Youth academy save ideas
Grow your own. Academies, homegrown talent and squads built from within. 48 save ideas, difficulty from 3 to 8 out of 10. 24 are playable in the base game.
- Arab Contractors
Egyptian Premier LeagueArab Contractors are literally the club of Egypt's giant construction company, have won three African Cup Winners' Cups and gave Mohamed Salah his first senior football…
- FC Nordsjælland
Danish SuperligaNordsjælland are built around one of world football's most aggressive youth-development models, linked to the Right to Dream academy in Ghana. Make that pipeline the…
- San Diego FC
Major League SoccerSan Diego entered MLS with backing from the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation and links to the Right to Dream academy network. Build around young players developed…
- AS UAM
Niger Super LigueThis is literally the football club of Abdou Moumouni University. Keep the university identity, prioritise young players and attempt to win Niger with a side whose roots…
- Argentinos Juniors
Argentine Primera DivisiónMaradona made his debut here, and Argentinos went on to win the Libertadores in 1985. Few clubs have such a strong reputation for developing players. Build through the…
- Cardiff Met
Cymru PremierCardiff Met are literally a university football club competing in the Welsh top flight. In 2019 they became the first British men's university side to qualify for…
- Central Coast Mariners
A-League MenCentral Coast Mariners entered a major ownership and financial crisis in 2026, with the league stepping in while the club's future was stabilised. Rebuild one of…
- Cercle Brugge
Belgian Pro LeagueCercle have three Belgian titles, but the last came in 1930. They've lived in Club Brugge's shadow ever since, despite a Monaco ownership link and a recent European run…
- College of Micronesia FC
FSM football systemA football team representing the College of Micronesia-FSM in a country with very little established football infrastructure. Turn it into a university-focused youth…
- Dakar Sacré-Cœur
Senegal Ligue 1Dakar Sacré-Cœur developed players including Iliman Ndiaye and spent years in partnership with Lyon. That relationship ended in 2025. Keep the academy producing talent…
- Deren FC
Mongolian Premier LeagueDeren began as a youth academy and only entered senior football to give its players a pathway towards the Mongolian national team. They remain heavily focused on…
- Diambars FCSenegal Ligue 1
Founded with the involvement of Patrick Vieira and Bernard Lama, Diambars combine football coaching with education. The academy has produced international players, but…
- Ezra FC
Lao League 1Ezra began primarily as a youth academy providing football, accommodation and education to young Lao players. For years development mattered more than trophies, before…
- FK Csíkszereda
SuperLigaCsíkszereda are based in Miercurea Ciuc, a Transylvanian city with a large Hungarian-speaking population. Promotion to Romania's top flight in 2025 was a big milestone…
- Gençlerbirliği
Süper LigFounded by disgruntled schoolboys, Gençlerbirliği knocked Blackburn, Sporting and Parma out of the 2003/04 UEFA Cup. They even beat eventual winners Valencia in Ankara…
- Génération FootSenegal Ligue 1
This is basically an academy save in real life. Génération Foot’s development system and relationship with Metz have helped produce players including Sadio Mané, Ismaïla…
- Honvéd
Nemzeti Bajnokság IIHonvéd were the club of Puskás, Bozsik and the great Mighty Magyars generation, winning five Hungarian titles during the 1950s. The modern club was relegated in 2023 and…
- Hoàng Anh Gia Lai
V.League 1Hoàng Anh Gia Lai won consecutive Vietnamese titles in 2003 and 2004, then worked with Arsenal and JMG on a youth academy that produced national-team players. Stick with…
- Independiente del Valle
LigaPro Serie AIndependiente del Valle climbed from Ecuador's lower leagues into one of South America's smartest youth-development clubs, winning continental trophies without…
- Isla de la Juventud
Campeonato Nacional de FútbolA club representing the Isle of Youth, itself separated from Cuba’s main island, that has never won the national championship. Win Cuba with a team from an island within…
- Majestic Sporting Club
Burkinabè Premier LeagueFounded by former Burkina Faso internationals Wilfried Sanou and Jonathan Pitroipa, Majestic have helped develop players including Dango Ouattara. They have finished…
- Mushuc RunaLigaPro Serie A
Mushuc Runa were created to represent Ecuador's indigenous communities and their academy rules have included minimum numbers of indigenous players. Turn that identity…
- Newell's Old BoysArgentine Primera División
Messi grew up playing for Newell's, while Bielsa and Martino are part of the club's history. Their last league title came under Martino in 2013. Make the Rosario academy…
- Rodina Moscow
Russian Premier LeagueRodina started as a private youth academy and made it to the Russian Premier League just eleven years after being founded. Moscow already has plenty of famous clubs…
