What women's leagues do you expect/hope to be in FM25?

[Minuy600]

As the title says.

I, as a fairly recent convert to enjoying the women's game way more than the men's side of things, am beyond excited for what is to come in the near future. Problem is, I don't have the hardware to play the full fat version with the switch to Unity and therefore won't have access to the editor. So i'm sitting here, daydreaming of what can, and what can't, be done this first time around.

Here's what I think.

Definitely making the cut:

UEFA: Whatever is in EA FC, is probably here too. We're talking the WSL, Liga F, Frauen Bundesliga and Premiere Ligue. Those make all the sense in the world to have around and will probably pull in the most players. I do also believe the other two European top 6 leagues, so the Serie A and Damallsvenskan, are in. Portugal, Scotland, Norway and the Netherlands also seem like no brainers to me personally.

AFC: Considering SI has the A-League and J-League licenses, I think Asia would start off with the women's counterparts of those.

CONCACAF: Of course the NWSL is in. I mean, c'mon. The Liga MX is one of the biggest leagues in the world as well, would be a shame if it didn't work out there.

Stuff that's possible but maybe not right away:

UEFA: The second tiers of the current top 6. The top leagues of the remainder of the top 16 nations (those have two CL qualifiers). Switzerland too, considering Servette's and Zurich's recent CL appearances. The remainder of the British and Irish leagues.

AFC: Considering their recent, er-hem, influence on the game, Saudi is a maybe here now too. I'd be more inclined to say South Korea and China are in, though. India is also certainly an oddball possibility as Odisha's qualified for the CL.

CONCACAF: The USL Super League and Northern Super League, but only as post-launch patches.

CONMEBOL: Colombia seems to be the main nation that has international stature, together with Argentina and Brazil as you'd expect.

Unlikely but would be cool:

UEFA: Far more second tiers than just the top 6. The Women's National League, both tier 3 and 4, should be as sensational as doing England in men's saves. Add the Adran North/South and the Scottish Championship/League One and it'd be flipping hysterical. ...Gibraltar.

AFC: Basically all the other nations that have teams in the CL this year. Might be an excuse to add Thailand and the UAE to the men's game, too. How it'd work considering there is barely any information on half of the leagues, I wouldn't know. The Nadeshiko Leagues in Japan are well respected, too, those I can kinda imagine being in.

CONCACAF: As with the AFC, a pipe dream would be adding the remaining Champions Cup leagues. That includes the League1s in Canada as well.

CONMEBOL: Any other nation not mentioned. Peru and Chile seem more likely considering their existing presence in the games.

CAF: Any league at all would be kind of a miracle. South Africa seems to be the top candidate as you'd expect, Mamelodi Sundowns did come over to play friendlies in America after all.

...Could you tell I have done a bit of research? What do you all think will start this era of the series off?

[XaW]

I hope Norway will be in it, as I live not far from one of the teams in Toppserien, so would be fun to play with them!  

[Lord Rowell]

I'm lowering my expectations of which leagues will be included, significantly below those of the OP, simply because they're starting the research base from scratch. I can't imagine how difficult this must be for the Women's football research lead to get all the info they need, presumably with a much smaller number of researchers - though I'm sure that will grow in time.

I also wonder if they might be using different approaches - not sure how much real-life analytics data they have? Could they be using a data-based apprach to this? If so, that assists developing the database for the top leagues, but probably wouldn't be available for lower leagues?

If its even close to the hopes of the OP, I think that would be a good start. This will take time.

As for personal hopes, as long as I can play as Sunderland in the FA Women's Championship, that'll do me!

Edited September 12 by Lord Rowell
added "hopes"

[Kickballz]

It will be interesting to see.

Personally I don't have any interest in managing in women's football, but I am still interested to see how fleshed out it is. I suspect it all might be a bit half baked but I hope to be proven wrong.

 

Edited September 12 by Kickballz

[Minuy600]

25 minutes ago, Lord Rowell said:

I'm lowering my expectations of which leagues will be included, significantly below those of the OP, simply because they're starting the research base from scratch. I can't imagine how difficult this must be for the Women's football research lead to get all the info they need, presumably with a much smaller number of researchers - though I'm sure that will grow in time.

I also wonder if they might be using different approaches - not sure how much real-life analytics data they have? Could they be using a data-based apprach to this? If so, that assists developing the database for the top leagues, but probably wouldn't be available for lower leagues?

If its even close to the hopes of the OP, I think that would be a good start. This will take time.

As for personal hopes, as long as I can play as Sunderland in the FA Women's Championship, that'll do me!

Yeah, that's why I sorted it from most to least likely in the first place. I doubt it'll start with a crazy amount too, and you make a good point with how much analytics would be available. To be fair though, live scoring apps and the like have been including grades for players in most 'likely' leagues I mentioned, which does at least demonstrate some level of knowledge from those who sit down and watch the games. I assume we're looking at like 3 years of research judging by when this was announced and when the sport started to really 'boom'. Keep in mind we got proper women's football in FIFA 23, too.

Edited September 12 by Minuy600

[Malicious Penguin]

I hope the Welsh leagues are in

[JAwtunes]

Tbh my knowledge of women's football is so limited I wouldn't know where to start. Defo looking forward to some academy saves and learning about the women's leagues around the world.

[Kickballz]

My knowledge of women's football is also limited but now that it is coming I am getting more interested.

Sorry if I am a bit behind on the facts, but does the women's football have proper motion capture by women? The graphics won't just be men with women's names? correct?

[themadsheep2001]

15 minutes ago, Kickballz said:

My knowledge of women's football is also limited but now that it is coming I am getting more interested.

Sorry if I am a bit behind on the facts, but does the women's football have proper motion capture by women? The graphics won't just be men with women's names? correct?

