Fantasy Football Management Games

Fantasy Football Simulated Management games run over the internet reflect a VIRTUAL football management world created by the participants within the game. Results are simulated by computer software rather than reflect real life events.

Our review of fantasy football management games offered online should help you choose which fantasy competition suits you best. If you know of a fantasy football management game that you think should be included within FISO's pages then please use the submit URL form.

What follows is a list of the games (with the date of review) and, below that, our comments on each online game.

442league is a football simulation game. You build up your team and take on other people across the globe. There are so far only a few leagues but we are expanding as you read this. It's good fun and free. Soon there will be prizes given out at the end of the season. Reviewed January 2003.

Blue MFC (Blue Monkey Football Challenge) is an online simulated football management game. Season 2 kicks off on 12 September 2002. Games are played on Tuesday and Thursdays. Reviewed 22 June 2002.

Click4Football's offering. A FREE to play, on-line, multiplayer, simulated football management game that lets you run a six-a-side football team. Compete against hundreds of other players around the world. Complete with player profiles, suspensions, injuries, dodgy refereeing, promotion, relegation and statistics on thousands of Soccer Six footballers from around the world. Management is extremely realistic, and the skill, ability and behaviour of your players are fine-tuned for you to take over the hot seat. Reviewed 5 August 2002.

Coldy Soccer is an easy to play FREE fantasy football simulation game. Real players from around the globe manage a team and play each other in league and cup competition throughout a 18 week season. Coldy Soccer currently holds an English and Italian league with promotion and relegation issues at stake with the chance of European glory. Players must submit their team each week which is completely easy to do with the use of tick boxes, as well as their weekly transfer options. Manager's may login at any time and interact with fellow players using the message forum and chat room provided as well as view all the latest game information.

ESL is a football management simulated PBeM league using the @esms software. There are 2 divisions with 8 teams each, an FA Cup competition played by all the teams and a Champions League played by the top 4 teams of the 2 divisions. Reviewed 28 July 2002.

European Soccer Manager

ESM is a FREE online simulated soccer manager game based on communication with real people! A few manager places are currently available. Reviewed 5 November 2002.

Football1x2 is an online footy game where you can win £10,000 every 90 seconds while the passion of the title race is brought straight to your PC every hour, 24 hours a day. The game simulates a football season with a weekends matches played every 90 seconds and the season completed every hour. With over 50 leagues from around the world to choose from, the excitement never stops all year round! Although football1x2 does reflect realistic team strengths, the championship is seldom just a 2 or 3 team race with even the most unlikely clubs walking away with the title.

You can either play for real and receive a complementary £10 matched deposit or warm up by playing for fun and get 1000 fun credits simply by opening an account, no deposit required. Reviewed 18 November 2003.

FdM is a FREE online multiplayer football management game where users assume the role of manager and compete against each other in virtual football leagues.

· Multiple League Types - Choose from a variety of league types, including Standard, Private, Themed, Competition, and Pyramid. You can even CREATE YOUR OWN LEAGUE!

· Dual Interface - Play the game via the Web, using your browser; or play it via a downloadable Game Client.

· Pre-season Player Auction - Determine how much you want to spend on your starting eleven by assigning monetary values to each position.

· Player Improvement - Assign training plans to each of your players and watch them improve throughout the season.

· Total Team Management - Select your team; assign key roles; choose your formation; set up your tactics; modify your game plan; scout on other teams; transfer players; and so much more!

· Trophies - Add trophies to your Trophy Cabinet by successfully completing various objectives thoughout the game.

1. Only one account per user allowing management of only one team per league with the ability to manage teams in up to 10 leagues simultaneously.

2. Join a league to start with naming your team and allocating your budget within the player auction which once processed will create your team.

3. Once the league has begun use all the team management features to create a winning team to play against 15 other managers in league and cup fixtures totalling a maximum of 35 matches over a matter or days or weeks depending on the leagues frequency of matches.

