Football Manager has finally secured a license for the English Premier League, a moment that devoted fans of the 20-year-old sports management simulation have been waiting for.
Previously, only a couple of top-tier English clubs were licensed in the FM series each season, with Manchester City and Brighton being the chosen ones in recent years.
Now, the developers at Sports Interactive have successfully negotiated a four-year deal with the Premier League, signaling a major development for the franchise. In conjunction with this announcement, a new logo for Football Manager was unveiled, timed with the release of the new edition of the simulation this fall.
The first release of Football Manager, as we currently recognize it, took place in 2005. Before this, it was known as Championship Manager, which began in 1992. The games are developed by Sports Interactive and published by SEGA.
Why Football Manager and English Premier League have joined forces
Miles Jacobson, Studio Director at Sports Interactive, said: “Since Football Manager’s inception, we have always wanted to work with the Premier League, and we’re delighted to announce that at last we are.”
Jacobson elaborated on the benefits of this partnership, stating, “The partnership isn’t just about the huge in-game benefits it’ll give our fans, but also the opportunities it provides us to help with the incredible things that the Premier League and their clubs do off the pitch. That includes community and charitable work, two things we’re enormously passionate about, as well as the ability to work with some of their existing partners.”
He continued, acknowledging the contributions of others: “We are very grateful to the Premier League and their other partners in our space for allowing us to be an officially licensed product of the world’s most commercially successful football league.”
Nivine Emeran, Director of Licensing at SEGA West, also commented on the partnership: “After much anticipation, it’s thrilling to partner with the Premier League and welcome them to Football Manager and our licensing family.”
So what’s the big deal? Well, the game will now include official badges, player likenesses, and club kits in Football Manager, removing the need for players to unofficially modify the game on their own (as some have previously done). The league license is also a badge of honor for Sports Interactive and Sega as much as players who have kept faith with the PC sports simulation over the past two decades.
We’re delighted to announce a multi-year partnership with @PremierLeague 🤝
Future editions of FM will now see all 20 teams fully licensed, across all our titles, unlocking a place to create iconic Premier League moments of your own.
— Football Manager (@FootballManager) June 10, 2024
Football Manager wrote in a post on X: “Future editions of FM will now see all 20 teams fully licensed, across all our titles, unlocking a place to create iconic Premier League moments of your own.”
Featured image: Sports Interactive / Premier League / Canva