There's motion capture for women and even more new motion capture for men. 

[Kickballz]

1 minute ago, themadsheep2001 said:

There's motion capture for women and even more new motion capture for men. 

Cheers mate for the quick reply to my question.

To be honest I wasn't sure how committed SI were about this, but it is starting to sound like they are taking it seriously so I am impressed.

[themadsheep2001]

4 minutes ago, Kickballz said:

Cheers mate for the quick reply to my question.

To be honest I wasn't sure how committed SI were about this, but it is starting to sound like they are taking it seriously so I am impressed.

As with everything, the proof will be in the pudding. But the intent is definitely serious 

[grade]

From what SI said. International football won't be playable, that means both Men and Women.

Since nothing has been said concerning Clubs, I counting to be manageable on FM25.

[Kickballz]

29 minutes ago, themadsheep2001 said:

As with everything, the proof will be in the pudding. But the intent is definitely serious 

Your words also speak volumes about presumably tempering our expectations.

Not so much what you say, or don't say, but anyone with a modicum of intelligence  can read between the lines.

[themadsheep2001]

19 minutes ago, Kickballz said:

Your words also speak volumes about presumably tempering our expectations.

Not so much what you say, or don't say, but anyone with a modicum of intelligence  can read between the lines.

Not unique to FM, but always. Hype is just hype until its something 

[JAwtunes]

I'm interested to see how women's and men's teams are linked in game. Pretty sure in England they are linked financially. I think the womens team for EPL clubs, as with academy, doesn't count for PSR, for example. I'm sure SI will aim for realism, so would be great to see how structures differ around the world.

[Kickballz]

4 minutes ago, themadsheep2001 said:

Not unique to FM, but always. Hype is just hype until its something 

I know it. Take care.

[jmlima]

17 hours ago, JAwtunes said:

I'm interested to see how women's and men's teams are linked in game. Pretty sure in England they are linked financially. I think the womens team for EPL clubs, as with academy, doesn't count for PSR, for example. I'm sure SI will aim for realism, so would be great to see how structures differ around the world.

Interesting point. I was just checking and, in the case of sporting cp, as an example, men's football (sporting cp sad) seems to be an entirely independent unit , which means the female football is tied to the club itself (sporting cp) not to the sporting cp sad. Never realized but beginning to suspect this is going to be quite variable from country to country. 

[JAwtunes]

3 minutes ago, jmlima said:

Interesting point. I was just checking and, in the case of sporting cp, as an example, men's football (sporting cp sad) seems to be an entirely independent unit , which means the female football is tied to the club itself (sporting cp) not to the sporting cp sad. Never realized but beginning to suspect this is going to be quite variable from country to country. 

Could be very interesting and defo keen to see how this is represented and plays out for different league 

[Nikki]

Having waited for years for FM with women's football, I thought buying FM2025 was going to be a certainty, but now with international management out, suddenly this question becomes the deciding one for me. What do I hope, and what do I expect. I want to be able to manage a Dutch team, and without international management that means I want/am hoping for the Dutch league at the very least. Outside of that I'm hoping for a variety of options, not being stuck in the same few leagues. It occurs to me that the decision (that I approve of) to fully integrate women's football, and not make it essentially a different game, could have been an attempt to obfuscate a low amount of women's leagues, but frankly, I can't name a number that I know would satisfy me, so it's just something I'm going to have to see and hopefully try out.

Brings me to how I think it's entirely impossible to say what I 'expect'. I've been around since CM2, I've seen CM/FM slowly grow up to what it is now. I thought it was amazing that I could start a save in the Dutch men's league, then start a new save in the Italian men's league, but it's been well over a decade ago that I last considered starting a save with less than 10 active leagues. Women's football is growing, but FM is an established franchise. What is a reasonable starting point? What does SI think would be a reasonable starting point? Can they achieve what they think is a reasonable starting point when they're already having to scratch features (noting that it would be easy to get away with scrapping things that haven't been announced yet). It would be extremely surprising indeed if they didn't include the English, French, Spanish and German leagues at the very least. I believe I remember reading about them securing continental licenses for women's football too. Aside from that I would not dare make any predictions.

Edited September 15 by Nikki

[phnompenhandy]

^ Good post. I speculate that a lot of people looking forward to playing the women's game were intending to play as a national manager, as that is what they've seen on TV.

If the options are merely top-tier leagues in the biggest nations, I don't think I'd be any more interested than I am in currently managing a men's team in, say, Romania or Mexico. I'm a lower league manager - will there be lower leagues in the women's side? I'm not sure if they exist in real life and how they be researched if they did, so probably not.

What would get my juices flowing is if it is easy to move jobs between the men's and women's game. For example, managing an English tier 6 men's team then moving to a tier 2 women's team, or winning stuff with a women's team and moving on to a men's team.

[Minuy600]

2 hours ago, phnompenhandy said:

^ Good post. I speculate that a lot of people looking forward to playing the women's game were intending to play as a national manager, as that is what they've seen on TV.

If the options are merely top-tier leagues in the biggest nations, I don't think I'd be any more interested than I am in currently managing a men's team in, say, Romania or Mexico. I'm a lower league manager - will there be lower leagues in the women's side? I'm not sure if they exist in real life and how they be researched if they did, so probably not.

What would get my juices flowing is if it is easy to move jobs between the men's and women's game. For example, managing an English tier 6 men's team then moving to a tier 2 women's team, or winning stuff with a women's team and moving on to a men's team.

Lower tiers do exist and are a fairly big deal in England and Germany from what I could tell. Spain and France... Ehhh, you might be right in assuming they aren't there straight away.

I believe it's also confirmed you get to move freely between men's and women's teams.