1. Allocation of players via a player auction the higher you bid the better the player.

2. Multiple league types and allowing the users to create and customise their own leagues.

3. Virtual tropy cabinet which unlocks gaming features as the user successfully achieves each tropy objective.

Footballmatch is an online football management simulation based on fantasy football rules. It is currently being developed and tested live and its unique features include:

· a real time transfer market in the game (so when someone sells a player from their squad, the player is on the transfer market for 3 days where the highest bidder after 3 days gets the player. This should add to the involvement of members and also create an in game economy where the players govern how much the players are worth).

The game is currently in testing phase with Round 2 Team Selection deadline on Sat 18 January 13:00 and the developers would welcome and appreciate any managers that come and help fine tune Footballmatch.net. More discussion and feedback on this game can be found here. Reviewed 17 January 2003.

Pleasantly designed, FootieManager.com is a new online simulated football management game with a mixture of turn-based and real-time functionality. The first game should kick off in December 2001. Reviewed 30 November 2001.

Freedompbem Soccer is a soccer pbem management game with mosue driven turnsheet software, match viewer and loads of new and original features. Six week free trial. Reviewed 28 June 2004.

Freekick is currently under development and the developers would be more then happy to receive any feedback on their work. Freekick is a multiplayer management game online. As manager over a newly founded soccer club you will make all the vital decisions about training, line-up and long-term strategy. Reviewed January 2003.

Games By Mail's headline competition is called 'Tough at the Top' and, as they are proud to admit, you need to be a tough hardened fantasy football gamer to get the most out of their Play By Mail game. Each turn (i.e. one week) costs approx. £2 but there is comprehensive information provided each week in the post and they do promise an enjoyable gaming experience. Plans are in place to turn the postal competition into an email game. Their starter pack is free and comes with no obligation, so why not give it a go? Or might it be too tough for you??

Guru Football Manager is a football simulation game, designed by footie fans for footie fans. It is based on real players from real teams, but that's where similarities end. Everything else that goes on in Guru is a direct result of the actions taken by the managers. Play in our EURO League, bringing all the best teams from across Europe together, or play in one of the Domestic European Leagues. Listed July 2004.

Hattrick is a very popular Swedish-based free to play online soccer management game originally created in 1997. Matches are played a few times each week. Reviewed 22 June 2002.

The Interactive Fantasy Football Management League (IFFML) is a free PBeM football (soccer) league based on fantasy teams created by the managers. It uses the @ESMS software and gives you the chance to pick your team and define tactics, improve your squad, juggle your finances, improve your stadium and interact with other managers. It will take an ability to masterfully manage all these areas to be successful and repeatedly perform well in the IFFML league and cup competitions. Reviewed 3 January 2003.

International Football Manager

'IFM is an online International Football Management game where you take the role as a club manager and set the aim to.. well, whatever your preferences are. Some of the more common goals are winning the league, the international championship, producing the best players, becoming the wealthiest club in the world, and perhaps most importantly beating the living daylights out of your friends'. Features include :- Live match engine, youth squads, buy/sell players to any team around the world, ticket prices and many more. Reviewed 10 October 2002.

Online football (soccer) management games which you can play for Free! Includes Champions League and World Cup games where you can select the team and tactics for any of the 32 clubs and try and take them to the Final (and win of course!). Reviewed 16 September 2002.

ISMFA

ISMFA is a large, single league, fantasy soccer management game. For each game managers must pick their team using their web browser - taking into account fitness, injuries and suspensions - and select their tactics to try and out-smart their opponents. Every club can trade with every other club meaning that you have contact with managers all over the world. Games are played at least once a week but can be more frequent depending on whether you are in the cup and European Competitions. As of Dec 2003 there are 3,000 players to buy, sell and loan, 110 teams to play in 3 competitions. The Cup competition has a real trophy to be won and on top of all this the game is free to Play. Reviewed 1 January 2004.

itsagoal is a free to play On-line Football Management Game.100% HTML. No plug-ins, Flash or Java. Games are played Monday to Friday at 1pm.

Feature list:
* Select your first 11, subs and reserves
* Improve your ground facilities and seating capacity
* Manage player contracts, staff and finances
* View fixtures, tables and results
* Select tactics, play styles and formations
* Awards such as Manager of the week
* Train and improve players

Just Another Football League is exactly the opposite! Take full control of your team, from squad selection and team tactics to team finances and negotiating player contracts. JAFL currently has a league of 16 teams (it is in its first season) but will be expanding soon with a second division of 16 teams so get your manager applications in quickly! They also have a youth league, which is quite unique in the fantasy footy world.

