 20 – Signing Off With A Huge New Record Fee

The final season of this update began with another new record sponsorship of $148,800 over two seasons with Nordlicht Power. Perrot, now 19, starts the season at 71.3 with Dominguez at 64.7. But the latter was soon on the move for another huge record fee, as a proposal was accepted by Seixal Legacy and he moved to Portugal for 6 monthly fees of $80,750 in a total deal worth $484,500. That was quickly followed by a proposal accepted by Sky Blue Academy for winger Furkan Unal (59.8), who joined them in a deal worth $385,500 in January.

Moving into 2045, the bank balance hit a new high of $13.1m, and 6 of our players, including star man Perrot (75.4) are on a ticking clock given they’re now 19. We wrapped up the campaign by snapping another superstar centre back Gabriel Barbier, who has 50.5 ability and 4.5* potential. While Perrot finished up at an impressive 77.1, which goes to show how much impact maxed-out training can have. And, just when it looked like he was about to leave on a free, Castilla Royals (Real Madrid) came in with a huge offer of $485,000 on 1 June. So it was nice to see our greatest ever academy product depart for our record transfer fee.

Thoughts After 20 Seasons in Football Academy Manager

As you can probably tell, I’m still really enjoying playing Football Academy Manager. I love the concept of scouting younger players, bringing them into the academy, enhancing the academy and seeing players develop to then sell them on for a profit. And it’s worth remembering the game is still in Early Access mode, so there will be changes down the line. And, critically, in 15 hours of play, I’ve not had even a hint of the game crashing, which puts other football games to shame…

That said, I do worry the game becomes a bit “samey” after a while, and I wonder how “repeatable” it is in its current guise. A bit like FM, once you’ve developed the academy facilities and passed all your courses, there’s nothing else to do in shaping and growing the academy. And there’s very little in terms of making the academy feel “your own,” so some kind of personalisation features might be a nice touch.

As mentioned in the previous article, I think the immersion levels could be enhanced by features like having staff to send out to watch matches and help you keep tabs on youngsters you’ve discovered. Also, being able to track the career of your academy graduates could be a really cool feature. For example, I’d love to take pride in Perrot making his first team debut at Real Madrid, going on to play for France and winning the Champions League. Additionally, it would be great to have a bit more control over a player’s progression and style, such as changing their position and adding traits to their game.

And in terms of the game being “samey,” I think being able to scout different teams from different nations or regions – like you can in Football Manager – would be a really cool addition. I’m not sure how realistic that would be, but consider FC Barcelona’s La Masia academy drafting in talented youngsters from around the world, such as Leo Messi being snapped up from Argentina as a youngster. I think being able to focus on recruiting youngsters in certain places, such as Brazil or Colombia, or creating an academy in an African hotbed like Ivory Coast or Senegal and developing relationships with European teams – like Denmark’s FC Nordsjaelland – would be a really interesting approach.

How possible any of that is remains to be seen. But, for now, I love the concept of the game, and I’m having a lot of fun developing young talent. We may push ahead with this save, or potentially start a new one using some of the mods available on the Steam store, such as adding real clubs and players. I think it might also be interesting to restrict ourselves to only signing players of certain nationalities or specific positions – for example, establishing an academy that’s renowned for developing wonderkid strikers could be a fun twist.

But rest assured, we’ll have plenty more football gaming content coming soon, whether it’s from FM26 or FAM. Have you been playing FAM yet? If so, let us know how you’ve been getting on with the game by leaving a comment!