Everyone has stood in the crowd of a football match with everything going wrong for your team and uttered those words "I could do better than this" speaking about the manager and selection decisions made.
This has always been in my eyes the reason games such as Championship Manager, LMA Manager and Football Manager have all been extremely popular with the football fanbase, there is real love of the game and for many of us it is the closest we will ever come to managing a football team ourselves.
You could’ve made another broad football management game — why non-league specifically? Was there a moment where you thought, “nobody’s really captured this properly”?
I think when it comes down to it, the games I make are ones I’ve always wanted to play, but no-one has made. I started going to watch non-league football over 20 years ago, and have barely watched a minute of the Premier League since. There’s no spirit at that level anymore. It’s far too clinical and dissociated from what football is and always has been - a game for the people. I’ve played the usual football management games with non-league teams added in, but there’s so much that’s specific to non-league football that these games miss. It’s nowhere near as simple as ‘the same game but worse teams’.
The line “It’s not about success. It’s about survival” is a very deliberate choice. Where did that come from — and what does survival actually mean in gameplay terms?
I’m not really sure, to be honest! I was jotting down ideas for taglines and wanted to convey the difference between NLFM and other games, as well as capturing the spirit of non-league football. In the Premier League it’s all about winning trophies, chasing success, constantly looking up. In non-league, the majority of clubs have literal survival as their first target. Fighting to get the pitch playable, staffing the ground with volunteers, finding ways to keep the club afloat financially - it’s a totally different world, and one I personally find so much more engaging and compelling.
A lot of football games make you feel powerful quite quickly. Yours seems built around limitations — day jobs, budgets, ground grading. Why was that important to keep front and centre?
Because that’s the essence of non-league. You always feel like you’re fighting something. A lot of people have asked me what happens in the game if you win the National League - does the game just end? And my answer is then it’s time for a new challenge. The target in NLFM isn’t to win the National League. The clue really is in the tagline.
What’s the most non-league thing that’s happened during development that made you stop and think: “yeah, this absolutely has to be in the game”?
I’d find it hard to narrow that down! Even little things like players having to miss games due to work or other circumstances, or referees accidentally going to the wrong ground. There’ve been so many things, and there are more coming to me all the time. The game will continue to develop and gain new features as we move forward.
Was there a particular club, manager, volunteer or experience that influenced the tone of the game?
Yes and no! So many people and clubs have influenced things, but none more than any other. I think the shared spirit, ethos and experience of non-league football is what I wanted to capture.
You’ve gone with generated players rather than real non-league players — beyond licensing, was there also a design reason behind that choice?
Yeah, a few things. Keeping things up to date would have been almost impossible, especially with players moving around so frequently in non-league. Verifying things like players’ abilities becomes much harder as well. It’s in the ‘never say never, but not possible right now’ bucket.
Most football management games chase realism through data. Yours feels like it’s chasing realism through consequences. Was that always the vision?
I’d love to say yes, but I’d be over-claiming! Data is definitely a big thing, especially when it comes to clubs. Making the game feel real, immersive and engaging is always the priority.
The idea of clubs folding, merging and reforming stood out to me. That’s a pretty bold system to build — why was having a changing football world so important?
It’s the reality of non-league football. No club is immune, and we see so many going to the wall each season. It’s rarely a real threat in the professional game. Nowhere near as often, anyway.
At what point in development did you realise this wasn’t just becoming “Football Manager but lower leagues” — and had become its own thing?
I was always set on that being the case. There are already data add-ons for other games, and there’s no point reinventing the wheel!
Was there a feature you were convinced people would love… and then testing or feedback made you rethink it?
Not yet, thankfully!
You’re covering over 1,000 clubs — that’s ambitious. Did you ever have a moment where you thought: “have we made this too big”?
Not as such… I’ve had that thought many times, but thankfully never about data, as I knew we had some fantastic partnerships with clubs and leagues and some amazing researchers who’d help ensure we get things as accurate as possible.
How much of the game is built for hardcore non-league people versus introducing players to a world they’ve never really looked at before?
I think it’s suitable for both, and naturally so. There’s nothing about non-league that’s inherently difficult to understand - no more so than any other aspect of football, really. If anything, it’s more relatable and understandable than the elite levels of the game.
What’s one thing people assume about non-league football that you hope this game changes?
It’s not something I’ve given much thought to, but there’s perhaps a perception amongst some people that non-league football is of a poor standard and that the atmosphere is one man and his dog. The reality couldn’t be further from the truth, and I think the game will portray that and hopefully change a few minds! 14.
When someone gets to year ten in a save, what feeling do you want them to have — achievement, attachment, exhaustion, nostalgia?
Hopefully not exhaustion! Ten years in football can feel like one year and a hundred years at the same time. The ups and downs, the big highs and stressful lows, and above all else the journey itself. The game will build and develop as we go on - we’ll be adding features and improving the experience constantly, and we’re really looking forward to players being a huge part of that and helping to shape the future of the game.
You’ve mentioned PC and Mac first, with mobile planned later — when you picture the long-term version of NLFM, what does it become?
Long-term, we’re looking at cross-compatibility, so you’ll be able to play a couple of hours on your laptop in the evening, then whip out your phone and play the same save on your mobile on the train to work, or whatever you might be doing. We’ve got a huge number of ideas for expanding and improving the game and the whole experience for everyone. We can’t have everything in place for launch, purely because every time we incorporate a new feature I’ve already thought of another five. If we even attempted to get everything in place for day 1, we’d never launch!
The advantage is that players will get to see the game grow over time. Agile development is pretty much the norm now anyway, and it allows us to be really responsive to what players want.
The other thing we’re really keen to do long-term is build partnerships with clubs. We’re really fortunate that - at the time of speaking - over 450 clubs have agreed to license their badges to us, as well as a good handful of leagues. I’m really keen to give back, and we’ve already agreed to sponsor a handful of non-league clubs for the coming season. One of the draws of non-league football is the community spirit and everyone helping each other. That’s something I’m really keen to do.
If we sat down again two years after launch, what would need to have happened for you to say: “that worked — we built the game we wanted”?
At the end of the day, we’re huge non-league fans the same as the players are. We’re making this game because it’s the one we want to play, and if everyone else enjoys it as much as we do, we’ve done our job. It’s a pleasure to work on, and I’d love for us to be developing and building it further for years to come.
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Now I don't mean this lightly but I do think this could be an absolutely huge hit.
Football Manager has dominated the market for years now unchallenged and frankly the game is FAR too complex for the average casual gamer. NLFM has a real opportunity to tap into that nostalgic style of gaming, the rugged traditional style which was last seen in the Championship Manager days.
The focus isn't on a polished 3D match engine, the match engine is text based.
It isn't on the 160 different ways you can setup your team for a corner kick, it is formation and style.
It really seems to be focusing on the core things that matter with a huge sprinkle of Non-League football magic.
The potential is huge and with the game not having real players, the team have a chance to make a timeless classic - the need to constantly update can simply be a patch whereby the leagues each team are in are updated. The quirks of which have been teased that are going to pop up are really interesting and the overall style, presentation and just general feeling the game gives you is very welcoming.
My top tip?
Wishlist it today as BETA testing is starting very soon and that means the game should follow soon thereafter!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4483600/NonLeague_Football_Manager/
I am certainly hoping so!
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