This is a free fantasy football management game in its first season and has a structure of 2 leagues with 5 teams in each. It features a league and cup competition. All features are controlled by form and it is very easy to use. The game features a fully functional transfer system, including free transfers and coaching staff, players also control the finances, the wage bill and even the size of the stadium! Reviewed 5 September 2001.

A simulated management game from bluemfc.com fantasy football, using real players names and all new improvements. Reviewed 3 January 2003.

LEAF is an online football management game using the @esms programme. For Spanish speakers only. (La Liga electrónica Argentina de Fútbol (LEAF) es jugada a través de mails y utilizando el programa @esms. Cualquiera puede anotarse y es gratuita.Si alguna vez soñastes en manejar un club de fútbol, entonces esta liga es tu oportunidad).

LoadFootball.com - their Euro Premier League fantasy football management game has the following features

maninio.de is a German online soccer manager game, where you can create your own team and play in 35 European countries. Reviewed 28 July 2002.

MicroCoach is a simulated football management game which is essentially played by normal post, but managers can send their monthly returns via the Internet. The game is now in its 8th season. Managers control a club with a squad of players and stadium. They have budgets to improve both the players in their team and the stadium by sending in their monthly return sheets which are sent out with a colour magazine. Club names are fictitious but the players are taken from real life, from leagues all over the world of football. Prior to each season, each player is rated, based on real life performances and how they do in the fully computerised game which runs all the matches in a detailed simulation.

The magazine includes all the results from the previous month in various competitions. The league comprises 4 divisions with 20 teams in each - all play all both home and away throughout the season which currently runs from November to September, but from next year - seasons will run from January to September. The game was started amongst friends and family, and although there are members from all over the country and beyond, MicroCoach is still played in a friendly club atmosphere and all members are invited to an annual barbecue at the end of the season where all the cup finals in domestic and European competitions are played. Reviewed 28 July 2002.

Mystify Soccer is a FREE to play web-based fantasy football management game. Players from all over the world compete in league and cup competitions. Currently 400 teams participate (one team per person). The site is updated weekly unless there are cup matches in which case updates are twice a week. Each player manages a German, French, Scottish, Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, English or Italian team's squad of players, and transfer dealings and team selections are all done by the manager. Each game also has tactics to choose from. You can spend 5 minutes a week on the site (just to log in and pick a team) or you can spend hours managing it - it is up to the manager. Team selections are completed using tick boxes and transfers completed with drop down boxes. It is a very popular fantasy football management game with the webmaster adding new teams every season (a season lasts 30 weeks). If managers drop out then their managerless teams are given out on a first come first served basis which are snapped up rapidly. There is a useful guest entry where you can view what's going on without officially entering.

This is a play by email simulated manager game using the @esms programme. It's free to play and lets you manage one of the 100 teams available. It's your chance to improve your manager skills. Reviewed 29 August 2002.

OSM is a fun and challenging Simulated Football Management Internet game where you get the chance to become a top soccer manager. Control your squad from A to Z: prepare tactics, choose your formation and buy players just to name a few. Put your managing skills to the test and go all the way to become the next champion!

In Online Soccer Manager you will play one virtual match a day. The matches are calculated using the MiG Advanced Soccer Simulation Engine (MASSE®), which provides realistic gameplay based on historic results, team strength, luck and the dozens of other parameters. Have you always wanted to be the manager of your favourite team, to show the world how the game should be played? Well, here's your chance, so what are you waiting for? Available in English and Dutch. Reviewed 5 April 2002.

