FreeKick

FreeKick is an online multiplayer-management-game. As manager, you will take over a newly founded football club. Lay out your best side, create a winning tactic, rebuild and refit your lineup with transfers, and by investing in your future by scouting new players. Set player-specific training, and expand your arena while climbing through the divisions. Go for extra prestige in the International Cup and/or local League Cup, or root for your National senior and youth sides as they vie for World Cup glory! The decisions you make may affect thousands of other online managers and you'll be up against them to make a name for yourself. May the best manager win!

Playing the game is easy. You use your browser to log in and get access to all information you need and issue orders for your club. Common decisions are what tactic or lineup you want to use and what each player should train.

The game is ongoing and you will always have access to our server. At any time you can log on and find out what has happened since yesterday and what new interesting tasks the next day may offer. FreeKick is designed to be playable without effort. So, for the manager with limited time, there are easy ways to keep track of what is going on each week and never any specific need to come online at any specific time. You can set default line-ups, set long-term training and youth development plans, and there is no visible "highest bidder" on transfers, giving everyone an equal chance.

When you invest more time and enthusiasm in the game you will find that it will pay off in better results for your team and more fun for you and your opponents. The community is growing at an increasing rate, and divisions are getting tighter, more active, and more competitive. The forums are alive with discussions, with people trying to figure out the best tactics for their side, and offering their suggestions to help improve the game even further. FreeKick offers an active developing team, who are working on the game daily, and they work with the public to help the game grow to its potential.

When you delve into the depths of your club, you'll find the flexibility in your team, through players, tactics, lineups, and strategies. Your players will vary from being apt in one position, to many, though you'll realize that no man can carry your team; yet a bit of individual flair can go a long way. There are no guaranteed victories either. Your tactical development of the club can help you thwart even the strongest teams.

Besides the mandatory league matches every week, there are also friendlies. There's no real disadvantage from declining these events (for example, there is NO disadvantage for not playing a friendly one week), so which ones you want to do well in are entirely up to you! From League matches, youth team matches, a league cup within your nation, an international cup which everyone gets to compete, along with friendlies, to extra responsibilities like running your countries national squad.

In the next chapters we will explain features, some of the challenges you will have to overcome and the possibilities that lay ahead. Mastering FreeKick is a journey - it's your judgment that will decide how far the trip will go!

To give good and accurate help about the site, we have decided to have separate site help at each page - even tab- on the web site. Click the questionmark in the upper right part of the page, wherever you are in the game site, to get help about that particular location.

First, you give us your email address so that we can send you a password. Then you login and choose a name for your club. You will enter detailed information about yourself and you will then be placed in a league. Larger countries have leagues of their own, while smaller countries sometimes are collected in the Mixed League with various nationalities.Clubs are created overnight, so if you haven't received an email from us with a job offer at a new club within 24 hours, please try to login anyway. If all else fails, contact us at info@freekick.org!

Your FreeKick career will typically start mid-season, but the only thing you'll inherit will be the league position of a retired club. Your club's name, players, national ranking and finances will be totally new and personally created by you. The club's long term future is now in your hands. Your club will start with 14 senior players, 14 youth players (yes, you will be managing an Under 21 team also!), an arena with a crowd capacity that matches your expected division attendance and $5,000 cash to use as you wish. You can immediately go to your Office and purchase players from around the world on the transfer list or simply save the money for later.

Training settings are located at Locker Room/Training. Since you have just arrived at your new club, your Assistant has already chosen to train your player in skills that seem needed. If you want to change the training, click on the Settings tab of the player and pick skills to train from the two Training drop-down menus of the player. It is better in the long run to split the training between two skills each day, but you may train one skill twice a day if you need immediate improvement from a player. If a player has reached his Potential, it would be a good idea to change his training. Perhaps you just disagree with your Assistant's opinion and want the player to develop in a different direction. You can mold the player any way you would like.

When you arrive at the club, your Assistant will have suggested a standard 4-4-2 lineup for you. This is for your convenience so that you won't have to make this decision from scratch. Although your Assistant will pick a lineup that works, it does not necessarily mean that he will pick the best players. Feel free to experiment and try your players in different positions in Locker Room/Tactics. Notice how your Assistant will give his Rating of a player's position.

You must always have 10 outfield players and 1 goalkeeper. If you fail to pick your team in that way, your lineup will be deemed invalid. If the lineup is invalid and the match is about to begin, your Assistant will pick players from your Bench or from your reserves until the lineup is valid. If for some reason there are still not enough players to pick, your Assistant will (in desperation) attempt to fill the ranks himself. He will send someone to the nearest fast food restaurant to find some people that want to play football. The amateur players that join in this way will have horrible skills compared to your opponent's professional players.

Don't forget to complete the educational Tutorial that is offered to you as you login to your new club. Besides helping you learn how to play FreeKick, you will be rewarded by completing parts of the Tutorial with some starting funds! You could use the cash, right?

This will get you started in the wonderful world of FreeKick. Of course there is much more to do such as buying and selling players, improving your arena and tuning your match Tactics to perfection. FreeKick does not reward those managers that simply spend time in front of their computer. It rewards those that make educated decisions just like a real football manager. We recommend that you read the rest of the Manual to help you completely understand and enjoy the FreeKick experience, and also encourage you to participate in the Forum, which is found at the top right of your screen. Now, on to the road to victory!

You are the manager of the club and it is your responsibility to take care of it as well as you can. Players come and go and squads will look differently as the seasons pass by, but the club will remain. Will your club be one of the legends?

Counting the best players in each position of the field and substitutes, this value shows the quality of the squad. Players with low Constitution will be counted as less valuable as they tire during the match, and more likely to get injured during the season.

This value represents how successful the manager has been in relation to the strength of his squad. A manager beating a stronger squad will get more tactical rating and the opponent lose more. If losing versus a obviously superiour opponent, the manager might lose nothing and the opponent gain nothing.

Being a combination of the Strength and Tactical Rating of the squad, this value can bee seen as how dangerous the squad is to face.

Your fans know what they want. They want success! But they do sit down in the beginning of each season and consider the opposition and try to be fair to you. The first season after promotion, the expect less of you. At the status page you will quickly see the mood of the fans by the expression of the smiley. At the Mood page you will get more information on why they are happy or sad. Fan mood influence how much merchandize your club sells at each match.

It's possible to manipulate the fans by selling off your players at end of season and buy a strong squad after a week or two. Although the fans are gullible at first, they quickly catch up and will spot if you try to manipulate them. In effect they will start to EXPECT that you will improve your squad after a week or two the following seasons. This mechanic is aimed to only punish those trying to exploit the system.

Using artistic players is a way to boost fan mood. The two best performances of any artistic player (although the second gives half bonus) is counted towards fan mood each week (updated after the senior league match). If the artistic plays less than 30 minutes or performs very badly, the fans won't be affected. If the artistic player is also the most valuable player in a match, the boost is higher.

There are different types of ranking in FreeKick. A squad will be different ranked in Tactical, Strength or Combined Ranking and depending on what other squads it's compared with. There is a league ranking,continental rank and world ranking for instance. It's the Combined ranking that's used for the purpose of handling seeding in the different cups (including the World Cup).

Every club has a scout of their own. He searches for fifteen year old talents to join your club. You decide what quality you want, but watch how much the scout wants for his talent! You can choose none or several of extra aspects of the talent, and every choice comes with and added cost. The time it takes to scout is counted in weeks, so it doesn't matter which day you give your order to your scout. If you can scout a player, it arrives a few minutes after giving the order.

The most expensive addition is to ask for double (20% instead of 10%) to get a special ability, and the cheapest is to choose a player from another continent. The others have the same cost relative to the quality of player you scout. Exact cost is shown by your scout while scouting and you get to confirm it before deciding. The other choices is about wanting a specific position (not available when scouting superb or brilliant talents), an insurance vs. low constitution (to remove risk of below 40 con potential), better personalities and to get extra starting experience.

There are restrictions how often you can scout players. Brilliant players can only be scouted once every ten weeks and superb players only every five weeks, excellent player every three weeks, good players every other week, while decent and weak players can be scouted every week if you want. For the two highest ratings, there is also a cool down period of three weeks after scouting them, during which time you can only scout weak or decent players. The scout will tell you when you can scout again.

The base cost of scouting is based on what rating you choose. The price is currently 600k for brilliant, 250k for superb, 85k for excellent, 25k for good, 5k for decent, and weak is free of charge. These prices are subject of automatic adjustment each season based on the popularity of the alternatives.

Depending on how succesful your youth squad is (either from being highly placed in the series or ranked high in the world), there is up to 20% discount to the scouting costs. This discount reflects the youngsters desire to come to your club instead of lower ranked clubs. Another discount is sometimes given after the player has been scouted. It's based on the player being discovered to be of poor health (lower than 40 con potential) and results in upto 50% of the fee returned to drafter.

The size of you arena decides how much attendance you can accommodate at your home matches. Expanding your arena is simple. Just explain how much you want to expand it and you will get a price for the improvement. The expansion will always take five days to finish.

Your skilled (abstract) staff always makes good use of the part of the arena that is not filled by attendance. This means that when getting revenue from attendance, the maintenance is already deducted.

All transfers, placements in the league and cup as well as trophies are recorded. You can read about your achievements, but also see the trophies at your club page. FreeKick is a long term game and looking back at the club history and the success is rewarding.

Each squad (youth and senior) plays one league match each week and each club will face the other clubs once each season. The youth squad plays on Saturdays and the senior squad on Sundays. The youth squad is playing in league of their own and promotion or demotion has nothing to do with the success with the senior squad.

The series system is divided into two different sections that follow the same rules. They have different possibilities for promotion/demotion and the higher up you are the better economy. We call the highest 4 divisions for "professional divisions" and the ones below are called "amateur divisions".

Division	Series
The Premiership	1
1st division	1
2nd division	1
3rd division	1
1st amateur division	4
2nd amateur division	16
3rd amateur division	64
4th amateur division	256
5th amateur division	1024

Pos		Result
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11		Demotion qualifier
12		Demotion qualifier
13		Automatic demotion
14		Automatic demotion

Pos		Result
1		Automatic promotion
2		Automatic promotion
3		Promotion qualifier
4		Promotion qualifier
5
6
7
8
9
10
11		Demotion qualifier
12		Demotion qualifier
13		Automatic demotion
14		Automatic demotion

Pos		Result
1		Automatic promotion
2		Automatic promotion
3		Promotion qualifier
4		Promotion qualifier
5
6
7		Demotion qualifier
8		Demotion qualifier
9		Demotion qualifier
10		Demotion qualifier
11		Automatic demotion
12		Automatic demotion
13		Automatic demotion
14		Automatic demotion

Pos		Result
1		Automatic promotion
2		Promotion qualifier
3
4
5
6
7		Demotion qualifier
8		Demotion qualifier
9		Demotion qualifier
10		Demotion qualifier
11		Automatic demotion
12		Automatic demotion
13		Automatic demotion
14		Automatic demotion

Anyone can create a customized competition that will be integrated in the FreeKick site. The participants receive moments and special trophies and the fixtures are automatically generated. This service cost 2 vip credits for every arranged match the club participates in. Note that it costs nothing to create a cup (although you may use services to invite or advertise).

The moment you apply for a customized competition, credits will be deducted assuming you will reach the final. Once you get knocked out of the competition, or if you withdraw your application (or it gets declined) you will immediately get the unused credits back.

When creating a Customized Competition you can enter an interesting description and criteria's that will narrow down what clubs that can enter the competition. Send invites, where you cover the VIP cost, or advertise to all clubs that fit the criteria's. The competition name is locked and may be used for reoccurring competitions.

You can create tournaments as group stage (series), elimination stage only, or elimination stage after group stage. Tournaments are ranked as important, regular or minor based on the number of clubs participating, how high the clubs are rated and if the tournament is recurring.

This competition is an organized friendly cup for each league. It contains up to 16 384 clubs and any league larger than that will have shadow league cups. There is no reward for participating beyond trophies and glory for this competition.

This is the most prestigious cup in FreeKick and is played separately for senior and youths. It contains 4 096 clubs from all leagues in the world and the victor is applauded by the community. In addition to this, each round in the cup means valuable income form attendance and sponsors. The format is 1024 groups with four clubs in each. The clubs face each other once. The two top clubs go forward to an elimination stage and the bottom club will be demoted to the shadow cup.

The clubs who doesn't fit into the International Cup will battle it out in the Shadow Cups, which main purpose is to qualify to the International Cup. The format here is pure elimination. Although income from the Shadow Cups are less, it shouldn't be underestimated.

The only reason to play friendlies is to have fun and to learn more about how your players perform in different matches. There are no upsides like income and experience and you won't be able to improve your ranking. On the other hand, there are no downsides like injuries or suspensions either.

A Quick Match is a match against a randomly selected team of the selected strength rating. Its main purposes are for new managers to test the game and for testing a new lineup. You opponent will not be a team you are soon to play (those under the Upcoming matches bar in the tab fixtures).

Quick matches are treated as ordinary matches in the various match lists. You will get a match service notification when a match you created has been played. You will not, as a default, get notified of matches any of your teams have played that wasn't created by you. You can change that under preferences. You will not see quick matches played by other teams not involving you.

For those managers that want to play more than five matches a day or want to challenge clubs with high strength rating, there is a cost of five credits per match.

By predicting matches in the global TOTO every week you can win VIP credits. Perhaps you will even be the seasonal champion? Predict home, draw or away win. If you don't enter a prediction one week, the system will use the previous weeks prediction instead. It's totally free to participate.

A perfect record gives 20 credit, which lowers to 10, 5 and finally 2 credits at ten correct predictions. Betting five credits multiplies all wins by five times and betting ten credits multiples them ten times. At end of season we will have a seasonal champion and VIP rewards for the top brainiacs.

In contrast to TOTO, this is about predicting specific matches and especially the ones you participate in yourself. You are assumed to predict all your competition matches (both senior and youth), so if you don’t supply a guess the system will assume you have confidence in yourself and predict a win. The result is displayed as 0-100 in percentage (although it can be seen as points as well) at the club and status page.

