THE NEW MANAGER GUIDE
Welcome to FFO.
Let's get you ready for the dugout.
FFO is a free football management game played through the website, forum and community. You take charge of a club, choose its team and tactics, negotiate transfers and plan for future seasons.
The match engine runs games from the instructions you submit. Your job is to make good decisions before kick-off and learn from the results afterwards. You do not need to be online controlling every pass.
01 / YOUR FIRST JOB
How you become a manager.
Start with the interest form. Tell FFO whether you are new or returning and which clubs or leagues appeal to you. Club appointments are agreed with FFO; submitting the form does not automatically assign a team.
Once appointed, find your club page, join the forum and Discord, and check the calendar. Your club's squad, finances, fixtures and academy information help you understand what you have inherited. Read the team-sheet rules before your first submission and ask for help if anything is unclear.
The current game has an English system and a European league system. League One and EFL3 are being prepared as new leagues within FFO. Recruitment information distinguishes those planned clubs from current vacancies.
02 / KNOW YOUR PLAYERS
Read the ratings, then build a balanced squad.
FFO uses its own roster ratings. A player's real-world reputation is useful background, but their FFO skills are what you need to assess when selecting a team or negotiating a deal.
| Column | Meaning | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| St | Goalkeeping / shot stopping | The key skill for a goalkeeper. |
| Tk | Tackling | Especially useful for defenders and defensive midfielders. |
| Ps | Passing | Central to midfield roles; also useful as a secondary skill elsewhere. |
| Sh | Shooting | The key attacking skill for forwards, with value for attacking midfielders. |
Higher ratings indicate stronger skills. Secondary skills matter too: a defender who passes well offers a different profile from a defender with little passing ability. A defensive midfielder typically has stronger tackling than shooting; an attacking midfielder usually has stronger shooting than tackling.
ABs are ability points. KAb, TAb, PAb and SAb track progress in the corresponding skills. Match actions earn ability points under the game's rules. Age, minutes, injuries and suspensions also matter, so look at the whole player rather than only their highest number.
For example, an illustrative 1 18 21 4 skill line describes a midfield player with strong passing and useful tackling. An illustrative 1 4 21 18 profile is more attacking. These are examples to explain the columns, not players for sale.
03 / YOUR MATCH INSTRUCTIONS
The team sheet is how you manage a game.
A team sheet is a text file containing your selected players, formation, tactic and instructions for match situations. Use the latest roster so player codes match exactly, and check that everyone selected is eligible.
- Choose your starting eleven and substitutes, including the required goalkeeper cover.
- Set your positions and tactic within the allowed formation limits.
- Add any supported substitutions or conditional instructions you want the engine to follow.
- Save as a
.txtfile, run it through the Sheet Checker and correct errors. - Submit through the main site's team-sheet submitter before the deadline.
The current rules set the deadline at 7 PM UK time on game day. Each matchday squad must include two goalkeepers. Missing sheets can lead to penalties and, after repeated misses, losing your job. Check the current rules and calendar rather than guessing.
Team-sheet format, position limits and missing-sheet rules → · Sheet Checker → · Submit your sheet →
04 / MAKE A PLAN
Give your squad a job it can do.
Your formation determines the roles you select. Your tactic changes how the team approaches the match, and the tactics matrix explains how different approaches interact. Start with a legal, balanced shape that fits your players before experimenting.
Look at your opponent, but also at your own options. Do you have the passing to control midfield? Enough defensive cover? Forwards who justify an attacking setup? A recognised player in the wrong role can be less useful than a less famous player who suits the job.
Match instructions are set before the game. You can use supported conditions to plan responses, but the match centre is for following the simulation, not changing your sheet after kick-off. No formation or tactic guarantees a win.
05 / SEE YOUR PLAN PLAY OUT
From team sheet to final whistle.
The current schedule has league games on Mondays and Fridays, with Wednesdays reserved for cups. The calendar confirms your actual fixtures and any schedule changes. A green round indicator in Matchday means that round has been run and its results are available.
Open your competition in Matchday, find Fixtures/Results and select the game. The match centre lets you follow the report and explore the match information. Afterwards, look at player statistics and the table to see how the performance fits into your season.
Review more than the score: who created chances, who made useful defensive contributions, and whether substitutions helped. Check updated rosters for availability before picking the next team.
Try a real Premier League example
Chelsea versus Manchester United shows the existing FFO match-centre experience. It is a replay of an available report.
Open Chelsea vs Manchester United06 / BUILD YOUR SQUAD
Transfers are conversations with other managers.
You can negotiate signings and sales with other clubs, consider loans, and use auctions and the free-agent list under their respective rules. Compare ratings, secondary skills, age, ability points and your budget before agreeing a price. Selling a starter without a replacement can leave a bigger problem than the cash solves.
A transfer is official only when both parties confirm it in the forum's Transfer Confirmation area. An agreement in a private conversation alone is not binding. The current weekly window runs from 7 PM Sunday to 7 PM Saturday, with processing on Saturday for Monday matchdays. Check the rules for exceptions and transfer restrictions.
New-manager protection: managers with less than three months of continuous experience can trade, but admin reviews deals before processing. Deals that harm a new manager's club can be cancelled. Ask if you are unsure how to value an offer.
Transfer rules → · Loans → · New-manager protection → · Free agents →
07 / KEEP THE CLUB HEALTHY
A transfer budget is only part of the picture.
Your club's finance page helps you track its money. Transfers, wages, gates, prizes and other game activities affect the position of your club. Read the relevant rules before committing cash to a player, stadium upgrade or academy investment.
Think ahead: an attractive signing still needs to fit your finances and your squad plan. Stadium capacity can be developed through the upgrade system; it is a decision to weigh against other uses of the money. The rules set the costs and limits.
08 / PLAN PAST THE NEXT MATCH
Minutes and development shape your future.
Players have minimum-minute requirements. You need to monitor who has played enough across the season; failing those requirements can lead to release at the end of the season. The thresholds and exceptions are in the rules, so use them when planning rotation and transfers.
The academy develops young talent through training, events and upgrades. End-of-season rerates also affect players. Read both systems before making promises to yourself about how quickly a youngster will improve or what an older player will look like next season.
09 / BE PART OF FFO
The forum and Discord are part of the game.
The forum is where official transfer confirmations and other game discussions happen. Discord gives you a place to meet managers, discuss results and ask questions. Follow announcements so you do not miss changes to deadlines or rules.
You can also write about your club and submit news. Media credits are available under the media rules. A transfer story, match reaction or season plan helps give your club a voice alongside its results.
10 / READY FOR KICK-OFF
Your first-match checklist.
- Know your club, your next fixture and its submission deadline.
- Use the latest roster and check injuries and suspensions.
- Select a legal team, substitutes and two goalkeepers in the matchday squad.
- Check the formation, tactic and any conditional instructions.
- Run your text file through the Sheet Checker and resolve its errors.
- Submit your sheet before the deadline.
- After the match, review the report and updated squad before planning the next game.
You can learn the longer-term systems as you go. Get comfortable with your squad and team sheets first, then build your transfer and development plans. The current rules are the source for exact limits, prices and penalties.