In order to guide your club to glory, you not only need to select the right players and tactics, you also need to manage all other aspects of the club properly.
Club's finances
You can find all the info about your club's finances under the "Managament" menu. When you first click on this option, you'll see the table that shows your income and expenses for the current season (balance at the start of the current season is written on top of this table). And altough you are permitted to go into the red numbers(you have 250.000 £ of credit available), it is certainly not recommended to do so. If you go below -250.000 £ your club will be warned and given a 14 days period to go back above this limit. If you don't, your club will go into bankruptcy. This means that the club will get reset(you will start from the beginning, meaning new players, no buildings, etc...), you will be given 15 points deduction for the current season, a new budget of 1.000.000 £ and the rating of your club will drop to 1. So, it's not game over if you go bankrupt, but it's certainly not something you want to happen to your club.
Club's stadium
Although you can upgrade your stadium, we would advise you to only do so if you are really confident you can bring in that many people to watch the games. Empty stadium results in lower income, but you still need to play maintenance fee for each seat on your stadium each and every week.
Ticket price management
Remember, you can set the ticket price for your next home game under the "STADIUM" menu. The price you set will eventually influence the number of supporters that will arrive at your stadium. But keep in mind, the ticket price is not the only factor in this case! Rating of your club and that of your opponents also influence the number of supporters that will gather at the match, as is the weather on the match day (more people are willing to go to a game on a sunny day than they are on a rainy day). If you are still a beginner and not sure about what ticket price is the right one for a given match day, then you can use the ticket assistant. But remember, ticket assistant only helps you a bit and practically never sets the optimum ticket price!
Facilities
You have the chance to build a number of different buildings and facilities that can benefit your club. You need to be careful though, and you need to always take the size of your club into account before you decide to purchase one of these (especially because building a facility can be quite costly). If you are only a startup club of rating below 50, then we would advise you stay clear of anything but maybe a grass upgrade or two. Being such a small team, means that your fan base is not large enough to justify building a club shop (for example). And don't even think about hotels or other "fancy stuff" until you get much, MUCH bigger!
Available facilities and their upgrades:
Better pitch
There are 5 different levels of "grass" your pitch can have. But why is grass important, and which level of grass is the best for you?
Let us start with the first level. At this stage, the pitch is little more than a basic field with two goals and chalk outlines. No one maintains it. As a result, the surface is uneven, with large patches of bare earth. Rain creates puddles, sun scorches the grass, and lumps of clay, rocks, or even the occasional gopher hole can appear. For you as the manager, this means a high risk of player injuries.
Level 2 introduces a field technician (with the knowledge of an average gardener). The technician takes care of the grass by removing lumps and holes, patching bare spots, and occasionally watering the pitch. It's a noticeable step up.
Level 3 adds a sprinkler system, keeping the grass consistently green, and a few assistants to help your lone "gardener." This means that the pitch is at an adequate level for international competitions, with minimal risk of injury under optimum conditions.
Level 4 elevates pitch quality even further. The underlying substrate is replaced with a carefully balanced mixture to create a smooth, even surface. The only worry for the manager, at this stage, is those dark clouds that have the tendency to drop rain, right in the middle of the game.
Level 5 represents the ultimate pitch quality. The grass is perfectly trimmed to the millimeter, and the surface is flawlessly even—not too hard, not too soft. It allows your players to perform without worrying about slipping, stumbling, or splashing through puddles. Perfect for all top quality clubs.
Club Shop
Have a solid, growing fanbase? Looking to earn some money from them? Wait no longer, build yourself a Merch stand.
This small facility can generate a bit of income each week. However, be warned, if you don't have enough regular fans all you'll do is add another expense to your account - staff salaries and merchandise costs still need to be paid—regardless of how much (or how little) profit the shop brings in.
Later, you can upgrade to a Club Store (a full shop, rather than just an info stand). It holds more merchandise and has the potential to bring in significantly more revenue—but it also comes with higher costs.
| Merch Stand | Club Shop |
| Build Cost: £120,000 | Build Cost: £400,000 |
| Weekly maintenance: £2,500 | Weekly maintenance: £9,100 |
Training ground
The Training Ground boosts the effectiveness of your players' training. It's a full-scale, enclosed facility with specialized surfaces for a variety of training routines.
While the promise of faster player development is definitely tempting, don't rush into building one. Make sure you have enough financial stability to cover the weekly maintenance — otherwise, it may drain your club's budget quickly.
- Build Cost: £500.000
- Weekly maintenance: £17.500
Hotel
The Hotel attracts a variable number of extra fans to your home games and also earns a bit of weekly income from non-football guests. However, its success is closely tied to your club's rating — the higher your rating, the more well-known your hotel becomes, and the more money it can generate.