There are seven different prediction options: Clear win, win, win/draw, draw, draw/loss, loss, clear loss. You get 100 for a correct prediction and 0 (never lower) for an incorrect one. Predicting other matches raises the result with +25 as that’s much more difficult and the same goes for predicting a clear draw. The result is reduced with -25 if using the combination choices (win/draw or draw/loss) or if correctly predicting the winning or losing side, but failing to pin point if the win or loss would be clear or not. Blowouts (five or higher goal difference) is disregarded as correct prediction unless it’s your own match or if the squads are very even on paper. Results are checked at full time (extra time and penalties are not part of predictions).

There is a spam control function to avoid results by predicting easy matches. We regard blowouts (in other matches than your own) as indication of prediction spamming unless the predicted match has some kind of connection to the predictor (like pupil/mentor or same series and so on). Repeated prediction of such matches will nullify the results of successfully predicting others´ matches. Nor harm done of course, but we want to avoid the top % predictors to be those predicting hordes of unknown matches.

Sponsors,match attendance and merchandize are the core sources of income. They depend on different factors, but both need the attention of a skilled manager. Sponsors are mostly interested in your clubs performance (popularity), the attendance more with Fan Mood. You can have one main sponsor and two weekly sponsors as well.

Player recruitment and salaries will drain your finances. Make sure that you balance your economy or you will be in trouble. You will always pay your salaries and the fee to put a player on the transfer, but you may not invest anything else.

Main sponsors are chosen at the beginning of a season. Weekly sponsors are chosen the week before they come into the effect. If you don't choose your sponsor in time before each Friday, your Assistant will choose one for you. Sponsors tend to either give high lump sums or higher sums based on how good your club does. It's your division, whether you promoted and luck that influence how good sponsor deal you get.

A difference between seasonal and weekly offers is that the latter doesn't give rewards in all areas, but you have to choose which one you want. Another difference is that weekly sponsors will reward you based on your best performance in cup and league. This means, for example, that it's enough to win in one of the competitions to get the sponsor reward and that winning in both doesn't result in double reward. All reward for performance in the Shadow Cup is halved compared to league matches or International cup.

Together with sponsor money, this is the core source of income for most teams. What division and what team your squad is facing is of course also an important factor. In league matches, the main part (60%) of the revenue is accounted the home side. In cup matches the income is divided equally. In friendlies the income is given to charity. The income from attendance of all divisions for the first round of each season is also divided equally.

The total attendance is based on factors regarding the clubs that face each other and what division, what position each club has in that division and competition the match is in. Recent won matches, facing an opponent close in the table or fighting for promotion or avoiding relegation are all factors that influence the attendance. The factors concerning the home side is most important.

Having handsome players in the playing squad boosts merchandize. You can get bonus from two handsome players each match (although the 2nd gives half boost) as long as they don't perform really bad or play less than 30 minutes. If a handsome player is most valuable player it boosts sales even more.

Your fans will not only go and pay to see the matches, but also buy merchandize like T-shirts, mugs and buttons from the club store. Only part of the match attenders buy things, and the amount is based on how high fan mood your club has. If they are very disappointed they might not buy anything and if they are very happy with you this season they might buy twice as much as they would have if you just are meeting expectations.

The more talented a player is (talent rating), the higher weekly salary he gets. Youth players have generally lower salaries than senior players, but if they are talented they will get the salary they deserve when they grow up.

There is a minimum salary of $100 per week for a player regardless of talent. The player union successfully argued that if you want the player there is a lowest reasonable salary and the clubs have agreed to that. This means that if the salary based on the talent of the player is lower than the minimum salary, the player will still get the minimum salary. Players with higher salary than that is of course not affected.

The FreeKick economy is balanced by the market, which means that the salary levels for the different levels of talent of the players are based on what clubs buy player for. Salaries are updated each week.

Loyal players will demand less salary and Turncoats more than expected. Similarly, players that are home grown demand less salary and players that only been in the club a few years (less than 3) will demand more.

Details:
Players 15-18 only get 20% and 19-20 get 50% of the salary a senior player would get according to their talent rating.

If your club performs badly and you store money instead of investing them for the best of the club, the stockholders and sponsors will grow annoyed. If the regard continues sponsors will stop paying rewards and in the end the stockholders might demand a payout of surplus funds.

There a grace amount you can store without risking being criticized. It’s $3 million for the top division, $2 million for the professional divisions and $1 million for the amateur divisions. If you have more funds than that and end up 11th or worse, the sponsors will start to react. If you haven’t improved your position after four weeks, they will stop paying rewards for matches that you don’t win.

If you fail to improve your position at end of season (during which your club has been warned) the stockholders will withdraw 50% of your stockpiled funds (although you will always keep the grace funds mentioned above). This might sound harsh, but you can easily avoid this by investing funds in new players to avoid it happening.

The countries in FreeKick are all countries that are registered by FIFA. This is for convenience, but it's also likely that any country that would be interesting to play for in FreeKick would also be a FIFA country.

The clubs in FreeKick are sorted into a national league or the mixed league. This means that you will compete against other managers of your own nationality in both league and league cup. There is also an International Cup, and you can always challenge a club of another nation for a friendly. Some FIFA countries are so small that we have sorted them under other national leagues (Cook Island to New Zealand, San Marino to Italy, and so on).

Other countries are big enough to have a league of their own, but there just aren't enough managers from that country yet. We will place them in the Mixed League until they grow to become an independent FreeKick country. If your country is one of these - recruit as many countrymen as possible (we think there should be a minimum at 35 active clubs and rising), and we will create a national league for your country. If this happens you will be able to transfer your club to the new league.

Regardless whether your nation is big enough to have a league of its own, plays in the league of another nation or in the Mixed League; it's entitled to a National Team. There is a voting process in the community which decides who will lead the National Team for the coming two seasons (first a friendly season and then a world cup season). The Senior National Coach and the Youth National Coach are elected separately (although it theoretically could be the same person) and the Youth and Senior alternate their world cup season. This means that it's always a World Cup season for one of the squads.

The world cup is played in a group stage and a cup stage. The Nations that qualify in the group stage will face each other in a knockout type cup and finally the World Champions can be crowned. Large nations have of course more players to choose from. But only 11 players can be on the pitch at any one time and your tactical skill will make a difference.

The world cup is divided into four groups with eight squads in each. The bottom two squads (totaling eight) will be demoted to the division below next World Cup season, while the top four (totaling 16) will go through to a classic elimination stage.

The most important tool you have as a manager is the players of the club. These virtual football players put their body on the line each and every week in strive for success (and probably a bigger pay cheque). In FreeKick the players are broken down into two types: outfielders and goalkeepers. Outfielders have eight skills that define where the player is most useful on the pitch, while goalkeepers have five unique skills.

All players have their own preferred foot, and gain experience as they grow older and play matches, each has a fluctuating form level, and some even have their own special abilities. Watching them evolve, reach their peak and utilize them the best way possible for the greater good of the club is a real challenge.

The skills your players can obtain, mixed with how you use them, are the key to winning matches in FreeKick. Each skill has both a current and potential level. The current level is what the player can use at a given time, and the potential is a measure of his talent. After reaching potential, the player only trains at a quarter speed and the potential will raise to the new current.

Only the manager that owns the player can see his skills. For all other managers, the skill is "hidden" to a degree. These hidden skills are represented by denominations which cover a range of 10 points that the skill could be in (except at the two lowest denominations, where the span is 15 points). This gives opposing managers a pretty strong indication of how accomplished a player is, without revealing his exact stats, keeping the game interesting.

Details:
Each skill is divided into 100.0 points. The decimal is hidden so you'll never know exactly how many points your player has in that skill, but often this is negligible, as so many other factors may swing the balance during a match.

The keeper has five unique skills that separate him from the outfielders. This makes it possible to make these important players diversified and opens for interesting choices by the manager.

The keeper will use his Reflexes as the primary method of stopping goal attempts. While this skill does not stop goal attempts to occur or even a stand alone skill for the goalkeeper to save a shot, it's fair to say that it's the most important skill for the keeper.

Details:
Normally the keeper saves if his save attempt is better than the score attempt. But there are other factors not affecting the quality of the save attempt, but the result of it. Such factors are the positioning duel with the scorer, a scorer that is totally free or a header from a player that is not seriously challenged.

With a mix of anticipation and the ability to cut down angles the goalkeeper can make the save attempt much easier. This is especially important when facing long shots.

Details:
The reception quality of the player who attempts to score, compared to the keepers positioning skill, influences the keepers chance to be in position for the shot. Also, being out of position makes it harder for the keeper to control the ball. When facing longshots, the shooters reception does not influence the positioning of the keeper. Instead it's the general quality of the shot that is matched versus both positioning and Reflexes.

This skill is used to pick down high passes into the box or close down free attackers. Having a very low interception skill might give away good or really good angles, as the midfielders then can put their high passes close to the goal without fear of the keeper picking them down.

Details:
A keeper with lower Interception skill than two thirds (66%) of the Passing skill of the midfielder, run the risk of leaving good angles (+7 Scoring) to receiving attackers. If below half (50%) he risks leaving very good angles (+14 Scoring). When intercepting high passes, the keeper gets +10% to his IN for comparison vs. the Passing of the opponent.

Used for controlling the ball when saving shots or headers, but also during interceptions. The Control skill works in two ways; the ability to not release rebounds and the ability to release safe rebounds when he has to. A rebound can result in the opponent being totally free, corners, or that the goalie leaves the net wide open. A keeper with low Control can even slip a ball into the net when saving, while a keeper with high control might get his fingertips on a ball that otherwise would find the net.

Details:
Rebounds after Interceptions are less risky as the keeper has a good chance to punch the ball out of the penalty box. Being out of position when trying to save shots makes it harder for the keeper to glue the ball. Having over 50 (or 30 for youth) in control gives the keeper the chance to save shots that he normally would fail to save by an inch.

This skill is especially useful during set pieces like corners or free kicks. It has no relevance for saving penalties. But a keepers Organisation skill is always beneficial for the defensive zone in the penalty box.

Details:
The passing skill and the Orgnization skill are counterparts in affecting the defensive assistance in the penalty box. Read more about that under the assistance section.

The outfielders have eight skills that makes no player alike another. No skill is irrelevant wherever on the pitch you choose to use the player, but of course some skills are more useful in attack and some in defence. To decide which combination of skills is effective in a specific position versus a specific opponent is a task for the manager.

Outfielder skills are regarded out of a penalty box view. If your player has lower passing than these skills, he might not be able to use them at full effect at midfield. Read more about these under "Adjusting skills to midfield".

This ability can not be explained by merely power, accuracy or the right mental attitude, but perhaps a combination of all above. Still, players score for different reasons and some with only one of the above mentioned qualities. Regardless, this is the skill your player uses to overcome the keepers Reflexes and Positioning skill in order to put the ball into the net.

This combination of speed and mental anticipation is crucial in the offence, especially for the attackers, but also important for the midfielders. Players that can shake off his opponents are not vulnerable to tackles or blocks and are in a good position to score unless closed down by the keeper.

Details:
Being totally free with the keeper is worth so much that an attacker that can pull this off frequently can be allowed to have lower Scoring.

This is the ability to receive and keep the ball under control as well as dribble past opponents. Without a quality control of the ball the player risks losing possession to an opponent with an adequate tackling skill and the success of coming actions like passes or goal attempts might also be dependent on the control of the ball.

Details:
The taker of a set piece should not have too low ball control, and a player with high ball control is more likely to be able to round the goalie when totally free.

This is the combination of finding an opportunity for a great pass and the technique to actually execute it. A great pass gives the receiving player more room to shake off defenders and control the ball (harder for the defence to assist). A lacklustre pass gives the defence more time to catch the receiver and strip him of the ball.

Details:
Although the Passing skill primarily is a midfield skill, it can be useful for attackers and defenders as well. Read "Adjusting skills to midfield" for more information on how a low Passing skill limits a player in midfield.

The quality of a pass also affects the assistance levels in midfield and in the penalty box. Read more about that under the assistance section.

This is a measure of a player's ability to jump, timing of the jump, strength to hold the position in the air and so on. Skills like Passing, Ball Control and Scoring all work in combination with Aerial when the ball is in the air. Defenders in the penalty box usually can use their full Aerial regardless of Tackling skill. Offensive or Defensive Positioning is not affected.

Details:
The effective offensive Aerial skill in the penalty box is the average between the skill your player would have used on the ground and Aerial, but no higher than the Aerial skill. At midfield you can use the average even if it's higher than the Aerial skill. In the penalty box, the defenders can use their full Aerial unless they have below half in Tackling skill. During set pieces, Scoring from headers and volleys are counted as 50% higher (or at least +20) if the players position isn't attacker..

The general physique, health and fitness of a player is important for several reasons. Higher constitution levels will mean less fatigue in matches (stamina), and will make him more resistant to injuries.

Details:
Having low Constitution will cause your players to be less effective at the end of the halves. But a high constitution will not only keep your player fresh, but also allows him to contribute more to the zones (not applicable for Flank backs or wing backs). For every two points above 50 in Constitution, the player contributes 1% more. Having high Constitution can also allow wing backs to create more opportunities for their side and flank backs to stop clear margin. During youth matches, all players are regarded as having +10 Constitution for the purpose of not getting tired, and +15 Constitution to resist injuries..

This is the ability to win challenges defensively, combining a mix of skill, strength and downright guts. Tackling is the primary attribute when making tackles, but is best used in combination with a strong Defensive Positioning skill.

Details:
A decisive tackle might turn one of the opponents' opportunities into a counter attack. Also offensive players with reasonable combination of Defensive Positioning and Tackling are more likely to create chances by stealing the ball from careless defensive players.

This combination of speed and mental anticipation is crucial in defending, especially for the backline, but also important for the midfielders. It decides, in comparison with the opponents Offensive Positioning, whether the player is close enough to tackle or at least block. Defensive Positioning works best when combined with a reasonable Tackling skill.

Details:
Not being close enough can allow an opponent in the penalty box to be totally free, which is really dangerous. Also, offensive players with reasonable combination of Defensive Positioning and Tackling are more likely to create chances by stealing the ball from careless defensive players.

