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How to set up a scouting network

Lazy Nov 9, 2020 Last modified: 24 Nov 37,556 views

This guide will help you turn your local scouting team into a world-wide scouting network.

One of the coolest areas on Football Manager is finding that new super newgen that will develop into a world class player. Finding newgens (or regens) can be done in various ways.

Before we start the guide we would like to add that this guide provides guidelines to improve the chances of finding the best newgens. Following the tips and tricks from this guide will not guarantee a Messi-like newgen every year.

Setting up the team

First thing you will have to do is setting up the scouting team, depending on the size of your club and the possibilities you have available. The first position you will have to fill is the position of Chief Scout.

He is the person that will act in two different areas. Firstly he will need to set assignments for your scouting team (for which he needs high Man Management and Motivation), secondly he will need to be your ‘master adviser‘. The Chief Scout should always have the final say when scouting possible signings.

Once you have signed a Chief Scout you can continue setting up the scouting team. If you want to expand your scouting network, you will have to fill every possible position. You could even ask your board for extra scouts through a board request (keep in mind that they will only agree when all positions are already filled).

When signing scouts you have to make sure you only sign the best scouts possible (duh!).

Attributes your scouts definitely need are:

  • Judging Player Ability
  • Judging Player Potential
  • Determination
  • Adaptability

Learn more on scouts in Football Manager

Different scouts

A thing you will have to keep in mind whilst setting up the scouting network is you should sign different types of scouts. You have scouts that are looking for the next Lionel Messi, but you should also have scouts that can determine a players current ability.

That way you will not only find players for the future, but will always keep your current squad in mind as well.

Master scout

It is advised you appoint at least one ‘Master Scout’. This is the best scout available for your club. This Master Scout will not be used to roam the world for new players. No, his key assignment will be giving the final judgement on players you have on your shortlist and really want to sign.

This scout is the one who will watch players during games and will give you an extensive report for those players. When your Master Scout has finished scouting several players for one position, you will know for sure which one you will need to sign.

Sign scouts from different countries

What is highly valuable for a scouting network? Scouting Knowledge. Scouts can develop their knowledge by spending time in certain parts of the world, but why develop something if you can get it for free? Make sure you create a scouting team with various nationalities from all available continents on Football Manager. The better the knowledge, the better players you will find.

Off course it will not be possible to sign scouts with knowledge from every single country in the world, but concentrate on the countries that will generate the best regens.

Set up & expand your network

After reading the first section of this Guide, you will be able to select the best scouts and have the knowledge to set-up your very own scoutingteam on Football Manager. For the next part of this Guide we will take a look at setting up and expanding your scouting network across the globe.

Scouting Package

The first thing you will need is a scouting package. Consider this to be a database of players you will be able to use for a certain fee. This pack varies from a single league, single nation to an entire continent or even the world.

Scout regions

The first step you will have to take to increase the knowledge of your scouting team is by scouting Regions. This way your scout will travel between countries for a certain amount of time and will gain knowledge of every single country in that region.

Scout nations

After your scouts gain enough knowledge of a certain region (approximately 60%) it is advised to switch to countries instead of regions. For example; your scout has been roaming South America for a year know and has a good knowledge of the continent.

The next step is to assign the scout for individual countries. That way you can skip countries that do not matter (Bolivia, Surinam, Guyana) and focus on countries that dó matter like Brazil, Argentina and Colombia.

Create a cycle

When your scout will be focusing on individual countries, make sure that you create an ongoing cycle of those countries. A period of 1 month per country should be enough for him to find the best players and keep his knowledge on a high level.

But be wary not to assign to much countries to a scout or have him scout a country for too long. That way his knowledge will drop and you will have to start all over again.

Feeder & Parent Clubs

Did you know that you gain knowledge when selecting a Feeder and/or Parent club? If your board agrees to selecting a Feeder club, don’t forget to check your overall scouting knowledge.

Selecting a Feeder or Parent club will give you automatic knowledge of the region and country it plays in. So that is basically free knowledge you get! So if you want to gain knowledge from Brazil, choose a Brazilian club as your feeder club (if possible).

Pick a second nationality

Even though your are fully English or Dutch; pick a second nationality at the start of the game. Why? Because it will give your club automatic scouting knowledge of that country and region.

To close

To close this guide, here are some pointers to take with you.

  • Sign a large scouting team
  • Scouts for different jobs
  • Look for scouts with different nationalities
  • Set-up your network by scouting regions
  • Expand the network by scouting countries
  • Create a scouting cycle
  • Pick your Feeder/Parent clubs from area’s you would like to gain knowledge
  • Pick a second nationality when starting a new save.

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