Hey everyone!
We just held our The Grounds & Clubs Developer Q&A over on our official EA SPORTS FC Discord.
I went ahead and summarized all the questions and answers here for you, so you don’t have to scroll through the chat logs.
Check out what the developers themselves had to say about the issues and future direction of The Grounds and Clubs!
Your passion for these modes is what drives us, and we are fully focused on making them as fun and rewarding as possible. Please keep letting us know what you think, we are always listening!
Also, if you haven't already, come hang out with us on the official EA SPORTS FC Discord. We’re planning more dev Q&As covering other aspects of the game, so keep an eye out for those if you want to get your questions answered directly by the devs.
Question 1
Additional bug that currently exists. When finishing a Clubs friendly match, hitting a to skip the cutscene will instead cause the cutscene to stay without ever loading the end match screen
Answer 1
Hey there, this is a known issue that we are currently investigating a potential fix for. We'll share more information as the team gets closer to finalizing the update.
Question 2
Also for amps, like someone said earlier please increase the duration or have them be permanent/all unlocked for each archetype
Answer 2
Our first priority is expanding where you can use Amps, so we are actively working on enabling Ampls in Small-sided football in The Grounds. Beyond that, we are also looking into increasing their duration or making them permament.
Question 3
uh yeah so GK doesnt work in Rush and Drop ins
Answer 3
Hey there, this is a known issue that we're currently investigating. We'll share more details as we get closer to a potential fix.
Question 4
Are you guys not going to address the first clubs match being disconnected every time? It’s happened to my friends and I every day since release!
Answer 4
Hey there, this is a known issue around Clubs stability that we're currently investigating. We'll share more details as we get closer to a potential fix.
Question 5
I understand that player hubs like The Grounds use instancing so performance doesn't degrade from having thousands of players on screen at once. However, locking matchmaking strictly to the players present in our specific instance severely inflates queue times. Is there any plan to implement server-wide or region-wide matchmaking while players wait in The Grounds, so we get faster games without sacrificing hub performance? Also, thank you for trying new things and making the game even more entertaining
Answer 5
We are aware of the issue and and are working on tackling this. We are running tests to gauge performance and we are hopeful we can implement something like this in the future.
Question 6
There needs to be an easier way to play the Grounds against friends other than just queuing up at the same time and hoping to get matched against each other. I should be able to play 3v3 with 5 other friends more easily
Answer 6
It's a fair shout and ask. The challenge here would be to find the correct balance between the asks around social competitions, win streaks, etc. and facilitating free form play against pre-formed groups. Our initial focus would be to faciliate social competitions through winstreaks.
Question 7
add voice chat to the grounds
Answer 7
Hey, there is currently voice chat with parties and team chat in small-sided football with your non-party teammates. We are also fixing a bug where the 'team chat now available' doesn't show. Beyond this, we are looking for other ways for non-verbal communication between players in The Grounds.
Question 8
CURRENT UNOBTAINABLE / BUGGED TROPHIES/ACHIEVEMENTS FOR CONSOLE - AFFECTING ALL PLAYERS
Welcome to The Grounds
Complete Alex Hunter's Milestone 1 Objective in The Grounds
Exploring Kickabouts
Complete Chloe Kelly's Milestone 1 Objective in The Grounds
The Journey Begins
Complete Paulo Dybala's Milestone 1 Objective in The Grounds
Hit the Streets
Complete Kylian Mbappé's Milestone 1 Objective in The
Taking it to the Max
Complete Alex Hunter's Milestone 3 Objective in The Grounds
Kickabout Legend
Complete Chloe Kelly's Milestone 3 Objective in The Grounds
Club Legend
Complete Paulo Dybala's Milestone 3 Objective in The Grounds
Street Football Master
Complete Kylian Mbappé's Milestone 3 Objective in The Grounds
Let's Get Social
Complete Chloe Kelly's Milestone 2 Objective in The Grounds
Group Effort
Complete Kylian Mbappé's Milestone 2 Objective in The Grounds
Bugged Console Trophies
Answer 8
Thank you for all the messages from everyone regarding bugged trophies and achievements. We are aware of the issue and the team are investigating a potential fix for this issue. We'll share more details as we get closer to finalizing.