Some players have one or several abilities that complement their skills. These abilities do not raise a skill value, but occasionally modify the effectiveness of a skill in match situations or constantly complement an aspect of a skill. A player can have up to three special abilities, but few have even one.

When an ability is in effect it typically gives a +15 bonus to the skill used. Some effects trigger now and then in common situations, while some always are in effect in uncommon situations. When an ability triggers or has a decisive effect it will often be indicated in the match report with flavour text.

A player who is Ambidextrous is equally good at both feet and this makes him more flexible. This means that he can play at any side without losing efficiency. His Ball Control skill counts one denomination higher for the purpose of fooling the keeper (the same effect with long shots eventhough BC isn't the main skill) and he always gets a boost when dribbling into penalty box. When achieving clear margin in centre midfield his scoring ability (for purposes of short passes) is one denomination higher. An ambidextrous player can clear the ball with any foot and is therefore impossible to block.

The player has an innate ability to often judge what team mates and opponents intend to do. Offensively (both attackers and midfielders), and defensively in midfield, he sometimes gets a boost to positioning because of this. Defenders in the penalty box are just more reliable in their positioning than normal and always have at least 50% (75% if combined with the Breakthrough order) chance to catch up with totally free attackers. Keepers are, like defenders, much more reliable in their positioning. In addition to this the attacker order Tricky Shot only have half effect.

An Artistic player does fun things, and sometimes spectacular (meaning they are actually good for something and gives a boost to the action). Most of all, artistic players are entertaining and that's why they boost the fan mood each week.

This player can play a bit rough, but he has a keen sense of fair play and never fouls. This means that he still can put extra effort into challenges, but never so rough that the Referee will deem it as a foul.

He is so good looking that he boosts sales of the merchandize with his name on it. To get this effect after a match he needs to have played at least 30 minutes and he shouldn't have performed badly. If he is the most valuable player in the match, sales of merchadize is boosted even more.

The player gets a boost in Passing and Scoring when it comes to taking free kicks and corners. A keeper gets a boost in Organization during set pieces only and positioning versus direct free kicks. The ability also affects taking and saving penalties. All outfielders involved in set pieces with this ability have one denomination higher skills in challenges.

He always gets a boost in effective Passing when starting an opportunity and for dominating midfield (creating opportunities). He will always be able to be a part of the midfield domination calculation (double boost if not playing in midfield and ta/dp and op/bc counted as at least half effective passing for this purpose).

He also has a raised chance to counter attack (both in midfield and penalty box) and a defender who is playmaker can make an extra counterattack each match (normally the defence can only make one per match).

The keeper will halve the effect of the attacker order "feint" due this understanding of the play. He will also have an increased chance of counterattacking can make an extra counterattack each match (normally the keeper can only make one per match).

This ability enables the player to fire more lethal long shots due to the power in his legs. He gets a bonus to the lowest of passing and scoring for the purpose of beating the keeper (all bonus above the highest is halved). The effect of power shots are increased with 50% and the chance of firing is increased (even when the player isn’t ordered to fired them).

When starting an opportunity, the player has no disadvantage when making a long pass (even if it’s directly into the box). Defensively he will always clear the ball if winning the challenge.

A quick player gets a bonus (+25%) Positioning for the purpose of being prepared and avoiding that the opponent is prepared. This bonus is doubled in the penalty box. He also gets a bonus for getting first on rebounds and a keeper is better at closing down a free attacker as well as getting a chance to save penalties. He never gets forced to make hasty actions in midfield and doubles the risk for hasty actions for the opponent (and there is always a chance that the opponent will make hasty actions). If playing on the flank each quick player will also add half an opportunity to the midfield domination calculation.

A reliable player makes fewer mistakes. He is always regarded as having two denominations (+20) higher experience than he actually has. A reliable player is less likely to miss goal in penalties.

A player with this ability is much more endurable during matches than his Constitution skill indicates. Effectively this means a constant boost to Constitution for all purposes except to resist injuries.

The player has a straightforward method of stopping the opponents that he manages to pull of now and then, giving a bonus to his challenge (both in the air and ground). The personal order "ground angles" is also 50% more effective and a stopper gets a bonus when trying to stop clearing attempts.

Despite the name, the ability affect control of high passes as well. Sometimes a player with sure feet manages to almost glue the ball to his feet (or chest/head) when receiving, giving him a large boost to his reception quality.

When passing to a player with sure feet the passer can ignore making the pass easy to control. The effect is that low quality passes (or dribbles) doesn't lower assistance for the player with sure feet. When the ball is free the player will use his control to always receive a large boost - and this works both when trying to control the ball and challenge the controller.

A keeper with this always gets a boost to control to handle the ball, but if he fails he is as likely to receive bad or good rebounds as his skill indicates. Immune to the effect of power shots.

Being taller than his opponents, an attacker is easy to find with high passes. It's easier to achieve good angles and it's harder for a keeper to intercept passes to a tall attacker. If the attacker demands high passes he doesn't risk bad angles for it, but the keeper retains his normal skill for intercepting and avoid good angles. In midfield the player always get a aerial bonus, but it's halved in efficiency as the aerial skill always is combined with either Ball Control or Tackling.

A keeper who is tall negate the bonuses of tall attackers, he is much harder to lob or put the ball at the far post during set pieces. Sometimes he also get a bonus when he intercepts high passes. A tall defender will negate a tall attacker, or raise the chance for bad angles for every non tall attacker he faces. It's harder for a keeper to intercept passes to a tall attacker.

This player never gets injured. Combined with good physique he will double the bonus to assistance for Constitution over 50.

All players have personality traits that describe their character on and off the pitch. Personalities never modify separate skills, but rather how players react when faced with different situations. Personalities come in pairs that are each others counterparts. Each player has two or three personality traits.

A charming player can talk himself out of trouble with the referee, while an obnoxious player can talk himself into trouble. Expect the latter to get substantially more yellow cards and suspensions unless your team captain can soften the situations.

Cautious players tend to stretch the rules in lesser degree to avoid fouling, while reckless players pay less regard to whether they will be stopped by the referee. A cautious player is also somewhat less likely to get injured.

An extrovert manner will accentuate other personality traits, good or bad, that the player has, while a reserved manner will do the opposite.

A turncoat is counted as having a bit higher player rating than he really has for the purpose of calculating the salary. This doesn't mean that he is unpleasant to be around, just that he is ready to leave the club if he doesn't get a good pay. Loyal players stay at the club for a lower salary than expected.

During set pieces, confident players are regarded as being one experience level higher than normal while nervous, one level lower.

The player who puts his team first will generally contribute more (10%) in the assistance to his team mates, and the Egoist will contribute less (-10%) While playing in an advanced position like Striker (as long as someone sends extra passes to him), Defensive Midfielder, Winger or Offensive Midfielder, an egoist player will get 10% more contribution from others. Egoist players are also a bit better at being first on free balls.

The resolute player gets going when behind, and work extra hard (+2 denomination in form) in order to get back into the match. A player with the Diva trait is charming (or extrovert if already charming, or confident if already extrovert and charming) when his side is ahead or drawing, but gets obnoxious and reckless when behind.

This set of personality traits is thought to modify how much a player needs to play to avoid being unhappy. That system isn’t implemented yet, so meanwhile content players are regarded as loyal and Ambitious as Turncoats. If they already are this, the result is doubled. In the future content will not be totally positive, and ambitious will not be totally negative.

This information is not a skill, but still relevant when judging a player. As in real life a player is more than just how well he can make a pass or receive a ball.

The skills of each players make them suitable for some positions better than others. For example, a player with high Tackling (TA), Aerial (AE) and Defensive Positioning (DP) could be a perfect central defender, but if you replace Aerial with Passing (PA) and add a little offensive skill he might be more effective in midfield. For the sake of helping you managers, the system will assess every player in every possible position, using his skills and will show you which position is considered to be his best. The system also tells you his weakness and strengths.

The position the system choose, may not be the best position in all cases, since it only values the player without regard to the rest of your squad or the squad you might be facing. You might, for instance, have very few players of a certain type and many of another, so you prefer a player who is really best as wing back as flank or even centre midfielder. How effective a player is in his position is of course also reliant on the opposition and what help he gets from his team mates. It’s important to remember that the rating value just is an assessment based on player skills – it has no impact on its own. If your excellent player proves to work better for you than your superb player, then use the excellent one.

The system tries to assess how skilled the player will be in the future (at age 27 if he is less than 23, and in 4 years if the player is over 23). To do this the system considers the current and potential skills of the player and the expected training improvement.

The system only consider the player's current skills. From this, the system tells you the player best position and his current rating of the player in this position. Note that if you are viewing the player at the tactics page the value will include current form. The player can then also appear of several tabs if he is multi skilled.

This is the same a as “current”, but with regard to the level that youth squads are on. Note that this rating only is available for a player still consider youth (wasn’t 21 when current season started).

After each match, the player will be assessed his performance in the match. This isn't related to the quality of the player but to the importance of his actions in the match.

Name	Low	High
legendary	120
unbelievable	110	119
masterful	100	109
awesome	90	99
brilliant	80	89
superb	70	79
excellent	60	69
good	50	59
decent	40	49
weak	30	39
poor	15	29
awful	0	14
dreadful		-1

A player is 15 years old when drafted and age six FreeKick days every real life day. A player can play in the senior squad before he is 21, but he cannot play in the youth squad unless he is under 21 at the start of the season. You should read the section of the manual about training to learn how the age of a player affects it.

Details:
A season in FreeKick runs over approximately 1.6 years, which is why a player age more than one year per season.

A player prefers the right or the left foot unless he is Ambidextrous (see abilities). A left footed player is most suited for the left side and vice versa. If you use a player on the "wrong" side he will only contribute less with his passes due to the awkwardness of being on the wrong foot a lot.

As a player participate in competition style matches he will get more experienced and will make fewer mistakes in matches. You will notice this as the risk of actions way below the skill denomination decreases. The referee will more often judge the more inexperienced players effort in a duel as a foul, while the more experienced can get away with a bit more as he knows when to stop.

Details:
Experience is not gained from friendly type matches and youth matches gives much less than senior matches.

How loyal the player is to your club can influence how much you need to pay him to be pleased. This value has not any influence yet and is not fluctuating.

Players get tired during matches, which causes them to play less effectively. Although the decrease in efficiency is gradual, the match report warns when a player is pretty (-25%) or extremely tired (-50%). The value in Constitution decides how long it takes before a player gets tired, but all player recover some stamina in halftime or between extra time.

The more predictable an attacker is, the more likely it is that he will face the hardest defender in the penalty box. An all-round player is harder to predict than a player which is extreme. The value runs between 0-100%, where 0% is hardest to predict.

This value can be decisive in the choice of players for a specific match, but has no bearing at all on the long term development of the player. Form changes one denomination each week in the direction that the arrow indicates or two denominations if straight down (only when dropping from Awesome/Brilliant form to Decent). Check the form table for details on how much form influences the skill of a player.

Form works in cycles where it goes up to any of the positive denominations (although Awesome is rarer than the four others), then down to one of the negative denominations (although Awful is rarer than the two others), then up again. What denomination form reaches until turning is mostly luck.

The purpose of the form system is to simulate that football players have good and bad periods and that managers should be prepared to handle this reality. As all players have accurate form predictions weeks ahead, a manager can safely make tactical changes (form at tactic page is the accurate one for that date.

Name	Bonus
awesome	5
brilliant	4
superb	3
excellent	2
good	1
decent
weak	-2
poor	-4
awful	-5

The trainer can pay extra attention to two players (one youth and one senior). The player(s) who is cuddled will reach one denomination higher when in positive form and will turn one denomination higher when in negative form. What player the trainer focuses on can only be changed once per season. If the player is sold, the effect is removed for the buyer, but the trainer cannot choose a new pet until next season. Existing prediction is affected when player is chosen.

Three times a season a manager can have a talk with a player to stabilize the form he's headed towards. The next time the player reaches decent form he'll stay there for two more weeks (for a total of three). After that, the player will reach the form he was heading towards before. This action enables the manager to try to plan form influences for important matches.

To train your players, just press "set training" at player view or set training for all players at training overview. It is a bit more advantageous in the long run to split the training between two skills each day, but sometimes you want to raise one skill fast. To do this, choose the same skill in both training slots.

Each week day a player will gain training days. These training days raise the chance of the player receiving an insight and raise his skill. When the player gains insight he actually raises his numerical value for that skill (between "x" and "y"). Playing matches do not influence training either way. Switching the trained skill won't make the player lose the accumulated training days, but he can only gain insight in the skill he is currently training.

Details:
Until a player reaches his 21st birthday he will gradually raise his potentials. When he is 21 or older he will not do this anymore, but on the other hand raises from training is 20% higher. It's possible to train over the potential (and raising it in the process), but it's done at 25% speed. When overtraining it's possible that the raise is so low that the player doesn't raise a whole point.

The injury system is balanced to avoid too much good or bad luck. This means that a player will only be injured a certain number of times during a season (assuming playing all league matched) based on his Constitution skill. In other words: the more minutes a player plays the higher risk of injury. So if a player is injured in the first match of the season he will be injured one time less for the reminder of the season. Which players (if any) that was injured during the match is displayed in the post-match line-up, but a complementary club news is also sent to the manager of the injured player(s).

If you, for instance, field a squad of outfielders with 35 in Constitution you would have about two injuries a match, if they had 45 in Constitution you could expect about one a match and if all your players had a Constitution value of over 65 you would seldom have injuries. A player is usually injured a full week. Since the keeper has no Constitution stat, it is assumed to be 45 for this purpose (both senior and youth). Players at the Wing Back position runs higher risk of injuries as that position uses Constitution for performance purposes. It’s also worth mentioning that the risk for injuries is halved during the part of the match where it's too uneven (one side has a clear lead).

We try to avoid that both attackers or both central defenders gets injured in the same match. Only one attacker and central defender may be injured on the pitch at the same time. If the club substitutes, it's still possible to get more than one player of each type injured. It's possible to get three players injured in any given match, where at least one will be a light injury.

