Football Manager 26 is on its way, and with that comes the introduction of women’s football within the game.
Sports Interactive first announced its intention to include the women’s branch of the sport in the popular football-management simulator in 2021 and the cancelled FM25 was set to be the first edition featuring it. Having already committed to years of work to bring women’s football into its game, the company’s vision is finally set to be delivered as part of the upcoming release of FM26 on November 4.
The Athletic examines how Sports Interactive have gone about taking this step and what to expect when the game comes out.
What sparked the inclusion of the women’s game in Football Manager?
Miles Jacobson, Sports Interactive’s studio director, had a fairly personal push towards including women’s football in his game.
Speaking at a showcase for the inclusion of women’s teams in Football Manager, he recalled two stories of when he was asked why they weren’t already a part of the game. The first time, the question came from his niece over Christmas dinner. The second was when he was a guest speaking on a panel. On both occasions, he responded by saying a venture like that wasn’t commercially viable.
His niece didn’t see that as an acceptable answer over the turkey, Brussels sprouts and stuffing, and neither did several players from the England women’s side when Jacobson was finished with his panel appearance. The message that Football Manager had to be part of the solution and not the problem was put to him, which was key to Sports Interactive’s decision to include women’s football in the game.
What research has gone into this?
Since it was made public that women’s football would come to the game, Jacobson has been insistent that Sports Interactive wants to recreate it properly.
Tina Keech, the developer’s head of women’s football research, led its efforts in building a database from scratch, with records starting in 2001. The first female entry at the time was current USWNT and former Chelsea Women manager Emma Hayes.
Now, their research team consists of nearly 40 people, and 14 leagues, 11 nations and three continents will be part of FM26’s women’s football database. In terms of individuals, over 36,000 players and 5,000 non-players will be part of that.
“I gradually got to know the database, speaking to anyone that could help,” Keech said. “I spent eight months creating players, teams and leagues. I looked at attributes and how we were going to make them work: ‘Do we want them to be like the men or not?’ There were loads of questions, but it was about patience and reaching out to the right people to help. Without those various individuals, it wouldn’t be possible to get where we are today.”
With cross-referencing their findings being the main challenge for Sports Interactive’s researchers, as there was sometimes little match footage to work from, part of this came down to talking to people who would know how certain matches played out or even how particular managers set their teams up tactically.
Some of this digging came through behind-closed-doors sessions called FootTalks, which are carried out to help Sports Interactive implement more realistic changes to the game. One example was that they received a deeper insight into contracts and the transfer window from people within the football industry.
Just how realistic will it be?
It’s important to remember that this is a game for people’s enjoyment. There were debates across the Sports Interactive studio about a number of issues that would concern women’s football that may not necessarily be at the forefront of the men’s game.
For instance, as Keech mentioned, are women’s players made like the men or not?
On this, when speaking to The Athletic earlier this summer, Jacobson said: “We aren’t comparing men to women. You can tell by athletics (track and field) records that, because of the different physiologies, men tend to run faster than women. Women tend to have a lower gravity as well, because of the body shapes and the way that they are. We’ve reflected all of that in the ratings but to get 20 for pace or acceleration as a woman means we’re comparing you to the fastest women in the world.”
Arsenal’s Caitlin Foord scores against West Ham (James Fearn/Getty Images)
At the recent showcase event, he added: “There have been a lot of difficult debates we’ve had on different things, such as how we deal with pregnancy and the menstrual cycle. We don’t have those in the game because we wanted to keep it relatively simple for this year, but those are things that have to come long-term.
“Whether those are for real players or generated players within the game, we need to talk to lawyers about the way people are represented. But I’m also looking forward to a new army of people telling us what they want to see in the game.”
Jacobson also confirmed that hijabs for Muslim players will be in this year’s game, where suited.
What work went into the motion capture?
Perhaps the biggest talking point about FM26 is the new match engine, which is powered by Unity.
One of the main factors behind FM25’s cancellation was Sports Interactive’s struggles while adapting to programming using the American-developed game engine. But the first teaser trailer showing match footage powered by the new engine for FM26 whetted the appetite of fans worldwide, with their post on X receiving 8.4 million views at the time of writing.
For the motion capture of women’s footballers, Sports Interactive used second-tier Charlton Athletic’s goalkeeper Sophie Whitehouse for that position’s actions. Meanwhile, twins Mollie and Rosie Kmita, both former players who are now sports broadcasters, were utilised for outfield elements.
“We went every Friday for six months,” Mollie Kmita said. “You turn up and you have a list of deliverables, such as 100 headers, 100 left-footed passes and 100 right-footed passes. Then you’d eventually go into slide tackles — where Rosie would leave a foot in! — and then how you’d react to getting a red card or being subbed off.
“To be part of that process was an honour. To see it now come to life is a pleasure. I’ll always remember that we played a part in this moment in history and I’m really proud of that.”
What could the impact of including women’s football be?
It’s clear from discussions with those at Sports Interactive that this is viewed as just the beginning. The company is proud of the comprehensive size of its first women’s football database and how that could help grow women’s football, not just within the video game, but in real life, too.
“Growing up, I would never have imagined playing Football Manager, because it wasn’t a space for us,” Mollie Kmita added. “Normalising women’s football in the game is exciting, and we’ll see the repercussions of that.
“For someone who’s never been interested in women’s football before and decides to manage a women’s team, the amount of information and knowledge they will learn about players, teams and leagues is exciting. I think we’re about to engage a whole new audience and I’m excited to see how this community continues to grow.”
When players set up FM26, they will be able to choose which leagues they want to have active. Men’s and women’s leagues can run side-by-side with each other, with the ability to manage in both, or they can just run male-only or female-only saves.
Sports Interactive’s hope is not just that women and girls are introduced to Football Manager, but that the game’s global army of existing players take a real interest in the new addition and familiarise themselves with women’s football.
As part of that growth, there was also a self-awareness from Jacobson that he does not have all the answers on this first go-around, so, with future games in mind, he has asked for anyone who could help him and his staff further to get in touch.
(Top image: Sports Interactive)
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