The systems in Football Manager 26 are nothing if not exhaustive and interconnected, and while this does make for an enthralling gaming experience it can also make it a little hard to wrap your mind around all your various responsibilities within the game’s various systems. The reputation of your club is important to your ability to progress and grow it, however it’s not always easy to see the results of your action on the standing of your club in the larger football world.
If you’re trying to get your lowly-rated club up to the top of the game, here’s everything you need to know about club reputation and how to improve it in Football Manager 26.
What Is Club Reputation?
As the name implies, your club’s reputation is the esteem it is held in by the footballing world within the fictional version of your FM save. It shows how well-known your club is, how likely it is that people you interact with are aware of your club, and how likely they are to think highly of it or see it as an ideal destination.
Why Club Reputation Matters In Football Manager 26
The most important value that reputation brings to the table is the type of players you are capable of recruiting to play for you. While multiple considerations go into whether a player is interested in a move or not, including obvious factors like the playing time and pay packet on offer from your club, they will also consider the type of club they will be joining.
The higher your club’s reputation, the more weight its name carries, meaning you may find it easier to recruit new signings, particularly big-name players. Star players can be reluctant to join clubs with low reputations, even if those teams have recently earned promotion or delivered strong results. How much a club’s reputation matters ultimately depends on each player’s individual attributes and hidden preferences under the hood.
How To Improve Your Club Reputation In Football Manager 26
If you’re looking to raise your club’s standing in the game, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that a lot of what you can do to be more highly viewed is the stuff you’re already trying to do with your saves, more likely than not. The bad news is that it is still a long and slow process. Winning the Premier League didn’t suddenly turn Leicester City into a world power, nor will one or two good years have your rapidly-rising third-tier side among the elite with their first Serie A title. Here are key ways to improve your reputation and get your club the fame and acclaim it deserves.
- Get Promoted: When in doubt, wins are always a great way to raise your team’s reputation, and the biggest and most resonant way to do so is to progress into higher levels of competition. A promotion sees you raised up into a new tier and a corresponding increased focus on your results. By maintaining your place in this higher league, or continuing to climb, you’ll elevate your reputation steadily.
- Win Big Trophies: In the same vein as winning promotions to gain reputation, you will also see benefits to becoming a consistent silverware winner, particularly in important competitions. Just like players, leagues, and cups each have their own reputation levels within the game, and so the higher the value is placed on a competition, the more ability it has to improve your reputation if you get consistently strong results in it.
- Raise Your Player Profile: Just like in real life, one of the easiest ways for players in Football Manager 26 to assess the level of a club is to look at the level of players on the team already and in its history. As you move up the divisions, you’ll also increase the quality of players you are buying and selling every window. Bigger names in and out mean more reputation for your club.
- Develop Future Stars: Your youth structure is a great way to build the talent level of your club without having to spend big bucks, but it’s also a great way to raise your reputation, too. A club with a history of creating stars by developing young players will become more renowned, allowing you to turn that on-field success into a backroom edge.
- Improve Your Infrastructure: The state of your club’s buildings and amenities also impacts how it is viewed in the larger world, with clubs that lack elite facilities or have facilities that exceed current levels potentially altering the reputation of the club to reflect this. As long-term structures, getting your team’s facilities up to standard isn’t just good for performance and financial power but also for raising your standing.
- Grow Your Financial Power: While it may not be the most romantic notion, money is still power in modern football, and so your financial power as a club is an important consideration for your club’s reputation. Moving up through the table, winning trophies, and raising the caliber of players you pursue will all lead to financial boosts as well, and this increasing financial power will help to get others viewing your club in a more positive light.
Your reputation in Football Manager isn’t everything, or they wouldn’t waste time playing the games, but it’s still an important thing to understand as you manage your club. Working to steadily raise your reputation over time will help you take your club to new levels, so get out there and get to work raising it!