The effect of getting injured always lasts one week from the match the player was injured in. If the injury is represented by a red cross, the player cannot participate in competition matches the upcoming week. If the injury is represented by a yellow cross, then the player (if he is an outfielder) has a 20 (-10 for youth) constitution penalty for the purpose of calculating fatigue (not for the purpose to resist further injuries) in the upcoming competition matches. Keepers with yellow cross injuries are instead worn down by shots much quicker than normal. There is 50% chance of an injury being light (yellow) instead of serious (red).

Injuries are reset at end of season to not give disadvantage to those playing qualification matches.

The skills of a player deteriorate as the player grows older. At first the deterioration is slower than the training speed, but after a while the deterioration will start to make the player less competent.

Details:
A skill below the value 25 will not deteriorate as long as there are other skills that are above 25 and may deteriorate given the player's age. High skills lose more when they deteriorate.

Year	Skill
27
	SC
	OP
	BC
	PA
	AE
	CO
	TA
	DP
	RE
	GP
	IN
	CT
	OR

Players can change owner by a five day, semi-open bidding process on the transfer list. The cost of doing so is $100. If you are a VIP manager you can set a specific time any day a week forward, when you want your player to be put on the market. This is possible to conveniently have the deadline in the time of day that you prefer.

The leader of a bidding contest is not revealed, not even to the bidder or owner. The average bid shown is based on the top 10 bidders (or as many there are). If the two highest bids are the same, the club who placed the first bid will win. You may not bid below the average bid (no chance of getting the player) and once your bid is below the average bid, your money is no longer frozen. To make it virtually impossible to calculate the highest bid, the average bid is not shown for the first 2 days of bidding (out of 5).

The player agent will take 10% of the transfer fee. When making a bid you will be asked to confirm the bid. Selling a player that you have owned less than one player year will mean that a part of the profit (the positive difference betrween the first and second sale) of the player will be given to the former owner.

You must have at least 12 players in each squad (youth and senior) or you are not allowed to sell or kick any of them. You are also only allowed to kick or sell twelve players in one week (seven day period), unless it's your first season in the game. Players on transfer, or scheduled to be transferred, are counted to this total. Exception to this rule is that draft always can be sold or kicked (providing that you have 12 youth players) and that emergency recruits (20/20 players) always can be kicked.

A player bought will need seven days to adjust to the new club before being able to play. That is seven full days, plus what is left of the day he's bought. This rule avoids surprises for opponents and underlines the need to have substitutions in your squad. New clubs (existing less than one season) are exempt from the rule as they are typically in turmoil and the club management puts all effort into adjusting new players.

If a manager wants a player that isn't listed on transfer, he can make a bid on that player at the player page. The owner will then get the bid as a suggested listing price and if he chooses to put the transfer list all existing off transfer list offers will be attached to it.

A manager must have funds to support the bid and only target three players of a specific club at any one time. The bid is valid for three days and can be cancelled after the first 24 hours (to give the owner a chance to respond to it). The owners can decline bids (and make a comment) and set one or all his players as "not for sale".

When a bid is accepted or rejected all managers bidding for the player will receive information in club news about the event. The owner will of course get information when a bid has been made on one of his players that are not transfer listed yet.

The events in a player's life that is noteworthy will be stored under history and all transactions that the player has been apart in will also be displayed. If the owning manager is VIP, the trophies earned by the player during his stay in the club will also be shown at the club page and player page.

The players are really only divided into two different types: Outfielders and Goalkeepers. Any outfielder can play at any outfield position, but they will of course (like in real life) do it with different success. When match day comes you should disregard what your long term plans you have for the specific player and instead concentrate on utilizing your players the best way you can to overcome the opponent of the day. Tactics do matter in FreeKick, so choose what players to use, and at what positions, wisely. If you don't know what to do, you can always trust your assistant that will tell you what player he thinks is best for each position at match day.

Regardless of what position you choose for your player to play at he can have use for all his skills but to a drastic different degree. All outfielders need Constitution for example, but even a defender can make use of his Scoring and Ball Control skill during set pieces. Every position has a few skills that are decisively more important for them and we will explain the strength for each position below.

In your player listing, the assistant helps you to divide your squad into different positions and you can instruct how you want him to categorize players under preferences. If you are VIP manager you can override the evaluation of the assistant and decide what position you aim to develop a specific player to. Just remember that this is only to get a smooth overview of your squad so you can decide what you want each player to train and to allow you to spot weaknesses in your squad. The long term position that is assigned to a player has no other impact. You are the boss.

What would any football club be without the over glorified players that score the goals? In FreeKick you can't just get a player with high Scoring attribute and think that you are alright. We make life a bit difficult for you, but that's the charm right?

Scoring is the main skill to score the goals, but the attacker must get in the position to actually get to fire that shot or header the ball. To do this he needs Offensive Positioning, Ball Control and (if the ball is in the air) Aerial. How much does the attacker need in each skill to get to shoot? That totally depends on the skill of the Centre Backs he faces. Having one extreme value in (for example) Offensive Positioning might get him to avoid tackles and then Ball Control gets less important, but technique also helps in beating the keeper.

Besides the mandatory Constitution skill to avoid getting tired or getting injured, and the four skills mentioned above, the attacker also have good use of the Passing skill. Each attacker will get an opportunity in midfield during the match and he needs a reasonable Passing skill in order to handle this (see adjusting skills to midfield). Besides that, the attackers are almost only active in the opponent's penalty box. The defensive skills of Defensive Positioning and Tackling are of little use for the attackers (with the exception defending during set pieces).

There are two names on the attackers in FreeKick: Forward (FW) and Striker (ST). The latter works just the same as first one, but may receive more passes than the former from midfield if the midfielders choose to focus on delivering them to him (you can only have one striker).

This is a term for all positions that abide to the midfield rule of needing to understand the midfield play in order to be effective. That's why Passing is the core skill that the other skills depend upon to be able to be utilized to it's full (read more about this under "adjusting skills to midfield"). The midfielders all have good use of both offensive and defensive skills and even Scoring and Aerial (although the latter can be seen as the least desirable skill), and this in excess to the mandatory Constitution skill.

Being less extreme than the attackers and central defenders because they need so many skills, they are ill suited to appear in the penalty box to defend or attack. Instead they battle it out between themselves in the midfield section. This doesn't make midfielders weak positions, the play origins in their section and the attacking side must prevail here before bringing the play into the box or finishing off with a long shot.

The midfield offers many different positions, every one with its own advantage and disadvantage. The standard midfielder (LM, RM and CM) is the easiest choice with the only advantage that there is no specific disadvantage and the only disadvantage that there is no specific advantage. The standard midfielder needs offensive and defensive values to an equal degree.

Wingbacks (LWB and RWB) are regarded as defensively minded flank midfielders who only attack if they have the energy to do so. If they have a really high Constitution they can create several opportunities for their side. Some may argue that the flank defenders in real life are more defensive than this, but because of the nature of the FreeKick game, we have chosen to label the flank defender as a midfielder. The flank defenders are always important in the assistance to the penalty box though (read more about that under assistance) and because of his defensive responsibilities, he will only be able to use 20% of his offensive values (OP & BC) above his defensive values (TA & DP)*1.25.

The Winger (LW and RW) and Offensive Midfielder (OM) both have the similar pros and cons. The message to the squad is to pass the ball to the player in this position which means that he should have nice offensive capabilities, including Scoring in order to be the best asset to his side. These positions are still a part of the defensive game though. The drawback is that using these positions opens up the game for the opponent to attack as well (the opponent gets an extra opportunity per position used).

The Defensive Midfielder (DM) is the central defensive player who is more active defensively than any other midfield position. The drawback (similar to the offensive positions above) is that the position opens up an opportunity for the opponent because of its drawn back position.

Using more than one OM, W or DM will create different effects that you can read more about under tactics. FreeKick is a very tactical game which is why it would be a mistake to overlook the tactical options that players, position and player settings provide. The manager that can get the most of his squad using the tools available can prevail against superiority in player talent.

The flank defenders (LB and RB) are regarded as defensively minded flank midfielders who use high constitution in order to reduce the risk of dangerous attacks on their flank. They also defend actively in the centre midfield from time to time. Although defensive by nature, they still need to support the normal flank midfielder in his attempt to get through.

Details:
Flank defenders are active defenders in centre midfield 15% of the time. Furthermore they make it more difficult for the opponents to reach clear margin in their flank depending on high Constitution 45-65. Flank backs assist in clearing free balls from the penalty box 25% more than their Defensive Positioning would indicate. Bonus to assistance because of constitution above 50 doesn't apply for flank defenders.

Wingbacks (LWB and RWB) are balanced flank midfielders that use high constitution to create personal opportunities by running fiercely on their flank. These are the modern type of flank defenders that are common in real life football today. Depending on their constitution, they sometimes get fewer opportunities (but sometimes more) than the normal midfielders, but when they get through their passes or dribbles are extra dangerous for the defence as they overlap the regular midfield.

Details:
A Wing back produces personal opportunities if he has at least 40 in Constitution and is guaranteed to get two at 55. With 100 in Constitution he would produce four opportunities. A wing back is very likely to get a clear margin just by winning their offensive challenge and lower one extra denomination in the penalty box if they would get clear margin without being wing backs. Bonus to assistance because of constitution above 50 doesn't apply for Wing backs.

In real life you can often spot the Centre Backs (CB) as being tall, deceptively sluggish, laid back and with mediocre technical skills. Still they are the last bastion for the attackers to pass if they want to get a finishing attempt off.

In Freekick, Centre Backs almost always operate in their own penalty box and really only need four skills to be effective. As all outfielders, they need Constitution to not get tired during the match and to avoid getting injured. The need Defensive Position to be able to catch attackers, Tackling to stop attackers on the ground once they catch them and Aerial to stop attackers in the air.

It's fair to say that a defender with low Defensive Positioning is a weak one. If the defender cannot keep up with the pace of the match, then who will stop the attacker? And if the attacker gets totally free, then the keeper will be in trouble. While this is true, not all attackers have high Offensive Positioning and being close to an attacker with high finishing ability might not stop him from Scoring. As always, they choice of what defenders to invest in (and field) is dependent on what opponent you face.

In comparison the other four outfielder skills are irrelevant for a Centre Back in FreeKick, but there is some use for them too of course. A reasonable Passing skill will allow the defender to counterattack from the box; while Scoring, Offensive Positioning and Ball Control sometimes could be useful during set pieces (we have all seen defenders header in corners).

The player who protects the goal is one of the most important positions to fill. As you have specific players to choose from on the transfer list for this position the choice might seem easy, but goalkeepers can look rather different from one another yet still be effective. There are only five skills that a goalkeeper needs (compared to eight for an outfielder), but he needs all five of them.

A keeper with high reflexes is the first choice, but he should be backed up with reasonable positioning. Keepers with high Interception helps the defence against high passes into the box, but without control the keeper releases dangerous rebounds or can even fumble the ball into the net. Organization is a skill that helps the defence in the penalty box in all situations, although it's most important during set pieces.

Details:
The goalkeeper is the only position that does not get tired. He can still get injured or get suspended though.

The team captain's role is important because it makes your squad perform a little better. Positive personality traits and high experience are needed for them to be effective. You may change who the team captain is for each match, but a player who recently joined your team would be a less effective (25%-100%) captain until they have spent at least one player year in the club. A newly drafted youth player from your scout does not suffer this "newly bought" penalty as he is loyal to his club, and the National Team is immune to these issues. If your captain doesn't play or is removed from the pitch mid-game, the vice-captain will resume the responsibility. If you don't choose a captain then your assistant will choose one for you.

The captain will contribute to your team in three ways. The first is to organize the squad by raising the effective experience level of the team - especially amongst the least experienced players. The second is to talk to the referee and calm things down to reduce the number of yellow cards and suspensions. The third way is to rally your squad in the second half if you're behind and make them play more effective offensively.

The captain will boost 66% of an experience level for each positive personality trait he has (in excess to the negative he has), and that boost applies to each individual player on the pitch. This effect is 33%, however, once a teammate has at least half of the captain's experience level, and if the teammate has higher experience than the captain, then the boost is 25%. If the captain has the "Team Player" personality trait, he is extra good at this task.

You will notice in the match report when your captain steps in to talk to the referee. Just be careful as a bad captain (see further below) will cause MORE cards than otherwise. If the captain has the "Charming" personality trait he is extra good at this task.

So you're behind in the second half and want the squad to push forward for the equalizer? The captain will do his best to get the lads going by giving you a maximum of two extra opportunities, but because you are pushing hard to get the equalizer, you will also give up a maximum of two opportunities to your opponent. If you don't start losing till towards the end of the second half, you may not have the chance to use both opportunities and will only use one or sometimes none. A captain who has time to spare in his rally might make the opportunities created extra dangerous.

Much is probably intuitive, but we list exactly what affects what below. Remember that negative effects accumulate just like positive ones, and it's quite possible for a captain to be worse for the squad than without him

Positive

Charming (double bonus to counter yellow cards)
Confident
Extrovert
Loyal
Resolute (double bonus to rally)
Team player (double bonus to boosting xp)

Negative

Diva (only negative when rallying)
Egoist (double penalty to boosting xp)
Nervous
Obnoxious (double penalty to countering cards)
Reserved
Turncoat

Although FreeKick is about long-term strategy and building a resilient club, the clash of two squads in the pitch is the highlight of the week and shows the success of the manager. We provide many tools to outwit your opponent and to utilize the players to their maximum in order to create the most successful squad.

The main tool is the skill of your players and what position your choose to put them in. Instead of offering broad tactical settings that risk smearing the effects all over your squad, FreeKick also offers individual settings for each player dependent on where he is playing. Use these settings wisely to get them out of your players.

We recommend that you read the "Match Engine" chapter to fully understand the effect the tactical choices have and to fully enjoy the match reports. Our aim is that intuitive choices based on basic football knowledge and gaming should take you a long way, but reading about how we choose to simulate football will likely be beneficial.

The creation of opportunities is not reliant on the team order, and most other tactical elements depend on the combination of skills on the players you use and what position you use them in. But there is still some general instructions you can give to your squad that will affect their way of playing.

