Timed to boost the 6 November release of the latest FM24 edition, Microsoft-owned games console Xbox partnered with video game and entertainment giant Sega and Bromley FC to give Football Manager fans the chance to win a stint as a support performance tactician via a campaign called ‘The Everyday Tactician’.
One skilled gamer is offered a genuine opportunity to put their own coaching ideas to the test in the professional game, after Xbox worked with Sega’s ‘Football Manager 24’ to create a competition with a prize of a tactician role at National League club Bromley FC (who play in the fifth tier of English football).
‘The Everyday Tactician’, created and produced by agency McCann (London) sees the two gaming giants and the football club offer the winner a five-month, paid role as a ‘support performance tactician’. This will see them work for, and report to Bromley FC’s Manager and Head of Performance Analysis and their role will include scouting opposition teams, providing tactical and statistical analytical reports and providing supporting input on tactics and even selection.
There are three steps for FM24 players wanting to enter the competition:
1: Complete the ‘Championes’ Xbox achievement by winning a domestic league title in the game on Xbox or PC.
2: Fill out an application form, including a one-minute video explaining why they are the ideal candidate.
3: Shortlisted entrants will attend an interview with Bromley FC staff.
Once the role is filled, Football Manager players and fans can follow the winner’s journey from January 2024 until the end of the 2023/24 season via regular updates posted online and on social media. The winner’s progress is shared across the digital and social channels of the involved parties, including Bromley FC, Football Manager, Xbox UK and TNT Sports (the official broadcaster of the Vanarama National League).
Plus, ‘The Everyday Tactician’s’ experience will be filmed for a three-part documentary that will air later in 2024.
The initiative was promoted through an integrated campaign rolling out in mid- November which was spearheaded by a 40-second spot rolled out online and across social platforms. The video featured a gamer in his chair being transported from living room to the pitch and then being welcomed to the club by Bromley FC players.
The competition launched on 14 November, boosting the 6 November release of FM24 and its launch trailer and linked promotional marketing, and gamers were invited to enter the competition by 4 December.
“This is not a gimmick. We are being innovative in our approach to how brands can hire incredible talent and think this is a fun way to give back to football fans who often think they know best,’ said the Xbox campaign press release.
This campaign understands that everyone who has ever been in a soccer stand, or watched a game on TV in a public place, knows that tactical opinions, views on player selection and formation are a key part of being a fan. Few supporters ever shy away from sharing their amateur views on coaching and managing.
This participatory initiative is a kind of seal of approval from a professional club which does more than just promote the latest edition of a long-running game. Indeed, it affirms the game’s credible status in the football landscape
Unlike competitor football games, such as EA FC and Pro Evolution Soccer (PES), Football Manager focuses on tactical skills, plus selection and soccer strategy knowledge. In other words, it’s for those who delve into the statistics, interrogate the spreadsheets and follow the game’s contemporary and historical formations and tactics.
It also further tightens the bonds between sport and gaming: something also seen in racing games and the growing relationship between young race gamers and the path to becoming a professional driver.