- Tuloy FC
Philippines Football LeagueTuloy grew out of a foundation providing a residential community and support for disadvantaged and street-connected children. The football programme developed into a PFL…
- Ugyen Academy
Bhutan Premier LeagueA genuine academy save. Ugyen Academy became Bhutanese champions in 2013 and represented the country in the AFC President’s Cup, but by 2026 they were struggling at the…
- Universidad O&M
Liga Dominicana de FútbolAn actual university football club that reached the 2025 Caribbean Cup final and qualified for the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup. Turning a university side into champions…
- ASEC Mimosas
Ligue 1 Côte d'IvoireASEC Mimosas are famous for producing elite Ivorian talent and remain one of Africa's great academy clubs. Make the youth system the entire save: develop, sell and…
- Cape Town Spurs
Motsepe Foundation ChampionshipCape Town Spurs spent two decades as Ajax Cape Town before Ajax ended the partnership and the club reclaimed its old identity. Build an independent Cape Town giant…
- Cobh Ramblers FC
League of Ireland First DivisionRoy Keane got his start at Cobh Ramblers, and future Westlife singer Nicky Byrne later kept goal for them. The club has never been Irish champions. Find the next young…
- Danubio
Uruguayan Primera DivisiónFounded by Bulgarian immigrants and named after the Danube, Danubio have won four Uruguayan titles and produced the likes of Cavani and Giménez. Their last title came in…
- El NacionalLigaPro Serie A
El Nacional built its identity around fielding Ecuadorian players and became one of the country's most successful clubs with 13 league titles. Keeping that philosophy in…
- FC Nantes
Ligue 2Nantes have eight league titles and a famous tradition of attacking football, but haven't been champions since 2001. They're now in Ligue 2. Bring back the academy-led…
- FF Jaro
VeikkausliigaFF Jaro are a proud club from the small coastal town of Jakobstad, with a strong local identity and a history of competing in Finland’s top flight. After years of ups…
- FK Metta
Latvian First League (Nākotnes līga)University-linked academy club Metta spent years surviving in Latvia's top division before relegation in 2025. Start in the second tier, back young players and see…
- Rovaniemen PalloseuraYkkönen
RoPS offer a unique Football Manager challenge: a club based in Rovaniemi, right on the Arctic Circle, with a proud history in Finnish football, European competition…
- University of PretoriaMotsepe Foundation Championship
University of Pretoria are literally a university football club competing in South Africa's professional pyramid. Lean fully into it: build around young players, impose…
- Athletic Club
La LigaAthletic have never been relegated from La Liga while maintaining one of football's most famous recruitment policies: first-team players must have a Basque connection…
- CannesLigue 3
Cannes gave Zinedine Zidane and Patrick Vieira their first senior football and were playing in Europe during the 1990s. Financial collapse later sent the club into the…
- Jomo CosmosABC Motsepe League
Jomo Sono built Jomo Cosmos into one of South Africa's most famous development clubs, producing and polishing generations of players before the team fell out of the…
- Perloas Negras
Campeonato Carioca Série A2Founded as a non-profit, the Black Pearls was born in the slums of Haiti, grew in Brazil, and established a base for Syrian refugees fleeing war. The academy offers far…
- Pirin Blagoevgrad
Bulgarian Second LeaguePirin's academy helped produce Dimitar Berbatov and a long list of Bulgarian internationals, yet the first team sits in the second tier and has endured a dreadful start…
- University College Dublin AFCLeague of Ireland First Division
UCD's students drew 0-0 with Everton in 1984, then lost narrowly at Goodison Park to a side that went on to win the Cup Winners' Cup. Take the university club to the…
- AltayTFF 3. Lig
Altay are one of İzmir's historic giants, have won the Turkish Cup twice and spent decades in the top flight. A five-year transfer ban and financial crisis helped send…
- AltınorduTFF 2. Lig
Altınordu produced Çağlar Söyüncü and Cengiz Ünder through an academy built around Turkish players. For years they refused to use foreign players at all. Commit to that…
- Remo Stars FC
Nigeria National LeagueRemo Stars won their first Nigerian league title in 2025 and were relegated the following season. Their academy has helped build the club, but now the first job is…
- UE CornellàTercera Federación
Messi also owns Cornellà, who were in Spain's fifth tier when he bought them. Their academy has produced players such as David Raya. Take this small Catalan club up the…
- FC Chertanovo MoscowRussian Second League Division B
Chertanovo got within one place of Russia's top flight while using players developed in their own academy. They're now down in the fourth tier. Keep the academy-only…