This instruction enables the squad to use technique in order to create opportunities. Your squad will deny the opponent any benefit from trying to stall the match. If the opponent doesn't stall, then the squad has more time to use their superior skill in midfield.

Effect:

Allows midfielders to use the best of Ball Control or Passing when calculating midfield domination.

Counters opportunity loss caused by the Stall team order.

Reduces the risk of hasty actions in midfield for your squad.

If opponent doesn't stall, then this is also in effect:

Effect of short passes on opponent penatly box assistance +25%

Your long shots are curved and lead to rebounds more often.

Easier to get clear margin for your midfielders that does NOT have the short pass or long shot order

Opponent counter attacks more easily (+25%)

While your squad plays flexible they give away less when using advanced positions and orders. The midfielders will have an easier time predicting opponents run in order to challenge them. When calculating midfield domination, the squad can use the skills of each of the flank defenders instead of the skills of up to two midfielders

Effect:

Can use one advanced position (OM, W or DM) or Isolate/Mark midfielder without giving away an opportunity to the opponent.

When calculating midfield domination, the squad can use the skills of each of the flank defender instead of the one of up to two midfielders.

Own midfielders: +5 effective Defensive Positioning for the purpose to catch up with opponent midfielders.

To hurl long balls (high or low) into the box of the opponent is the oldest trick in the book. In effect your attack can avoid troublesome defensive midfielders several times during the match. On the hand, the squad cannot gain extra attacks through dominating midfield.

Effect:

Passes that normally would go to attackers in midfield (one per attacker) will go directly into the penalty box instead.

Two of the base opportunities (25%) will also go directly to the attackers in the box.

A squad that plays long ball can never win midfield domination.

It may seem like the spur of the moment, but a successful counter attack may be rehearsed and set up by the countering squad. When the squad spends time looking for the mistakes of the opponent, opportunities are more likely to occur.

Effect:

Increased chance to get counter attacks. If combined with two Wingers, the counter attacks will also be dangerous (giving +5 OP and BC) to the receiver of the first midfield pass or control of the first dribble.

Opponent has a raised risk (+50%) to be forced to hasty actions in midfield.

Trying to reduce the action isn't the most fun thing to do, but if you want to defend a lead or go for a draw, this could be the choice to make. Don't expect the spectators to cheer for you though.

Effect:

Reduces the number of opportunities for both your side and the opponent (with 33% if used full match).

Isn't cumulative with a fall back by the leading squad.

Boring for the attendance (penalty to fan mood).

Increases the risk for yellow cards for your side.

Although stalling gives most effect if you use it the entire match, starting to stall later will have a higher effect per minute. For most effect per minute, start stalling after the 60 minute.

Your players will handle the match without the interference of the manager, but they welcome orders what they should do in specific situations. There are no real drawback with any of these settings besides that they are mutual exclusive, which means that if you choose one, you cannot choose another. Ponder on which advantage you have most use for in the particular match! All players can also choose to play "mixed", which means that they will alternate between the choices below during the different opportunities in the match.

The player can only be given one order and it only works for the player when he is the active attacker in the penalty box. The attacker will only manage to follow his order 50% of the time (unless otherwise stated). The settings are not active during set pieces.

Tricky shot

This setting increases the effect (+50%) of the keeper being out of position. There is no drawback if the keeper is in position.

Feint

This setting increases the effect (+50%) if the keeper losing his organization defence versus the pass into the box. If the keeper wins the skill duel, there is no drawback.

Power Shot

This setting means that the attacker focuses on power, causing the keeper to have more trouble (-10 Control) controlling the ball (more rebounds or even fumbles). The likelihood of a player managing to fire a power shot is based on how high Scoring he has compared to his other offensive skills. For every percentage less scoring the player has compared to the average of the the two highest of OP, BC and AE, he will have 2% lower chance (starting at 100%) chance. So if a player has 75 scoring and 100 op and 100 bc, he would fire power shots 50% of the time. Power shots also denies the keeper to make fingertip saves.

If the attacker has less than two denomination (20 points) less Offensive Positioning than the defender he is facing has Defensive Positioning, his power shots will be less effective. Every 3 points of additional (besides the first 20) lower positioning will make the powershot one point weaker. This means that if an attacker has 50 (or more) lower positiioning than the defender he faces, his power shots will have no power effect at all.

Lob

The attacker tries to outsmart the keeper with a soft, high finish. The attacker needs to have higher passing skill than the keepers interception skill for it to be effective. If succesful, the keeper will be more out of position than normally.

Details:
The amount of Passing the attacker has above the keeper Interception skill is deducted from the positioning skill of the keeper. The effect diminishes after the first ten points deducted.

Demand High Pass

This setting gives 100% high passes, although most of the time it results in the attacker having to header from a bad angle.

Demand Low Pass

This setting gives 100% low passes, although it often results in the attacker having to make a finishing attempt from a bad angle.

A player that controls the ball in midfield does the simple and right thing: pass the ball into the box to an attacker. If he managed to win the duel in midfield with a clear margin he will get other choices. Default is to advance and make a short pass, but the manager can order him to try other fancy stuff. A player that reaches clear margin several times in the same half might not be able to follow his order (and carry out a short pass instead).

Short Pass

The passer uses his knowledge about how to score (the Scoring attribute) to make his passing more lethal.

Details:
The base effect of a short pass is to penalize the defence with an assistance effect (not the denomination) with -2 at poor or lower Scoring to -5 if decent Scoring and a small increase if higher Scoring than that. Read about assistance under that segment for information about assistance impact.

Seek Corner

If successful, the pass will be blocked to a corner. This setting is only viable in the flanks.

Target Striker

If successful, the pass will go to the striker. Very useful when one of the attackers is much better than the other. This action overrides any attempt to isolate the striker.

Details:
If a striker that is Isolated gets targeted with passes through the midfield order Target Striker, the effect will be that the attacker is considered Marked.

Long shot

If successful, the player will unleash a long shot. This setting is only viable in the centre, or in the flanks if the player is skilled in the inside foot.

Details:
When firing long shots the shooter uses the lowest of Passing and Scoring as his skill to compare with both Reflexes and Goalkeeping Positioning. There is a +15 bonus (max 50% of the actual skill) for all long shots. Positioning and reflexes has reversed importance for saving long shots compared to saving shots from the penalty box. The keeper also gets a bonus of 50% of his Interceptions skill to Positioning above 50 (30 if youth).

Long Pass

The midfielder (or attacker in midfield) stays back a bit in order to not get caught in too much opposition.

Effect:
* +5 OP & BC in midfield
* Cannot use any individual order (including short pass) for winning with clear margin.
* Always make long passes, which means they don't help reducing defense assistance.
* Risk for bad angle for the receiving attacker.

Dribble & Pass

The player dribbles into the box and tries to pass to an attacker. The pass within the penalty box cannot be intercepted by the goalkeeper and the receiver cannot be closed down by the keeper if he gets totally free. Attackers, Wingers and Offensive Midfielders don't need to win by a clear margin to try this move.

Dribble & Score

The player dribbles into the box and tries to score. Attackers, Wingers and Offensive Midfielders don't need to win by a clear margin to try this move.

The player can only be given one order and it only works for the player when he is the active defender in the penalty box. The settings are not active during set pieces.

Aerial Angles

When the defender faces an attacker in the air, he focuses on trying to force a header from a bad (or even really bad) angle.

Ground Angles

If the defender wins the positioning duel with a clear margin, then the likelihood of the attacker being forced to shoot from a bad (or even really bad) angle is a reality.

Breakthroughs

This means that the defender is aware that he might not be able to keep up with the attackers speed and smart running. Although this doesn't increase the chance of the defender catching up, he will make sliding tackles to shield the goal and remove the effect of being totally free. This is not an exact science but works about half of the times, but only when the defender is the active one.

The keeper will of course study the different ways the opponent attacks before matches to not allow them to caught him off guard. During the match he can focus on one method (although he is free to rethink and switch area of focus with conditional orders) and be less likely to make mistakes when facing different types of attacks.

The effect of the order, if the chosen situation occur, is that it is harder for the attacker to score. Note that this bonus only applies on direct finishing attempts and not on secondary situations when the ball bounces around in the penalty box, as these situations by definition are unpredictable.

Areas to focus on:

Flanks
Centre
Long shots
Set pieces

Details:
If a free kick results in a long shot towards goal, it's still regarded as a set piece, not a long shot for keeper focus purposes. The effect of this setting is about a denomination.

By using positions like Winger or Offensive Midfielder the manager has the power to direct more passes to that player. This can be rather powerful as the manager can pick his star player as the target in midfield.

There are additional effects by using more than one of these positions. If using more than one Winger, the chance for counterattacks for their squad will increase and they will always be dangerous. If using more than one Offensive Midfielder, the chance for winning with a clear margin increases in the centre and by using a combination of an OM and a W, the chance of these players getting the ball is even more increased than if using only one of them. The drawback is that each of these positions give away an opportunity (see match engine for details).

Using one or two Defensive Midfielders gives away one opportunity. The DM has much higher chance of being the defensive player in the centre.

Only one attacker and one midfielder can be Isolated or Marked at any one time. Flank defenders are not possible to Isolate/Mark as midfielders as their running on the flanks is too erratic. Isolating/Marking a single attacker has no effect.

The effect of Isolation is that you try to cut off angles to the player, giving him half the amount of passes (for midfielders in midfield and for attacker in the penalty box) during normal play. The effect of marking is that you try to have an extra eye on that player so your guys are fast on him, giving an extra denomination in assistance.

As always there is a drawback. If you Isolate/Mark a midfielder the opponent will get an extra opportunity. If you Isolate/Mark an attacker you will have on less denomination in assistance when facing any other attacker(s) your opponent has fielded and they also get better angles to score. Isolating/Marking an attacker when his partner is almost as skilled is therefore often a mistake.

Details:
If a striker that is Isolated gets targeted with passes through the midfield order Target Striker, the effect will be that the attacker is considered Marked.

The team captain's role is important because it makes your squad perform a little better. Positive personality traits and high experience are needed for them to be effective. You may change who the team captain is for each match, but a player who recently joined your team would be a less effective (25%-100%) captain until they have spent at least one player year in the club. A newly drafted youth player from your scout does not suffer this "newly bought" penalty as he is loyal to his club, and the National Team is immune to these issues. If your captain doesn't play or is removed from the pitch mid-game, the vice-captain will resume the responsibility. If you don't choose a captain then your assistant will choose one for you.

The captain will contribute to your team in three ways. The first is to organize the squad by raising the effective experience level of the team - especially amongst the least experienced players. The second is to talk to the referee and calm things down to reduce the number of yellow cards and suspensions. The third way is to rally your squad in the second half if you're behind and make them play more effective offensively.

The captain will boost 66% of an experience level for each positive personality trait he has (in excess to the negative he has), and that boost applies to each individual player on the pitch. This effect is 33%, however, once a teammate has at least half of the captain's experience level, and if the teammate has higher experience than the captain, then the boost is 25%. If the captain has the "Team Player" personality trait, he is extra good at this task.

You will notice in the match report when your captain steps in to talk to the referee. Just be careful as a bad captain (see further below) will cause MORE cards than otherwise. If the captain has the "Charming" personality trait he is extra good at this task.

So you're behind in the second half and want the squad to push forward for the equalizer? The captain will do his best to get the lads going by giving you a maximum of two extra opportunities, but because you are pushing hard to get the equalizer, you will also give up a maximum of two opportunities to your opponent. If you don't start losing till towards the end of the second half, you may not have the chance to use both opportunities and will only use one or sometimes none. A captain who has time to spare in his rally might make the opportunities created extra dangerous.

Much is probably intuitive, but we list exactly what affects what below. Remember that negative effects accumulate just like positive ones, and it's quite possible for a captain to be worse for the squad than without him

Positive

Charming (double bonus to counter yellow cards)
Confident
Extrovert
Loyal
Resolute (double bonus to rally)
Team player (double bonus to boosting xp)

Negative

Diva (only negative when rallying)
Egoist (double penalty to boosting xp)
Nervous
Obnoxious (double penalty to countering cards)
Reserved
Turncoat

You can set orders that will come into effect when the conditions you defined are true. This is the best way to simulate the interaction of a coach in an online game without forcing managers to sit by their computers during the match.

As long as a condition is true, the orders in that conditional order will be executed or maintained, but the order will not be undone just because the condition is no longer untrue. You must make another conditional order for that.

if/if not Drawing
if/if not Leading by x goals
if/if not Trailing by x goals
if/if not minute x (or later)
if/if not half time
if/if not Our player
if/if not Opponent player
if/if not Opponent formation
if/if not Statistics
if/if not Opponent Statistics

Each order has a speed rating to them; "s" stands for slow (5 minutes), "m" for medium (3 minutes), and "q" for quick (1 minute). The minutes given are both for preparation of the order and consolidation afterwards.

While an order consolidates, no other conditional order will be processed. If you only set a minute as condition, or you set a minute and another condition that has been in effect a while, the order will be executed at that minute as you can remove the preparation time.

Change a Team Order (s)
Move a player (m)
Substitute a player for another (m)
Change target of Isolate or Marking (m)
Change any or all of a players orders (q)

You can tie any amount of orders to a condition (or group of conditions). If you tie more than one order to a condition, all orders will come in effect at the slowest order possible. For example if you give order to change player order, substitute a player and move a player to another position - all orders would take 3 minutes to prepare and 3 minutes to consolidate. This is far more effective than making several separate conditional orders.

You can also set an order to be crucial. This means that if this order collides with a conditional order of higher priority it will not be carried out (as usual), but also no other orders in that conditional order will be executed either.

This is when there are orders in two sets of conditional orders that collide. If this happens, the highest priority conditional order will always be the order that is carried out or is maintained. Orders conflict if they are of the same type and simply cannot be carried out at the same time.

Each side is allowed three substitutions of outfielders and two substitutions of goalkeepers. This is more than in real life, but we feel that the game benefits of allowing extra keeper substitutions outweighs the drawback of not copying real life. The players will substitute based on separate conditional orders set by the manager. A player is only eligeble to come in as a substitute if he has been on the bench since the start of the match.