See Anco's Press Release here about playasmanager.com. Kicking off in February 2001, PlayAsManager.com allows users to take over the reins of any one of the 92 Premiership and three Nationwide League teams, and includes FA and Worthington Cup competitions as well as boasting the only 3D watch game that players can download. PlayAsManager lets users buy and sell players, edit team and individual statistics, create their own playing styles and tactics, visit forums and chat rooms to interact with other human managers and download and watch any games that have been played in full 3D. Potential Alex Fergusons or Arsene Wengers can download the game software in a matter of minutes, following the simple instructions, and register to play a full season, usually lasting between 3-6 months, for just £10. League and cup prizes, as well as promotions, will ultimately be awarded for all competitions. PlayAsManager is based upon Anco's long-running and award winning off-line Player Manager game, which has been released on both PC CD ROM and PSX world wide. Over the years, Anco has worked with famous managers who have endorsed the game in each territory, including Guy Roux in France, Fabio Capello in Italy and, most recently, Alex Ferguson in the UK.

PFFL (Premier League Fantasy Football) is a PBM (Play By Mail) game that gives you the chance to take your favourite team to domestic and then European glory! You choose your team from the up-to date squads and away you go. All the stats for each club have been equalised so that the likes of Man Utd and Arsenal don't run away with the trophies like in real life. PLFF's online newspaper is updated every Monday and you can check on your team's performance and read all the news headlines related to your game. There is no signing on fee and your first turn is free. You can get as involved as you like by writing articles for their paper or just pick your team, post it, and sit back and wait for the results to come back through your letter box. PLFF currently has 2 Divisions with a 3rd to open shortly. Reviewed 14 July 2001.

PFM is a free, realistic simulated PBeM football management game. Reviewed 28 July 2002.

Pro Manager is a free to play football management game keen for people to sign up. Take total control of tactics, buying, selling. You can pick any Premiership team and try and take them to the top. Reviewed 16 September 2002.

PSFA is a FREE simulated online soccer game. You manage a team loosely where the manager decides team line-ups,
tactics, training, transfers etc. Two matches are played every other Friday with results and reports posted to the website within 24 hours. The web page at www.ipsfa.org is updated bi-weekly with league/team/player updates and gives managers direct links into the database to view team web pages and schedules etc via ASP pages. New website enhancements are always underway and the managers themselves have a big voice in what features are added to the website and the game itself. Games are simulated using MSWL Olmec software. The league is similiar to, yet very different from MSWL, SESL, and SaturdaySoccer. Listed July 2004.

Pit your wits against other fantasy managers in a virtual football management world. Decide on team line up, positions, tactics, training, PR, transfers, player loans and friendlies in a fantasy football management game that has been running for over 10 years. Your decisions affect your team's fate! Over 200 teams to choose from.

Reality Game are a French based company offering a number of online interactive sports management games. Games include Y-Soccersim (their online football management game), World Cup Manager and Formula-Y (an online auto management game). Demos are free to try. Subscription for the pro games can be paid by premium rate phone call or credit card and are from 4.95 Euros per month.

Full league fixtures, cup competitions (FA, European, Football league trophy) including replays, promotion/relegation, playoffs, detailed player skills, player history, club history, stadium development, transfer market & news, youth teams, coaches, injuries & suspensions and detailed match summaries. The match engine takes into consideration all of the individual player skills, tactics, formation, attacking style and tackling style to produce a realistic result - managers decisions have a great impact on the outcome.

An advanced A.I. ensures that computer controlled teams (those that have not yet been taken over by a human player) offer players a genuine challenge. They get involved in all aspects of the game much as a human player would - including buying great players or promising youths from the transfer market, selling unwanted players and picking & training their squad.

Think you could have managed your Nation's team better in Euro 2000? Well RedEyeGames give you the chance to replay Euro 2000 with their Virtual Euro 2000 fantasy management game. Loads of statistics and well presented management sheets let you efficiently manage your team. If you fancy playing against 15 of your friends then there is a separate 'Team Comp' that you can play to prove who of your friends is the best virtual manager.

rhodzeynhillssoccer is a free to play fantasy football management game currently running on the esms simulation software. General rules are its a basic play by e-mail game which is very easy fun and free to play. Reviewed 31 May 2004.

The South African Electronic Football League is an email soccer league running since 1998.

You manage a Scottish team loosely based on real life players but where the manager decides team line-ups, tactics, training, transfers etc. Two matches are played each Saturday with results and reports emailed direct to managers 5 hours after the deadline. The web page at www.sesl.net is updated weekly and gives managers direct links into the database to view team web pages and schedules etc via ASP pages. Games are simulated using MSWL Olmec software. Reviewed 23 July 2003.

