Choose from over 1,000 real clubs. Start at a local side playing in front of forty people on a roped-off pitch, or take charge of a full-time National League outfit pushing for the Football League.
Build a career across the whole pyramid — from Step 6 to the edge of the Football League.
Club selection · 1,000+ real clubs
Club profile
Team selection
Squad management
Fixtures · Spartan South Midlands League
Matchday · Whitby Town vs Matlock Town
You manage the football, the club, and the career. Here's what that means.
No TV cameras. No VAR. Just you, a dugout, and ninety minutes to get it right. Read the game in real time — substitutions, formation changes, and touchline decisions that ripple through the match.
No global scouting networks. No bidding wars. You're working phones, chasing loans, and hoping a decent striker lives close enough to make training. 7-day approaches, dual registration, free agents — this is how transfers actually work.
Gate receipts pay the wages. A cup run fills the clubhouse. You set the ticket prices, chase sponsors, and decide whether to fix the roof or sign a midfielder. Every pound is a trade-off.
Your ground can hold you back. Floodlights, seating, pitch quality — they all affect what league you're allowed to play in. Invest in the right things at the right time, or watch your promotion get blocked at the door.
Start as an unknown. Build something. Get poached by a bigger club or stay loyal and try to take your team all the way up. Your reputation follows you — every job you take shapes what comes next.
Clubs fold. Clubs merge. New ones form. The pyramid shifts around you season by season, with social media reactions, local press, and characters who remember what you did three jobs ago.
Lower down the pyramid, your players have day jobs, family commitments, and other priorities. Availability changes week to week. You manage around real life, not just fitness bars.
Promotion isn't just about results. Ground grading requirements mean you might need floodlights, hard standing, or covered seating before you're allowed up. Build what you need or get stuck.
This isn't a static world. Clubs fold, merge, and reform around you. New rivalries form. Old ones disappear. The pyramid you start in won't look the same five seasons later.
Your Step 6 side can draw a National League club in the FA Cup — or go further. The FA Trophy, FA Vase, and county cups all play out properly. Every draw matters.
Over 1,000 real clubs.
From the National League to Step 6.
Short answers to the obvious ones.
FM simulates professional football. NLFM is built entirely for non-league — with mechanics that only exist at this level. Day jobs, ground grading, dual registration, 7-day approaches, facility investment, and a world where clubs fold and reform around you.
If they play in the English non-league pyramid from Step 1 to Step 6, yes. Over 1,000 real clubs, real locations, real league structures.
Clubs are real but players are generated. Licensing real player names across 1,000+ non-league clubs isn't feasible, so every player is generated with realistic attributes for their level. It also means every save plays out differently.
The aim is to launch in time for the start of the 2026/27 season. Join the Discord or wishlist on Steam to be the first to know.
PC and Mac at launch via Steam. iOS and Android are planned.
NLFM is heading to Steam. Join the Discord to see it take shape, or wishlist now so you don't miss launch day.