When you add a conditional order it will be set as highest priority as default. You can alter the priority of conditional orders by using the arrows next to them. As long as a condition in a higher priority conditional order is true, no other conflicting orders in lower priority conditional orders will be carried out.

There are primarily offensive manager settings for free kicks and corner, while the defence are looking predictable actions for the offence. The manager can exploit bad aerial or midfield defence, or target keepers with low Interception or vulnerability to long shots. If the manager doesn't make any specific orders, the team will do their best to vary their choices to keep the defence wondering.

The team picks the best four offensive aerial players as possible receivers for the high pass into the box from free kicks or corners. The best set piece taker will be assigned dependent on whether there will be a long shot or pass. The best four defensive aerial players are paired against the offensive players (the best vs. the best, the 2nd best vs. the 2nd best and so on) and assistance is calculated dependent on the involved players. The keeper can intercept the pass as in normal play and all passes durin set pieces is as dangerous as if the midfielder would have won his challenge with clear margin during normal play. Simple? Now to the manager options!

Default is to have one order called "Assistant Coach's choice" where the team varies their set pieces to keep the defence on their toes. The manager can add other, more customized, options to target the weakness of the defence. Each option has the same probability to be chosen and if more than one option exist, the team will make sure not to pick the same as last one. The team will always follow the order of the manager.

Long shot
This setting only works during free kicks from the centre. Much like a normal long shot except that the keeper has put a wall to protect the goal. If the attacker beats the wall (check BC vs. 1.5*OR), the bonus from Organization will be nullified.

Short Play
By passing to midfield first, the high pass into the box comes from a better position and the midfielder can target the two best aerial players instead of four. There will be a challenge in midfield between one of the two best offensive minded midfielders vs. one of the two best defensive minded midfielders. Can be combined with Near/Far post, but not Flick on.

Near/far post
By putting the pass at the near post will make it impossible for the keeper to intercept the pass, but will cause the header to be made from a bad angle. Putting the pass at the far post will give the keeper plenty of time (+15 Interception) to intercept the ball, but if he doesn't he might face a header from a good or really good angle. This setting is mutually exclusive with the "flick on" setting.

Flick on
By letting another player flick the ball on into the box the situation in the penalty box becomes more chaotic. The pairing of attacking and defensive players is messed up, meaning the best attacking player might as well face the fourth best defender as the best. The quality of the pass (affecting assistance) will be the average of the set piece taker and the flick on passes. The player who flicks on, will not be challenged by a defender. This setting is mutually exclusive with near/far post and Short Play and gives a bad angle to the finisher.

Restart
Sometimes the offence finds itself outplayed during set pieces and find it better to play the ball back and restart the opportunity.

Although not necessary, as the team usually picks quite relevant players for each function, the manager can assign a priority of ten players for several functions (marked with "selectable" below). See the list below for available functions. Note that although you can increase the chance for the best attackers to get the ball in the box, you cannot choose to always target the one you want.

Aerial receivers
Both skill in finishing and reception in the air.

Aerial challengers
Best challenging in the air.

Flick on (selectable)
Best passer in the air that is not picked to be one of the two best receivers in the box.

Set piece taker (selectable)
Best in Passing and preferably some Scoring.

Penalty taker (selectable)
Read the section about penalty kicks.

Long shooter (selectable)
The player with highest Long shot ability (lowest of Scoring and Passing)

Short Play (selectable)
The midfielder with the best sum of Passing, Ball Control and Offensive Positioning for the offensive player and sum of Tackling and Defensive Positioning for the defensive midfielder.

If the offence repeats a certain set piece version Far/middle/near or flick on the offence is regarded as being predictable in the penalty box giving a +2 denominations bonus to the defence. If repeating Short Play, the predictability bonus is given in midfield (although the set piece can be predictable in the penalty box at the same time) and if repeating long shots (when possible), the keeper gets +10 positioning bonus.

The defence can pick one of Far/middle/near post, short play or flick on, and can also predict a long shot from the centre. If the prediction is correct, the attack will get a "predictability" effect the first set piece, similar to the one they get the following set pieces when they repeat themselves. During the first set piece, if the defence guessed correctly about a short play, the offence will be regarded as predictable both in midfield and penalty box.

The keeper gets a bonus from Organization (0.25*OR) to his Interception skill and to the Positioning skill versus long shot (unless the shooter rounds the wall).

Both offence and defence has use of Offensive and Defensive Positioning during set pieces, although not as much as during normal play due to the crowded situation. Instead the player with best Offensive and Defensive Positioning gets an advantage in the duel (difference/4). If the defender is at enough disadvantage, he will be shown as only being close.

The average of offensive and defensive positioning is used to modify the penalty box challenge during a set piece, although its importance is about 25% of the main reception and challenge skill. If the positioning of the offensive player really makes a difference for the outcome the defender is sometimes displayed as being only “close”.

Freekick strives to give the match engine a feel of realism, while offering a variety of clear tactical options for managers to indulge in. The focus of the match report is to be informative so the recipes for success can be analyzed. We can with confidence say that our simulation is the best on the market.

Any serious match simulation takes the quality of players and tactical options into account in the match. But few try to simulate the essence of football to enable the managers to make intuitive and football like decisions for their squad. Instead simulations are usually restricted to the game genre and lose their football feeling for anyone who knows the sport. While we do simplify parts of the simulation to make it enjoyable as a game, we believe we rise above the flaw of forgetting what we simulate.

One important, unique aspect of our match engine is that we describe the opportunity part in detail and that the challenges you read about actually occur in the simulation. As FreeKick is bound to no nonsense reports it limits the possibility to flavour comments within the report as everything written there actually occurs in the simulation. If the detail isn't covered in the simulation it cannot be reported according to the no nonsense policy.

Each side gets approximately the same amount of opportunities unless their tactics stipulate otherwise. In this occasion, we disregard the quality of the players and formation of each side as they will get their chance to prove themselves within the opportunities. This practice gives both managers the chance to analyze what went wrong just like an expert would.

The opportunity can be simplified as four steps; starting, midfield, penalty box and goal attempt. The opportunity starts with a pass, dribble or counterattack that brings the ball to the offensive part of the midfield. If the attacking side keeps the ball they will likely try to bring the ball into the box to go for goal. If the defence fails to conquer the ball, the attackers will try to score with the goalkeeper as the last obstacle.

It's fair to call the description in the last paragraph simplified as every player has orders given by the manager that might alter this four step description somewhat(long shots, seek corner...) and the effect of an action might also complicate the opportunity (rebounds, set pieces, counter attacks...). It's not necessary to make advanced choices to win matches, but it is often the best way to utilize specific players.

We also take into consideration that football is a team sport. Although stars are important at any place on the pitch, they are influenced by how good help they have from their team mates. Besides the obvious importance of a great pass, we also take into account the abstract part of football that only the experts usually comment. We see this as quite intuitive, but we explain the thoughts behind the zones in a separate chapter for you to indulge in.

During the match the conditional orders of the manager can come into effect. These orders are given before the match and come into effect when their condition (leading with 2 goals and/or in a certain minute for example) is true. Once again these settings are not necessary to win, but playing more offensive when behind in the second half can lead to an equalizer or even turn the game around. Substituting tired players are also a common conditional order.

Tactical options are described under "Tactics" and we suggest that you read through that section carefully for a good understanding of the tools that are available. FreeKick is a strategic game and it's quite possible to lose while having the best squad if one neglects the match tactics or don't understand the essence of the match simulation.

Details:
The quality of player actions in the match report are described in denominations based on the players skills. Although the denominations in the match report can deviate a fair amount, the average is still the player skill denomination (modified by form and stamina). Other influences to a player action are not incorporated into the match report denomination (such as the zone or positioning influence on a goalie's saving attempt).

Each side will get a base number of eight opportunities to try to get past the midfield and penalty box of the opponent in order to score a goal. A comparison of midfield skills can add up to four opportunities to the stronger side. Skills used for this comparison is Passing and the lowest average of the offensive pairs (OP+BC) and the defensive pairs (DP+TA). Unless otherwise stated, only the skills of midfielders are used.

Using advanced positions (W, OM, DM) or the Isolate tactical option will give away opportunities to the opponent. Although this is a clear disadvantage for the side using these settings, the upside of directing or diverging opportunities from certain players in midfield is worth it.

There are also opportunities that are dedicated to specific positions. Each Forward or Striker will get an opportunity each and Wing Backs get at least one opportunity if they have decent or higher in Constitution. A Wing Back with Awesome Constitution can even get four personal opportunities, but remember that position based opportunities always will be given to that position.

Although all opportunities will appear during the 90 minutes a full match is scheduled for (and additional ones will be calculated if extra time), the exact amount of opportunities will be recalculated when changes to lineups/tactics force it during the match. If one side uses "isolate" for instance, the other side will get one opportunity for 90 minutes. If that setting is only effect for 45 minutes, then there is only 50% that it will result in an opportunity. Fractions of opportunities will be chances to receive them. This includes flank defenders with a Constitution skill between the target number to get another opportunity.

Opportunities are started by passes or sometimes (if Ball Control is higher than Passing) with dribbles. If the player who starts the opportunity is inadequate in his offensive skills (compared with opponent midfielders), then he risks to start the opportunity with a long pass. The drawback with that is that such a pass never can be beneficial to the assistance calculation (although it still can be negative).

Details:
When in a clear lead, the winning side tend to lose concentration. As a result the leaders won't produce as many opportunities as otherwise expected. If the clear lead is lost, the squad will snap back to reality and go back to normal.

Most counterattacks are made from midfield where using two wingers or the Opportunistic team order will increase the chance of achieving them. Using both will cause dangerous (+5 OP and BC) counter attacks. The chance of a counter attack is caused by a midfielder winning the challenge in midfield with a clear margin. If the counterattack isn't marked as dangerous, the counter attack doesn't differ from a normal opportunity besides how it occurred.

Defenders with weak or higher passing might counter attack from the penalty box. A keeper that saves a shot or header with a clear margin and controls the ball well might also start a counterattack. Both these situations are less likely to occur than countering from the midfield.

Details:
The number of counter attacks for each side during full time is limited to four in midfield, one for the keeper and one for the central defenders.

When a player wins an offensive challenge with over two and half denominations it is regarded as "clear margin". The calculation includes both the reception and the positioning duel, where the latter has lesser importance. Also take into account "Drawback for extremely offensive midfielders" and that wing backs have much more easy to get clear margin.

Players will put extra effort into challenges now and then. They do this when it's needed to add that little extra to come out on top in a situation or to better the odds; they are more likely to do this if they grasp that the situation will get dangerous defensively if they don't. The referee is infallible, which means that he sees everything. As the players never foul on purpose, the referee sometimes lets things pass, but he always keep track of the player actions and won't let them get away with repeated actions.

Putting extra effort into a situation can raise the skill effect with up to two denominations if needed to come out on top, but players seldom misjudge their effort that much and the referee is more likely to blow his whistle the rougher the play is. In positioning duels a player can put effort into getting closer or getting away. Note that regardless of positioning duels, ball control versus tackling, Aerial versus Aerial or any other situation – both the defending player and the attacking player can foul (although not at the same time). Certain personalities, abilities and experience affect fouling. Read more about this in their respective manual chapters.

The injury system is balanced to avoid too much good or bad luck. This means that a player will only be injured a certain number of times during a season (assuming playing all league matched) based on his Constitution skill. In other words: the more minutes a player plays the higher risk of injury. So if a player is injured in the first match of the season he will be injured one time less for the reminder of the season. Which players (if any) that was injured during the match is displayed in the post-match line-up, but a complementary club news is also sent to the manager of the injured player(s).

If you, for instance, field a squad of outfielders with 35 in Constitution you would have about two injuries a match, if they had 45 in Constitution you could expect about one a match and if all your players had a Constitution value of over 65 you would seldom have injuries. A player is usually injured a full week. Since the keeper has no Constitution stat, it is assumed to be 45 for this purpose (both senior and youth). Players at the Wing Back position runs higher risk of injuries as that position uses Constitution for performance purposes. It’s also worth mentioning that the risk for injuries is halved during the part of the match where it's too uneven (one side has a clear lead).

We try to avoid that both attackers or both central defenders gets injured in the same match. Only one attacker and central defender may be injured on the pitch at the same time. If the club substitutes, it's still possible to get more than one player of each type injured. It's possible to get three players injured in any given match, where at least one will be a light injury.

The effect of getting injured always lasts one week from the match the player was injured in. If the injury is represented by a red cross, the player cannot participate in competition matches the upcoming week. If the injury is represented by a yellow cross, then the player (if he is an outfielder) has a 20 (-10 for youth) constitution penalty for the purpose of calculating fatigue (not for the purpose to resist further injuries) in the upcoming competition matches. Keepers with yellow cross injuries are instead worn down by shots much quicker than normal. There is 50% chance of an injury being light (yellow) instead of serious (red).

When a player commits a foul, there is a risk that he will receive a reprimand or a yellow card. Obnoxious players are being booked more often and can even talk themselves into a card without actually fouling anyone. Charming players sometimes talk themselves out of situations. Once a player receives a yellow card he will not foul in that match again as players in FreeKick don't foul on purpose and never as severe as to receive a red card straight away. Accumulating two yellow cards (in separate matches) will lead to the player being suspended for one match, but both yellow cards and suspensions are reset at the end of season.

The first chance to score for the penalty taker is if the keeper fails to go in the right direction.

Modification for the keeper:

Master of set pieces
Reliable
Confident
Quick
Nervous (negative)
Attacker is Master of Set Pieces (negative)

The second issue is whether the penalty taker actually hits goal. This is something that the taker should be able to do, but sometimes doesn't.

Modification for the penalty taker:

Confident
High Experience
Reliable
Nervous (negative)
Keeper is going in the right direction (negative)
Low Experience (negative)
Artistic (negative)

The keeper gets a chance to save the ball if he goes in the right direction. The penalty taker uses the two best out of Experience, Passing, Scoring and Ball Control to take the shot. There is some balancing going on between these skills to (for example) simulate that you need technique to be able to use full Scoring or Passing. The keeper uses an average of (half of his) Experience, Reflexes and Interception.