Question 9
Make alternative options to play Drop ins, 11v11, Rush from the menu bypassing grounds.
Answer 9
Fast travel access to Drops Ins (11v11 and Rush) are planned to be added into FC 27 at a future date. We're currently not looking into adding access to these directly from the main menu, but we will continue to monitor your feedback.
Question 10
Also, when a friend joins our lobby in the grounds, we get a notification on the bottom right side, which is great! But can we somehow see them permanently on the map as well so we can know where are they running around? Everyone else is in the lobby is a white dot on the map, friends should be green or something visible.
Answer 10
Friends and Clubmates should appear as different colored dots on the map. We are aware that friends and teammates dissappear from the map when they are in a match. This is feedback that we are looking into.
Question 11
Please bring down the save hitbox or reaction modifier for goalkeepers in pro clubs, they are able to save and catch every shot no matter the angle, power, etc. it was the same as it was last year in 26, they can catch anything, please look into it They literally dictate the games, it’s so frustrating having anybody able to play gk and save every shot SPECIFICALLY HUMAN KEEPERS
Answer 11
We are working with members in the community to find a good balance for both how the Human goalkeepers perform compared to AI goalkeepers. We want Human goalkeepers to feel that their actions matter and are rewarded for performing the correct actions for those contexts while maintaining the ability to score when the incorrect actions are made or unsavable shots.
Question 12
@EASPORTSFC Dev Official I have to be honest, the amount of bugs that have existed for years within the clubs menus, while seeing new ones every year has been nothing short of frustrating. There’s now bugs like the captain not being able to physically do anything until everyone left the lobby or the classic one of being booted to the main menu when the opposing team leaves before kick off. Can you provide any reassurance that these issues are being into a bit more this year now you’re holding off on gameplay related changes for now?
Answer 12
We are putting more focus into addressing bugs and live issues in FC 27. In terms of issues for Gameplay, those fall under a different team. There are dedicated developement teams that work on different areas of the game, therefore our approach to gameplay does not impact our work across other areas such as The Grounds/Clubs.
Question 13
Is there any update on a timeline when the AP costs will be fixed? Kind of a bummer to have a max level archetype and only be 84 overall because some stats are way too expensive
Answer 13
We are monitoring community feedback about Archetype progression and are looking into a potential rebalance targetted near the end of Season 1.
Question 14
Fix bots reaction times during normal clubs league games, their jockey and general movement is painfully slow, rewarding attackers after being dispossessed. Make bots customizable, they should have attributes like our pros does and the manager should be able to assign the points, I know we have facilities but I don't think it's the same. It's unfair how it works right now when you are playing with 2 or 3 and get against 5+
Answer 14
We are aware of issues with customizing the look of AI Clubmates and are currently investigating a fix. In addition, we are looking into how to bring more control of the AI players in your Club.
Question 15
Hi, will ai's ratings/ playstyles be scaled better to match pro's this year. Ending last year with 3/4 playstyle ai's, whilst playing against squads of pro characters with 4+ and 8 normal playstyles was impossible to compete without 11 real players.
Answer 15
Because Clubs is a social mode, we always try to ensure that playing socially is the best way to play. This year, we re-tuned AI player ratings, and their Attributes will progress higher in FC 27 than in previous years based on your Reputation.
Question 16
Stop putting AI teammates in Ranked Rush. Better wait a bit to find a 4v4 match than play a 1v2 or 2v3. Please put Elite players with Elite players versus Elite Players in Ranked Rush. Same for bronze players with bronze teammates. Improve the pro clubs objective. Coins / Amps and Multipliers are boring and bland. Put achievement cosmetics and different ones per objective.
Answer 16
Hey there, we are aware of the feedback regarding matchmaking and AI teammates in Rush and are looking into ways to improve this experience.
Question 17
Allow us to tweak our already distributed attributes points without having to reset. I might just want to reduce one to add to another.
Answer 17
You can already tweak attributes individually, just go to your selected Archetype, select the attribute you would like to edit and decrement/increment as you see fit.
Question 18
The trophies in the Grounds mode of the player Milestones are all bugged. They don't unlock even after completing the objectives.