Simsoc Web Soccer is a multiplayer internet soccer system in which you can manage teams in a variety of tournaments. You select the team and the tactics for each game, trade players to achieve the optimum strength and depth to your side. After the matches are played you can then watch the animated match highlights with the free Match Viewer. Reviewed 3 January 2003.

SMCFA is a new up-and-coming site using the ESMS program which allows the manager complete control over team affairs. Reviewed 30 June 2003.

SSL2001 is a football management simulation using the popular esms+ software. It currently has 32 teams in 3 divisions, each club also has a youth [U21] team. There is the SSL Cup,Youth Cup & the Trophy [for the 2 lower divisions only]. The most successful clubs qualify to play in the PFA Champions League & Cup, the PFA is a UEFA type association of 5 esms+ leagues. Other features are a weekly scores prediction competition and the SSL news, transfers, player auctions & the youth academy. Reviewed 30 June 2003.

Summit Soccerleague was founded in 1993 and is a PBM (Play by Mail) football management game using their own simulation software. You manage a fictitious team employing fictitious players and have to manage your club's finances as well as the players. The cost is £2.25 plus admin expenses per turn and overseas players are welcome. Reviewed 24 June 2002.

SundayLeague is a free fantasy football management game based on Sunday League football with a season that lasts approximately 45 days. Games are placed once per day at 3 a.m. GMT. Their promo:

Rubbish referees, strikers who don't turn up (they're watching Eastenders), midfielders booked for streaking - it's all in a day's play on SundayLeague, the web's biggest and funniest online football management
simulation game. SundayLeague has over 500,000 others and is Free to play. The game is drawn in a fun cartoon style and can be played on any web browser. SundayLeague requires no extra downloads or plug-ins.
SundayLeague is free to join and you can join up at any time. The seasons last around a month and there are thousands of pounds worth of great prizes on offer each season. Game features include:
· Head-to-head play with thousands of other managers online
· Promotion, relegation and cups. Set up a full 16-team division with your friends
· Completely customisable teams and players - change names, strip, even
player's faces (send in your own picture and you too could become a player
cartoon).
· Full individual player stats - passing, tackling, ball control, morale etc.
· Select your team from a squad of players, set tactics, formation, substitutions.
· Team aggression levels from pansy to psycho
· Strict referees, feeble referees, wind, snow, rain, heat - everything affects the game
· Transfer useless players and entice better ones with bribes like 'date with a barmaid'
· Forums, chat, buddy lists and instant messaging of other players.

UCFL (Ultimate Challenge Football League) is a free PBEM league established in 2001, which uses the popular @esms program (see our football software page for more info on @esms). The league consists of 2 divisions and there is promotion and relegation at stake, as well as the major trophies! UCFL is currently looking for new managers to join in on the action, and the new league season is about to kick off. Players control everything at their club from transfers to tactics to stadium improvements and player contracts. Managers can also write articles for the UCFL newspaper, and release press statements. It all adds to an exciting game! Fame or oblivion?...its down to you! Reviewed 14 July 2001.

UKIFL is a Play-By-Email Fantasy football League. Play-By-Email or PBEM is a genre of game in which the players use email to communicate game information and a fantasy soccer league is a simulated game based on football. Email is used for sending your starting line-ups, transfers, game stats and general banter that occurs in the league.

The UKIFL is made up of two divisions. In those divisions are twelve fantasy teams based upon real-life teams. These teams are all lower level teams who have been plucked from different divisions in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Updated review March 2006.

Ultimate Manager is a new free PBeM simulated football management game. It will be starting this Wednesday (31st of July). All of the teams are from the English top 8, and will be expanding after the 1st season which is 14 games. Reviewed 28 July 2002.

World Elite Soccer

World Elite Soccer consists of a virtual world of international teams and stars. 'World Elite Soccer is a completely web-based world of soccer clubs and international stars. Immerse yourself in World Elite Soccer and step beyond the limits of unrealistic fantasy games, archaic managerial programs, and tactically deficient action games. World Elite Soccer features what all of these other soccer simulations brush over!' Reviewed 15 November 2001.