Modification for the penalty taker:

Master of Set Pieces
Artistic
Confident
Nervous (negative)

Modification for the keeper:

Master of Set Pieces
Reliable
Confident
Quick
Nervous (negative)

The keeper or posts may cause rebounds that are relevant if it's a penalty within the match, but not during a shoot out after extra time. The control skill has the same impact as versus normal shots, which means that the keeper can fumble the ball.

A player needs to be "warmed up" in order to be effective in taking or saving penalties. The reason for this is mainly game dynamical - it shouldn't be effective to aim for draw and substitute penalty takers or savers the last few minutes of the match. In order to avoid reduced penalty taking efficiency, the player need to have been on the pitch for at least 15 minutes. The shorter the time on the pitch the higher disadvantage will be.

A player that is better at shooting from the ground will always take the ball down to get the best chance to score, and a player with higher Aerial than Scoring will not bring the ball down. A player that receives a high pass and has close to equal Scoring and Aerial will sometimes make volley shots. These shots are harder to anticipate for the keeper, giving him a penalty of 10 to his positioning attempt.

When running into positioning to receive a high pass, the player actually need to understand something about aerial play (compared to his opponent) to be able to time his run optimally. Basically, if his effective Aerial reception skill is way lower than the effective aerial challenge skill of the defender, the defender will get a bonus to Defensive Positioning.

Details:
For each point over 15 that the attacker effectively has lower Aerial skill than the defender, the latter will get +1 Defensive Positioning in order to catch the attacker up to a maximal bonus of +15.

If the assistance in midfield is high defensively (good or above), the attacking midfielder might be forced to perform a hasty action, reducing passing/dribble quality with one denomination.

When an attacking player faces a defender with more than double the positioning skill than he has, he is in trouble. For every point of Defensive Positioning skill the defender has above double the attacker's Offensive Positioning, he will get +1 in effective Tackling/Areal. This is especially important in the midfield flanks, where the defensive Positioning only needs to be 50% higher to start getting bonus. This is marked as the defender being "prepared" in the match report.

The same is true for a player facing an opponent with double the Tackling compared to his Ball Control, although it's the defending players positioning that gets a bonus. For inferior technique it's in the centre midfield that the difference only needs to be 50% for the positioning to get a bonus. Also, the penalty for inferior technique isn't applied in the penalty box (as low Ball Control has other penalties there).

Details:
As an example, if a player with 20 BC faces a player with 50 TA in one of the flanks, then the defending player would get +10 (50-2x20)in the positioning duel because the bad technique slowed the attacking midfielder down. If the duel was in the centre, then the defending player would get +20 (50-1.5*20).

If the attacker loses the positioning duel versus the defenders he will have to make it up by winning the control challenge with an equal amount. If he doesn't, his effective Ball Control that he can use to compare with the keepers position will be reduced by that amount and a 50% added. Note that this does not affect whether he gets to finish or not, only how hard or easy it is for the keeper to predict the shot.

Example:
Assume that your player loses the position duel with 30 versus the defenders and win the control challenge with the defenders with 20. The difference is 10 and it is increased by 50% which makes the sum 15. This is the amount that the finishing player gets subtracted to his Ball Control when trying to fool the keeper. If he had 80 in Ball Control, his effective Ball Control would be (80-15) 65.

If an attacker has lower Scoring than 66% of his Ball Control he will not be as skilled at fooling the keeper as his Ball Control indicates. He will only be able to use half his Ball Control over the limit to fool the keeper. Note that this has only bearing for the purpose of fooling the keeper and not for the purpose of beating the challenge of the defender.

If the keeper is pummelled by shots he will sooner or later make a mistake. He tends to tighten his act after conceding a goal though. Likewise the finishers tend to lose focus if their side is ahead by several goals, making the goal attempts less lethal.

We regard Passing as the skill that defines how much you know of midfield play. This means that if the passing of a player is much lower than the other skills, that player won't be able to use them to their full extent. This creates a difference between midfielders and the players that operate in the penalty box, but it still keeps the flexibility of most players which allows them to play at different positions. This might feel a bit complex, but ensures an exciting and interesting midfield game.

You can see how your players look by clicking the MF Skills at your player list or by simply putting a player at a position outside the penalty box in a lineup. If Passing is the highest skill of the player, no adjustment is needed. For exact formulas, check the details. This adjustment is true even if the midfielder moves into the penalty box for some reason (by dribbling or flank defenders assisting a single central defenders). No player is adjusted during set pieces.

Details:
BC is restricted to 150% PA, and OP at 100% PA. If BC is 125-150% PA, then OP can be 100-125% of PA, for a total maximum OP and BC of 250%. This means that if BC is lower than 125% of PA, then OP is restricted to 125% of PA. The player can only use 20% of the skill over that restriction.

To adjust Tackling and Defensive Positioning we use 2.5*PA or 1.25*PA + 1.25*BC (whichever highest). The highest of Tackling and Defensive Positioning is reduced first to meet the midfield adjusted sum in order to create balanced defensive skills. The player can only use 20% of the skill over that restriction.

Of course, extreme midfielders will either be very skilled at getting through or very skilled at stopping the opponent. The drawback of this is of course that the players will be incompetent at the other area (defensively or offensively). In addition to this, there is a secondary drawback to their strong point. Note that this rule doesn't apply to attackers when they appear in midfield.

For the purpose of offensive contribution and to make counterattacks, the midfielder cannot use more Tackling and Defensive Positioning than he has Ball Control and Offensive Positioning. For the purpose of achieving a clear margin, the midfielder cannot use more Offensive Positioning and Ball Control than twice his Tackling and Defensive Positioning.

To avoid attacker types that are non-intuitive, the position cannot their full Ball Control, Aerial or Offensive Position if it’s higher than two times the Scoring value. The part of those skills that exceeds two times Scoring will be halved. That means (for example) that if the attacker has a Scoring value of 40 and 100 in Offensive Positioning of 100, he will effectively only be able to use 90 in the latter skill.

A finishing attempt may be attempted from a bad/good or really bad/good angle for several reasons: demand of a certain type of pass, defender orders, being dominated in a positioning duel or because of the keeper having very high or low Interception skill versus a high pass.

Details:
Finishing from a good angle makes the shot seven (7) points harder to save, a bad angle makes the shot seven (7) points easier to save, and a really bad or good angle means that the effect is doubled to fourteen (14).

If your attackers have high understanding for playmaking (Passing Skill) and the central defenders they face does not, then the receiving attacker (or possible midfielder who dribbled into the box) might find an opening pass that render the other one totally free with the keeper. This isn’t common. It can only happen if the effective Passing skill of the two best attackers is higher than the Passing skill of two best defenders, and even if there is large margin it is unlikely to happen more than once in a match. But when it happens it’s a powerful action.

The attackers cannot use more Passing than they have in Scoring. The attacker who could receive the opening pass can also not use more Passing skill than his Offensive Positioning. Opening passes can never be found when controlling free balls. To have one really good playmaking attacker is more important than to have two pretty good ones. But if the 2nd best playmaking attacker is really bad in Passing (compared to the defenders), then the chance of an opening pass happening is greatly reduced.

FreeKick takes the individual skill of each player into consideration in the match simulation. Just like in real life, the star players are very important as they can break through the defence all by themselves and score, or stop most attacks on their side of the pitch almost single-handedly. We do not, however, forget that football is a team effort. Whenever two players battle it out they will be influenced by an assistance value calculated from the capabilities of their team mates.

We describe how much assistance (zone) the defence get in every opportunity, using the denominations you are used to. If the defensive player gets an assistance rating lower than Decent, then the offensive player has an advantage, while if the defensive player gets an assistance level of Decent or better, it means that he gets help from his team mates to tame the attack.

Players support each other according to position and side of the pitch. The players that are involved in a reception and challenge are not included in the assistance calculation as they are the one getting supported. The supporting players qualities are compared with each other and the side that is stronger will reward their active player with a bonus.

Details:
The maximum bonus or penalty a player can get from assistance is 25 (in other words almost three denominations). The value is first added to the position duel (if needed) and the remainder to the challenge.

The skills that affect what assistance are mostly the ones your player needs in the challenge. If your player is attacking he uses Offensive Positioning and Ball Control to try to beat the Defensive Positioning and Tackling of the opponent (Aerial is of course important in the air). The better the team mates of the active player in comparison with the team mates of the active player of the opponent, the more advantageous the assistance will be for your player.

In excess to this, the quality of the pass (or sometimes dribble) will influence assistance. The pass is compared to the Organization of the keeper if the pass is made into the box and when it's made as an opportunity starter it's compared to the general quality of the involved sides to know if the assistance should be raised or lowered.

The midfield is large and therefore a player doesn't get full support from all his midfield team mates. When the play is in the centre, the support primarily comes from the assisting centre midfielder (or DM/OM) and in the flanks the support primarily comes from the assisting flank defender or flank midfielder (or W). But the sections of the midfield aren't waterproof - there is secondary assistance from adjacent parts. This means (for example) that when the play is in the right side, the centre midfielders will be of some importance for the assistance as well.

The penalty box is usually made out of two attackers and two defenders, and naturally the player of each side that isn't the active one will support the other. Besides this, the four midfielders with the best offensive values will each support their attacker, while the flank defenders and the best two of their comrade midfielders will support their defender. The midfield support, although it consists of four players, is as important as the support the active player gets from his penalty box team mate.

If only using one attacker or central defender, an additional midfielder will assist him (of equal importance as each of the other four midfielders) to compensate for the missing attacker/defender. Flank defenders are able to assist to the offensive penalty box for this purpose.

Details:
If using more than two central midfielders (including DMs or OMs), Defenders or attackers, the least valuable player will only assist half as much as normal. When the passing quality is compared to Organization skill during passes into the box, the latter is multiplied with 1.5 to make the comparison fair. Flank defenders will normally not be counted as any of the four midfielder that contribute to the offensive penalty box.

The fact that Defensive Positioning and Tackling (Aerial) assists a bit offensively in midfield is worth mention in a section by itself. It might be surprising, but is meant to simulate that knowledge of defence is an important part of team play in midfield. This is the only case where the active player is allowed to assist as well. Only midfielders (not flank defenders or wing backs) contribute with defensive skills and the importance is about a quarter as much as one of the offensive skills.

When calculating the zones we regard values below decent as bad. That means that the player with such low skills will contribute less to assisting his team mates as the number would indicate. When the player is the active attacker or defender he can use his full strength, it's only in zone calculations we penalize low values.

Details:
Even players are better than uneven ones when it comes to the zone calculations. While a value of 40 or 60 is just that, the value 20 is (for example) only worth 10 when it comes to helping team mates.

The schedule is server time, but it is adjusted for each leagues local time. Also note that the times mentioned is when processes start, not when they are finished. Matches, for instance, starts at 12:00 at weekends but can take about an hour before they get finished.

Day	Start time (CET)	Event
Monday
	8:00	Form Update
	10:00	Training, Potential Gain and Deterioration
	18:00	Senior National Team Matches
	18:00	Youth National Team Matches

Tuesday
	10:00	Training, Potential Gain and Deterioration
	12:00	Salary Update
	15:00	Customized Competitions
	18:00	Youth International Cup Matches
	18:00	Youth Shadow Cup Matches

Wednesday
	10:00	Training, Potential Gain and Deterioration
	18:00	International Cup Matches
	18:00	Shadow Cup Matches

Thursday
	10:00	Training, Potential Gain and Deterioration
	18:00	Customized Competitions
	18:00	League Cup Matches

Friday
	10:00	Training, Potential Gain and Deterioration
	12:00	Economy Update
	18:00	Customized Competitions
	18:00	Friendly Matches

Saturday
	10:00	Potential Gain
	12:00	Youth League Matches
	12:00	The FreeKick Gazette

Sunday
	10:00	Potential Gain
	12:00	Senior League Matches
	12:00	The FreeKick Gazette

Time	League
-7
-7	Mexico
-6
	Canada
	Colombia
	Peru
	USA
	Venezuela
-5
	Bolivia
	Chile
	Paraguay
-4
	Argentina
	Brazil
	Uruguay
-2
-2	Poland
-1
	England
	Iceland
	Ireland Republic
	Portugal
	Scotland
	Spain
	Wales
CET
	Albania
	Austria
	Belgium
	Bosnia-Herzegovina
	Croatia
	Czech Republic
	Denmark
	France
	Germany
	Hungary
	Italy
	Netherlands
	Norway
	Serbia
	Slovakia
	Slovenia
	Sweden
	Switzerland
+1
	Belarus
	Bulgaria
	Estonia
	Finland
	Greece
	Israel
	Latvia
	Lithuania
	Moldova
	Romania
	Ukraine
+2
+2	Russia
+3
	Georgia
	Turkey
+4
+4	India
+5
+5	Mixed
+6
	Indonesia
	Vietnam SR
+7
	China PR
	Chinese Taipei
	Hong Kong
	Malaysia
	Singapore
+9
+9	Australia
+11
+11	New Zealand

FreeKick strives to have a rich community. We will do our part in providing the tools, but it is up to you, the managers, to make this game an interesting place for discussions and bragging. We are active at forums to answer questions or study reports about possible bugs, but don't expect us to answer every single question.

The forum has a main, international part, with named sections. This is always viewable by all users. There are also national sections that can be chosen at forum/settings if you want to view and write in them. Your own country section is always pre-selected from start. Abide to the rules and you will have a lot of fun in the forum.

Federations give the opportunity for a community within the community. All users can be a member of a federation, although VIP managers can be members of more at the same time and can create their own federations. All federations have a private forum section with separate moderation. All new managers are added to the newbie federation, but can change at any time. Official federations doesn't count to federation total.

Federations are compared with each other in top lists concerning topics as ranking, TOTO, Fan mood and more. At the members section each member can follow his place in the federation as well. In the future, Customized Competitions will be linked to their respective (if existing) federations.

Will you be able to have a whole flag collection or stay at a measly single digit percentage of the FreeKick countries? Capturing the flag is one of the off core activities in the game. You don’t have to make an effort (even though you can’t avoid capturing some flags on the way anyhow) and your club won’t do worse or better because of which flags you capture. Some things are just fun!