Answer 18
Thank you for all the messages from everyone regarding bugged trophies and achievements. We are aware of the issue and the team are investigating a potential fix for this issue. We'll share more details as we get closer to finalizing.
Question 19
Can you try to fix a glitch where on menus it will just try and load and bug out. This happens to my mates especially on pro clubs when you first load in.
Answer 19
We're looking to make improvements to match and menu stability in the coming patches.
Question 20
Why when adding playstyles, after adding one it takes you back to the attributes page?
Answer 20
We are aware of the issue and are aiming to fix this in an upcoming in the next few weeks
Question 21
When my club queues on the first game of the day we get kicked as soon as the match is about to start then we can play normally. If another club member joins and it's their first club match of the day we all get (or just they get kicked). Once everyone has been kicked once then we can play like normal. I've reported this on the site and here. Is this something that has a workaround. It's happened everyday since early access until today.
Answer 21
Hey there. These are 2 issues that we've been investigating. We're currently testing a fix for one of these issues and plan on making further improvements to hot-join in the coming updates.
Question 22
Why can't you play as a goalkeeper in 11v11 Clubs events? Goalkeepers keep getting left out of things like this—I don't think that's cool.
Answer 22
We encountered an issue with GoalKeepers in 11v11 Tournaments and as a result, had to temporarily disable the option to play as a GK. Our team is investigating a potential fix for the issue, and we will re-enable this option once a fix has been deployed.
Question 23
I wanna be able to Play gk when my Club is offline i cant lvl in drop ins or Rush since i get fieldplayer
Answer 23
Hey there, we are aware of the issue and are working on a fix. We'll share more details as we get closer to finalizing.
Question 24
Hey @EA SPORTS FC @EASPORTSFC Dev Official i do understand there is a lot of questions on here but the vast majority are asking about Boots yet its not been answered here, in the forums or on X. I get you’re trying to answer a lot of questions at once but the majority of us want something as simple as porting the boots that are already in the game into clubs. Been playing your games since 2005 and since the introduction of Clubs this is by far the worst selection of boots we’ve ever had…. You’ve even got a collab with Nike and we cant even use them
Answer 24
This is definitely one of the most common requests we've been seeing lately. Our current plan is to have an update that gives you access to new boots targetted near the end of this year.
Question 25
Daily SP for playing regular clubs games please.
Answer 25
We drive our SP rewards through objecitves and try to make sure there is a balance so players can have some progression no matter where they decide to play across Clubs and the Grounds.
Question 26
we should have somewhere where we can test our builds
Answer 26
Great idea. We have definitely had this request a few times. We are aware and looking into this as a future feature in the grounds.
Question 27
could you add fast travel to the 11v11 area on the map.
Answer 27
Fast travel access to Drops Ins (11v11 and Rush) are planned to be added into FC 27 at a future date. We're currently not looking into adding access to these directly from the main menu, but will continue to monitor your feedback.
Question 28
Hello, Is the suggestion to remove the requirement of having at least two players in order to play Clubs League and Playoff matches something that will never be considered? I believe that removing this requirement would allow more players to enjoy The Grounds, as well as Clubs League and Playoff matches. I also think that this could make it easier to find and recruit teammates going forward. If this change is truly not possible, I would appreciate it if you could explain why. Thank you.
Answer 28
Clubs is a social mode that revolves around the multiplayer aspect of FC. If you're looking to join an active Club, check out 🔍-looking-for-club on the EA SPORTS FC Discord.
Question 29
Is there any chance that we juggle/kick up while we are stationary in the grounds? Maybe have a small reward system for doing more complex freestyle skills? Also how are you planning to encourage kickabouts as they are barely used?
Answer 29
You can start a juggle animation cycle / emote by holding down LT/L2 for a few seconds. A broader juggling system is a great idea and is something we will look into for future consideration. Regarding encouraging kickabouts, this is very top of mind for us. We are working on an idea to host a kickabouts focused event in the grounds to encourage more players to try and have fun in the lighter side of the game.
Question 30
When is the level cap limit gonna increase?
Answer 30
The level cap is set at 40 until the end of season 1. We plan to increase the maximum level cap in future updates and will share more details closer to their release
Community Manager