You can upgrade the Hotel into a Grand Hotel, which brings in even more fans and significantly boosts weekly income. But of course, this comes with a much steeper price — both in construction and maintenance.
| Hotel | Grand Hotel |
| Build Cost: £10,000,000 | Build Cost: £30,000,000 |
| Weekly maintenance: £70,000 | Weekly maintenance: £150,000 |
Youth Academy
Want to build your team around young talent? Dreaming of developing future superstars? The Youth Academy is the way to go—but there's a catch: it's expensive to build, and even more expensive to maintain.
If you have a Youth Academy, your youth players will progress a bit faster each day, giving you a long-term edge in player development. But be careful: if you're not sure you can handle the ongoing costs, this investment could become your club's downfall.
- Build Cost: £5,000.000
- Weekly maintenance: £45.000
Fitness studio
The Fitness Studio boosts your players' chances of improving Strength, Speed, and Condition during physical training. It also helps players recover slightly faster after matches and training sessions.
You can upgrade to a Fitness Centre, which further increases the chances of physical improvement and doubles the recovery effect. This makes it a great long-term investment—if you can handle the running costs.
| Fitness Studio | Fitness Centre |
| Build Cost: £100,000 | Build Cost: £450,000 |
| Weekly maintenance: £6,000 | Weekly maintenance: £14,000 |
Medical Department
The Medical Department is exactly what you need when a player gets injured. It helps reduce recovery time by providing immediate care and treatment.
Note: To benefit from this facility, you must have at least one Physio on staff — otherwise, the Medical Department won't function as intended.
- Build Cost: £650.000
- Weekly maintenance: £19.000
Research Facility
The Research Facility supports your entire staff by providing high-tech tools that help optimize both player training and recovery. From smarter training plans to faster healing, it enhances staff performance across the board.
Note:
- You need at least one Coach to benefit from its training effects.
- You need at least one Physio to benefit from its healing support.
- Build cost: £1,000,000
- Weekly maintenance: £25,000
Media Centre
The Media Centre is your club's personal press room—equipped with everything you need to reach a wider audience. For you as the manager, that means more fan support at home games.
It also generates a small weekly income through advertisements, giving you an extra financial boost.
You can later upgrade to a TV Studio, which greately increases your club's visibility. This means a larger fan base and greater ad revenue compared to the basic Media Centre.
| Media Centre | TV Studio |
| Build Cost: £500,000 | Build Cost: £1,500,000 |
| Weekly maintenance: £13,000 | Weekly maintenance: £36,000 |
Sponsors
You can manage your Sponsors under the "Management" page.
The first screen shows three slots for main sponsors. These are ranked from top to bottom based on the amount they offer:
- The top slot is your Main Club Sponsor — usually offering the highest deal.
- The second and third slots are for two additional major sponsors, typically offering a bit less.
- You can receive only one sponsor offer per day.
- You must respond to the current offer (accept or reject) before a new one will arrive.
Sponsors in the game represent virtual ad agencies, and their deals vary in:
- Payout amount
- Number of seasons they're willing to sponsor your club
To manage secondary sponsors, click the "Ad Boards" tab. This opens a second screen with six smaller sponsor slots — these are advertisers that want space on your stadium boards.
- Like before, click "Get Offers" and wait for them to come in.
- These deals pay much less than the main sponsors but follow the same rules.
Keep in Mind:
- Sponsor income is proportional to your club's rating — higher rating means better offers.
- There's always a range between the lowest and highest possible offer, so don't accept the first one blindly.
- As with most things in Dugout-Online, using a bit of logic and common sense will go a long way in choosing the right deals.
Team Events
The final option under the Management page is the Calendar.
At the top, you'll find two drop-down menus: Month and Year. These allow you to browse through both upcoming and past matches.
In addition to scheduled games, the calendar also lets you arrange up to 9 different team events. To set one up, click on the “Click here to arrange an event” link. This leads you to a new page with a list of 9 event options, each with a radio button beside it.
Let's take a look at what these options are:
Organize a local youth tournament
... and send a scout to look for local talented youngsters.
By selecting this event, you'll host a youth tournament in your area. Occasionally — if you're lucky — a talented young player may stand out and decide to join your youth setup.
Important:
This doesn't happen every time. You might organize four tournaments without discovering anyone, or you could strike gold on your first try.
Also keep in mind that this is a local event. After a few tournaments, you'll have likely seen all the available young talent in your area.
In other words:
Organize a team and staff meeting in a local restaurant
- A cheerful get-together for the whole club — perfect for celebrating a strong league position or cup success.
This event boosts team morale if timed well.
However, keep in mind:
Organize a team and staff crisis meeting
Things falling apart? Slipping toward the bottom of the league?
A crisis meeting can help rally the team. If used appropriately, it may give your players a much-needed morale boost.
However:
Day off for ... players (6 different events)
Want to give your players a break - after a tough match, a demanding week, or just to help them recharge?
Use one of these events to grant selected players a day off. You can choose who gets the rest based on their Condition level and whether they've been active in the first team or youth team.
It's a simple way to manage fatigue and keep your squad at optimum fitness.