When you face a club you capture their country flag. You will keep it as long as that club stays active and you can only store one flag of each nation at any one time. So if the first Swedish (for example) you faced go inactive, you will have to go out to fetch a new one. If you are industrious enough you will catch all flags in FreeKick. We only display the flags of the FIFA countries that currently have users in the game.

For every recruit you bring into Freekick who signs up as a VIP manager, you will receive six (6) free VIP Credits EVERY MONTH as long as that recruit keeps their VIP! That means that as an example, if you recruit five friends and they all become VIP managers, then you will receive thirty (30) VIP Credits for FREE every month! If one of those five friends stops their VIP, then you will receive 24 VIP Credits every month.

Instead of forcing people to pay for the wonderful world of FreeKick we offer everyone to play it for free. This will give you the opportunity to try FreeKick for as long as you wish and when you are ready you can upgrade your game and become a VIP Manager.

The VIP Managers are the core of the players, and they will benefit from a variety of fun and atmosphere-building features as well as aids in analyzing the result of managerial decisions. A VIP has NO in-game advantage compared to an ordinary manager, but as a VIP you will enjoy more fun features. As the VIP Features get better we will integrate some of the lesser features into the ordinary game. We also give all new managers two months as VIP Manager for free so they can try out the VIP features.

With this concept a new manager does not have to become VIP right away as their team will develop in the same pace as if he was VIP. But he will miss out of a lot of fun! The main reason to acquire VIP Manager is that you will, for a small fee, get access to a variety of aids and features that will make FreeKick even more fun and interesting.

Another reason is that you will support us at FreeKick to continue to develop and enhance the game for everyone's enjoyment. Compared to what you pay for other games or amusements, we charge you very little. Try the game for free and if you like it we recommend that you check out what features VIP Manager offers. We guarantee that you will find the game to be even more fun!

You find all necessary information under VIP Lounge/Become VIP. Basically, if you get us the funds we will add you. It's still a bit tricky to pay over the Internet, but if you have a credit card, bank account or guts to send an envelope you can become VIP.

As VIP you get the club house page full with cool features. You can graphically see your progress with all the trophies, make a neat match kit and and se all tournaments your participate in. You can make press releases and follow your friends response in the guest book. You see which managers that support your club, and can bookmark clubs, players and matches for future reference.

All VIP Managers have trophies for both club and player achievements. These are displayed at the club page as well as a menu option for each player. Mouse over a trophy explains why the trophy was given.

You can issue press releases, which are shown at your club page, as well as in your series and cup pages.

Managers that are your friends or managers that are impressed with your progress or just want to keep an eye on your club will bookmark your club. In the club page you can see who they are and perhaps return the favor.

Hard to keep track of all customized competitions you take part in? No problem! We list all tournaments and link to them at your club page.

The game is nothing without your opponents and friends. When you bookmark another club you can easily follow their progress from the club house and bookmark tab. You will also get directly links to their matches with match service.

All your own players are regarded as bookmarked, but you can also keep track of other players of importance and see how they develop. In the player bookmarks tab (accessible from club house) you can choose what areas you want to get club news about for each player you have bookmarked.

Configure your own match kit for your club. The match kit will be visible at your clubs home page as well as in the match report. Can you make the best looking kit?

Your club logo can be uploaded at the club page. Brings some feeling to the club.

Anyone (yes, even non-VIP) can write in your guest book and you can delete or comment the entries if you like.

Collections of relevant data can help you find new angles to your strategies! But it can also just be fun to spot random information and fun things. We keep adding new statistics areas to the game and we usually reserve it for VIP managers.

Average age, form fluctuations, specialities, and more for senior, youth and entire club. At this page you get summarized some (un)important information. Fun and quite useful. You can click a number and see what players that is behind the statistics.

Detailed statistics of how you and your opponent played the match. Fun, and quite useful when analyzing the match.

Pointless statistics are never pointless! At the player pages you find the statistic tab where you can find out information about given things like goal scored, assistance made and save percentage. But you will also find out more obscure things like how long it was since the player assisted, how often the player is close in positioning duels and what personal orders he usually is given.

You can see what and how much each player has trained since you acquired him. Data is split into average training days and raises for each player. Deteriorations and Potentials are also displayed.

All managers can access other clubs transfer histories, but with this little feature you can quickly see the recruits of the series you are in. The history goes back two weeks and shows sold, bought and recruited. You access this feature by clicking transfers at League view.

VIP Managers are not restricted to seeing only one season back, but will see statistics of all transfers made by a specific club.

Ever wondered how well different clubs performed in your series (or any other series) through the seasons? The marathon tab can be found at your series page and show wins, losses, draws, point average and so on for all clubs that ever set foot in the series. And you can also see where those clubs are now. Some might have promoted higher, while some have demoted.

It's all fine to know what you have paid and what your revenues are, but where do all these numbers come from? And what salary does every individual player have? As a VIP Manager you get good details. With this feature you can click each sum in the finance page and get a specification where the sum comes from.

When clicking on salaries you get a sortable list of your players and with their individual salary broken down into each part. You will easily see where the salary comes from and who has the highest salary parts.

You see all matches you played vs. the chosen club and who won lost and drew. You can also match any other clubs in your bookmark list and see their statistics. Choose to see competition matches or all matches.

Features that improves interaction with the community or enhances your position in it. FreeKick is a social game and finding the channels for your bragging rights is very important. As VIP you are supposed to be role model and that's easier with some extra stuff!

Start a federation where you invite your friends or just people in the game with similar interests. They can also see the information about your federation and apply. You get a forum section for yourself and can compete versus other federations.

You can issue press releases, which are shown at your club page, as well as in your series and cup pages.

Anyone (yes, even non-VIP) can write in your guest book and you can delete or comment the entries if you like.

The game is nothing without your opponents and friends. When you bookmark another club you can easily follow their progress from the club house and bookmark tab. You will also get directly links to their matches with match service.

Recommend forum threads to your bookmarked friends. They will get notifications about your recommendation and can get into the interesting discussion.

You can add a signature that will be attached to all your forum posts. You can also add a separate signature that will be attached to all your messages.

Personalize your messages by writing a signature that is added to all your in game mail.

As VIP, your avatar at profile page is displayed in all forums.

As a VIP you never run the risk of losing your account. As long as you are a VIP we guarantee that your team will always be here! And so can your friends!

Our hardcore managers gain access to more competitions. Although they don't bring you extra income or boost your players, it can boost your ego. The game is about friendly battle against other real life managers after all.

Instead of playing random friendlies, you might put the matches into context. Although this can be done without this feature, it makes it possible to record the success in the league/cup as well as supplying you with a application process for the tournament.

With the match viewer you can make matches a bit more exciting to watch. The text will scroll in the speed you choose and your player will be indicated if they are tired or being focused on.

Detailed statistics of how you and your opponent played the match. Fun, and quite useful when analyzing the match.

The game is nothing without your opponents and friends. When you bookmark another club you can easily follow their progress from the club house and bookmark tab. You will also get directly links to their matches with match service.

The game is nothing without the unique virtual players that handle the ball on the pitch. The features under this category is about giving them more personality and keeping track of their progress.

Your players have faces for everyone to see and you can see the faces of other players.

You may add nicknames for your favourite players.
The nickname will appear within "" between your players first and last name. A player can only be assigned a nickname once per season but it can always be removed (even by a non-VIP).

By giving your players a desired position you can easier keep track of them and the statistic page will also show more relevant information. Note that setting a desired position will not influence training or anything else. It is merely for labeling the player for your own good.

Player age and when you plan ahead it’s great to know what players that will be youth in one or two seasons. This feature works both as a mouse over and with color coding. Players that are green are playing their last season as youth. Blue means that they are youth one more season and then the colours go towards purple and pink to show more seasons. Mouse over the age will show how many seasons that are left if you are unsure about the colours.

You may add a note about your player, which will show for you at the player view. What are your plans for the player? Should you sell him once he get decent in scoring?

Pointless statistics are never pointless! At the player pages you find the statistic tab where you can find out information about given things like goal scored, assistance made and save percentage. But you will also find out more obscure things like how long it was since the player assisted, how often the player is close in positioning duels and what personal orders he usually is given.

You may assign a statement, which will be shown on mouse over on the player portrait.

At the training overview you can see how many training days your player(s) have accumulated without raising, as well as how much he had when he finally raised. You also gain access to the overview for all training days of all your players. Non-VIP have access to this page as well, but do not see the training days.

It's hard to be a brilliant tactician without the right player material and the transfer market is the main tool to get the players you want. As VIP we add a few features that saves time so you can spend more at other things. Or just do more transfers ;)

See how many has bid on the same player as you after your bid.

You can use an agent to bid for you instead of doing this yourself. Handy if you want to bid on that nice player in the middle of the night.

You set the percentage over the average bid that you want your bid to land (note that it is the resulting average bid AFTER your bid), and also how high you want to go.

The agent will never bid higher than it's possible that your opponents have bid (so if two players have bid and the average bid is $10, then the agent knows that that if one have bid the minimum amount $1 the other couldn't have bid more than $19, so a bid of $20 will always suffice, so even if the percentage above average the agent has been ordered to use would make the agent bid more than $20 he still wouldn't since he knows it's not necessary).

This is very handy if you want to put the players deadline to be a particular time. You can choose any time within the next seven days to transfer list your player. Normally the player get listed when you push the button, but this gives you more control.

Okay, so you didn't get the player you wanted. But this feature gives you a report about it, so you know what you missed. Nobody wanted to buy your player? At least now you get a note about it so you can decide if you want to kick the player or maybe put him on transfer again.

Most of us are creatures of habit. We make about the same types of transfer searches over and over and this feature helps you with the most common ones. You can save five favourite searches at transfer search and find that perfect player.

For a measly ten VIP credits you can advertise your player and market it for all other users. When they search for a player that matches yours, your player will be shown at the top of the search marked as “featured transfer”. The ad is valid for as long as the player is on the transfer market or ten days (if you market a player not on transfer).

This is features that assists you in making your tactics, analyzing the match or just enjoy it more. Saves time and helps you gain insight.

You see all matches you played vs. the chosen club and who won lost and drew. You can also match any other clubs in your bookmark list and see their statistics. Choose to see competition matches or all matches.

For those managers that want to play more than five matches a day or want to challenge clubs with high strength rating, there is a cost of five credits per match.

Detailed statistics of how you and your opponent played the match. Fun, and quite useful when analyzing the match.

With the match viewer you can make matches a bit more exciting to watch. The text will scroll in the speed you choose and your player will be indicated if they are tired or being focused on.

These are one time features that cost you credits to use. They can be used to add a little bit more to your experience. Like advertising a player or creating customized competitions.

For those managers that want to play more than five matches a day or want to challenge clubs with high strength rating, there is a cost of five credits per match.

You can create your own competitions. Customized by you to let you have the competition you always dreamed of. You can have a competition with your friends. Or what about a youth competition for your country? The game charges 2 credits for each played match in the customized competitions. If you get knocked out early in elimination stage, you get credits back! Yes, we are nice!

For a measly ten VIP credits you can advertise your player and market it for all other users. When they search for a player that matches yours, your player will be shown at the top of the search marked as “featured transfer”. The ad is valid for as long as the player is on the transfer market or ten days (if you market a player not on transfer).

Instead of having numbers for everything we usually replace values with denominations to give a better feel of how good your player is at certain skills, how he performs on the pitch or how popular your club is. You will see numbers where you really need to see them; when looking at your own players or at a transfer listed player for example.

Name	Short	Low	High
awesome	awe	90	100
brilliant	bri	80	89
superb	sup	70	79
excellent	exc	60	69
good	good	50	59
decent	dec	40	49
weak	weak	30	39
poor	poor	15	29
awful	awf	1	14

Name	Low	High
legendary	120
unbelievable	110	119
masterful	100	109
awesome	90	99
brilliant	80	89
superb	70	79
excellent	60	69
good	50	59
decent	40	49
weak	30	39
poor	15	29
awful	0	14
dreadful		-1

Name	Stars
Legendary	*****
Hero	*****
Dominant	*****
Important	****
Significant	***
Average (+)	**
Average	**
Average (-)	**
Insignificant	*
Pointless	-

Name
prepared
there
close
too late

Name
on the right spot
ready
hesitant
fooled
totally in the wrong position

The aim of the manual is to give you the basic information you need to play FreeKick. We don't indulge in extensive guides or examples to keep the rather long manual to a minimum, but you will find that other managers can provide you with help you need.

The manual, as the rest of the game, is made in English. If you are reading it in any other language, then it is thanks to our hard working translators. If some paragraphs still are in English, then it's because the translator is yet to translate that paragraph. If an explanation seems strange, consult the English manual and compare. Report typos and bugs in the English manual by mailing to us at info@freekick.org or by posting at forum. Contact the translator of your language for typos or bugs in a translated manual.

Introduction

Site Help

Getting started

Training

Lineup

Tutorial

Final Thoughts

Club

Strength Rating

Tactical Rating

Combined Rating

Fan Mood

Ranking

Scouting

Arena

Moments

Competition

League

Series per Division

The Premiership

Professional divisions

3rd division

Amateur divisions

Customized Competition

League Cup

International Cup

Friendlies

Quick Match

Toto

Predicting Matches

Finances

Sponsors

Attendance

Merchandize

Salaries

Hoarding Money

Nations

National Leagues

National Teams

Players

Skills

Goalkeeper skills

Reflexes (RE)

Goalkeeper Positioning (GP)

Interceptions (IN)

Control (CT)

Organisation (OR)

Outfielder Skills

Scoring (SC)

Offensive Positioning (OP)

Ball Control (BC)

Passing (PA)

Aerial (AE)

Constitution (CO)

Tackling (TA)

Defensive Positioning (DP)

Special Abilities

Ambidextrous

Anticipator

Artistic

Fair Player

Handsome

Master of Set Pieces

Playmaker

Powerful Legs

Quick

Reliable

Steadfast

Stopper

Sure Feet

Sure Hands

Tall

Tough

Personalities

Charming & Obnoxious

Cautious & Reckless

Extrovert & Reserved

Loyal & Turncoat

Confident & Nervous