da bwin： Even though still in its early stages of development, United London FC has seen good success in its fledgling campaigns and already has some very special qualities that make it a enticing club to support.
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The defining feature that separates United London FC from your typical football club is that ULFC puts the fans in the dugout. There is no Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte, or Arsene Wenger to scapegoat. Fans of United London FC are given the opportunity to select their own personal XI for each match that the club plays.
Like many sports fans, I will occasionally take my emotions out on my team’s manager when the side isn’t playing particularly well. We all know that there is actually a reason that our favourite clubs choose the people in charge (or so we believe when they’re initially hired). It’s because they are qualified to do what they do. But that doesn’t mean I can’t think I know every correct formation or squad selection that needs to be made (and usually never is).
Anyway, I wanted to check out what it really means to be put in the manager’s hot seat. So I created my starting XI for United London FC on their mobile app.
When you open it up you’ll see a newsfeed that features stories about the club, stats and a leaderboard for fans of the club based on the total points they’ve received for their respective XI.
Navigating through the app is very simple. You will be asked to login via Facebook or through your email. Then, there are four main modules to choose from while using the app. The ‘Manager’ tool is where you will be able to choose your own XI. When clicking on the football icon, you are brought to a screen that has a countdown clock for United London’s next match.
To create your XI, click ‘manage your team’. You’ll then be asked to choose your formation for the match – I decided to go with a 3-5-2 with the idea of having my left and right mids drop back (or stay forward) when needed. This formation always seems to work well for Conte at Chelsea and we’ve seen what they’ve done over the past year!
After I selected my XI, I was asked to choose my captain for the match against London APSA in the Essex Alliance Football League. I decided to make things interesting and elect goalkeeper Charlie Howson to wear the armband. Why? I like seeing the contrast of the band on the often-outrageous kits that the keepers wear! (OK, so maybe that’s not taken straight out of the book of ‘How to be a top Manager’! You can decide based on any number of stats ULFC has on their site).
How did I select my starting XI you say? Simple. Adjacent to the manager module is the team. You can scroll through the entire club to familiarise yourself with the squad.
After checking out the players and staff, I explored the rankings module. Here you will find stats for every player in the club and rankings for the club’s “managers” – other players like you and I who play the game. As you can see from the picture above, I decided to pick forwards Harry Chalk and Billy Texeira as my main men up front. Chalk and Texeira lead the club in goals scored. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Becoming a Manager of United London FC is that simple. You’re just a few easy steps away from being given the keys to a young and fast growing club. The app is available for both Apple and Android products and is free to download and play. No in-app purchases required.
Having the opportunity to become a manager of a real life football club is obviously something that was very hard – if not impossible – to achieve just a few short years ago. The chance to pick the team is great, but seeing the XI you’ve voted for run out on the pitch during post-match highlights is a real thrill – and one you can’t get anywhere else. To know that I had an influence on the match from my sofa is incredible.
This is a ground-breaking innovation and, in a time when the beautiful game is dominated by prawn sandwiches, seemingly-million pound season tickets and hairstyle-obsessed players, it’s refreshing to find a new club which is really all about the fans (‘Managers’). Their players are also hilarious, if you follow the club’s social media accounts.
It’s the perfect chance to invest your time in an ambitious football club from scratch.
Follow the club at www.unitedlondonfc.com