17-04-2023 13:00

Federations in ManagerZone are not a crew invention. Before being added as a feature ten years ago, users had already been organizing themselves in federations for many years. So it is safe to say that federations go way back, and is as much a part of ManagerZones roots as Friendly matches and local leagues. Soon it is time for federations to take another leap forward!

Even though ManagerZone federations are rich with features, we always felt the need for a central form of competition between federations. So we have been working on federation clashes, a new form of federation competition, and a league + ranking based on those clashes. This, in fact, is right around the corner. We are not going to give you all the details just yet, but enough for you to start preparing.

To answer the first question we think you might have, federation clashes will not be two entire federations, with all of their members, clashing against each other. This would have created a chaotic situation where strength is in the numbers, and we do not want that. We want skill, dedication, diplomacy and good planning to matter. We want every single match to matter.

Only 16 users per federation can represent it in a federation clash, and each user can only represent one federation. By selecting a federation as your "Primary", the leaders of that federation will be able to draft you as a first team member. If you are one of the 16 selected first team members when the deadline has been passed for the upcoming clash, you can represent that federation in that clash.

Federation clashes - a new competition type

As far as the actual clashes go, they will be played twice a week just like the national leagues on the individual level. But instead of being played at a certain point in time, each clash will have a start time and an end time. Here is an example of what it might look like:
Clash 1: Starts on Wednesday at 10.00CET and ends Sunday 10.00CET.
Clash 2: Starts on Sunday at 10.00CET and ends Wednesday 10.00CET.
Clash 3: Starts on Wednesday at 10.00CET and ends Sunday 10.00CET.
Et.c.

For each clash, the selected first team of one federation will play against the selected first team of another federation. There will be a dedicated page for each and every clash, just like there is a dedicated page for each and every match in ManagerZone. There will be a set of hard rules for how tactics are pre-selected and how/when to play the matches, but we will not go into those finer details at this moment. Just know that you will need to pick a member of the opposing federation first team, who then becomes your target for the ongoing clash.

League structure

Each federation will be entered into the federation league, where they will subject to promotion and relegation just as in the individual leagues. Each season last three months and will follow the regular ManagerZone seasons. There will be a number of divisions based on the amount of active federations, and throughout a season, each federation will clash against every other federation in the same division group once. There will be some differences compared to the individual leagues, but we will go into those details later. Be aware, however, that there will be a minimum amount of first team members required to take part in the federation league.

Federation administration

In addition to selecting the first team (meaning: the members who can represent the federation in competitions) there will also be new federation administrator roles available in order to make the administration of the first team easier. Also, team leaders will be able to give two first team members certain increased abilities during a clash, which could influence the outcome of the clash. These will typically be the strongest members of the first team.

Ranking

As mentioned there will be a federation ranking too, based on the federation leagues primarily. Note that it will not take League of Federations into account in any way. On the subject of League of Federations: due to the obvious risk of mix-up with the federation league, it will be rebranded as the Federation Tour. The feature will remain unchanged for now (except for the name) but it will have no connection to the clash system, the ranking or to the first team functionality.

How to get in on the action

Federation clashes and the federation league will be free to play. All users will be able to join one federation for free and make that one their primary. With only 16 first team members allowed for each federation, we think that the currently existing federations will not be enough: there are tens of thousands of active ManagerZone users, but not too many active federations. How you solve this is up to you.

There are exciting times ahead in ManagerZone!