A Bit of Home Cooking

In my rather long history of playing Football Manager Live I have had several different "approaches" to the game. When I started out playing in the beta Gameworld 3 and later for my first several seasons in Clough, my approach was what I think you could call the "traditional" strategy for the game - to get as many good players as I could by any means necessary and try to win as many competitions as I possibly could. Despite a reasonable level of success that included an FA Championship, I began to get disillusioned with this approach to the game. While I enjoyed competing at the top level, I didn't feel any sense of attachment to my players. This effect became more pronounced as the seasons advanced and the Real World players retired and regenerated players began to take their place. My players became only a name, a position, and a set of attributes rather than a collection of individuals that I could feel attached to and proud of.

In order to combat this apathy, I tried a number of alternative approaches to the game by imposing rules on myself and my team. First, I created a single-nationality squad of entirely Dutch players. While this was fun for a while, I found that it was very hard to compete for a number of reasons. Firstly, the number of Dutch players in the database was relatively small compared to the major nations. In order to build a competitive team, there were really only 4-5 players per position that I could target. This limited supply of players meant that people could drive their asking prices much higher in the knowledge that my options were limited. Secondly, limiting the effective size of the database that I could access for the purposes of playing the game really left me with less to do than I would otherwise have.

My third approach was the one that I stuck with and the one that I will be talking about today. It was introduced to me by a mod and friend from Clough gameworld who loosely took this approach from the beginning of the gameworld. I have codified it into a specific set of rules for my own use. I think it presents a very good challenge for even the most experienced FML players while still maintaining a level of flexibility whereby one could conceivably have one of the very top teams in the gameworld if they were able to plan accordingly and make wise financial decisions.

I call this approach the "Homegrown" approach to the game.

WHAT DEFINES A "HOMEGROWN" PLAYER?
To be honest, the definition of a homegrown player is a bit flexible and open to interpretation by the user.  When I used this approach in Clough, I made it very simple on myself and said that any players that my team purchased from other clubs had to be at or below 21 years of age.  This did lead to a couple of shifty purchases that, while following the letter of law, didn't necessarily honor the spirit of it!  I remember 2-3 players that I bought at age 21 just weeks before the "aging" code kicked in and made them 22.  However, looking back, nearly all of my players were purchased from the FA market as new regens or purchased from other clubs around 17-18 years of age.

For my second try at the Homegrown approach in the newly launched GW Völler, I was determined to make my rules a little more stringent to match the UEFA definition of "homegrown":

UEFA defines locally-trained or 'homegrown' players as those who, regardless of their nationality, have been trained by their club or by another club in the same national association for at least three years between the age of 15 and 21.

Enforcing this rule is a little more complex than simply limiting purchases to U21 players, but not by much.  Basically, if you are to purchase a player from another club, he must be at or under the age of 19.

There are some other exceptions that I allow myself for simplicity's sake when following my homegrown approach.  Firstly, I allow myself to sign free agents who have not been a part of any other club in the past (this includes the free agent players who become "unlocked" for the first three seasons).  The reasoning behind this is that your youth academy system needs several seasons of initial lag before it can kick in and in order to stay competitive, it is almost required that you purchase some additional talent above and beyond your starting pool.  I look at these new free agents the same way I look a the veteran players in my initial starting pool - we can imagine that they were once academy products of the club given that they have no prior history in the game.  Note that only free agents who have not been on another team are allowed - if a great 25 yr old striker shows up on the free agent list but was on another team last season, I don't allow myself to sign him.

So, to coalesce the above paragraphs into a simple series of applicable rules:

1. Your entire squad must consist of homegrown players at all times 
2. A homegrown player is one who spent at least 3 years at the club between 15 and 21 years of age.
3. Free Agent players of any age can be signed and used as homegrown players only if they have no prior history at any other club.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF FOLLOWING A HOMEGROWN APPROACH? 
For me personally, the benefits of following a homegrown approach are threefold:

1. Increased attachment and identification with players
2. Additional challenge
3. Increased satisfaction with success due to points (1) and (2)

The increased level of attachment is an intangible benefit but for me personally it heightens the playing experience greatly.  Looking at your side several seasons on and seeing players that have been with the side since age 16 is a great feeling, as is looking back at a player's history when he reaches retirement age and seeing only your club on his history!  Another great moment is when your youngsters are finally ready to make the leap from U21 play to the senior level.  I even like looking back on the former youth players that I sold on to other clubs and seeing their performances and how they have matured into solid first team players!

The additional challenge of applying any set of rules to your approach in FML can not be doubted.  Following a homegrown approach will be difficult and require keen planning and financial management because any decisions that you make will have knock-on effects for seasons to come.  What do you do when you get an exorbitant offer for your star 19 year old striker?  Do you sell him and re-invest the funds to make your youth program stronger or increase the size of your stadium, or do you hold on to him because he is an irreplaceable homegrown talent that could lead your team to greatness?  How much do you bid for that promising 18 year old defender on auction?  If you miss the chance to sign him now you likely won't get that chance again!  For me, it is making the crucial decisions like this that add some interesting layers to the game.

Finally, when you eventually DO achieve success - whether it is winning the Premiership, achieving promotion from League 3, or making it to the final of your FA cup - it is so much sweeter with your group of homegrown players than it would be otherwise, take my word for it!  You can feel pride that the players that you signed and coached for so many seasons have achieved something of real note and that you did it as a stable team of homegrown players rather than a squad full of mercenaries signed on wage auction! :)