Player career mode overhaul

Hello EA SPORTS FC team,

I wanted to share an idea for how Player Career Mode could be significantly improved and made much more immersive.

Instead of starting Player Career as an already-established professional with a club, I think the player should be able to start as an 18-year-old unknown prospect attending an open trial.

The player would play around 3–4 trial matches, with clubs evaluating them based on their performances. Their average match rating, goals, assists, position-specific statistics, consistency and overall performance would determine which clubs are interested in signing them.

For example, an exceptional performance could result in offers from major academies, while an average performance could lead to offers from smaller clubs. Bigger clubs would naturally have much more difficult objectives because competition for places would be extremely high.

Once signed, the player would spend roughly one in-game year in the academy, represented by around 5–10 matches rather than requiring an enormous amount of gameplay. If the player joins a major club, they could participate in official youth competitions such as PL2 or equivalent youth leagues. Otherwise, they could play against randomly generated academies.

There should also be a visible progression system showing how the player's performances are affecting their chances of reaching the first team. This could include separate systems for Manager Trust, Club Reputation and First-Team Readiness rather than simply increasing Overall Rating.

At the end of the academy period, several outcomes should be possible:

• First-team promotion
• Another academy contract
• A loan move
• Being released by the club
• A position change or development plan
• Remaining in the academy as a squad/rotation player

If the player is released, they should become a free agent and receive offers from lower-level clubs. The player could also re-trial for certain clubs, with those clubs potentially signing them and immediately sending them on loan.

The loan system should also be much deeper. While on loan, the player should have two sets of objectives: objectives from their parent club and objectives from the loan club.

For example, the parent club might require the player to maintain a 7.0 average rating, improve certain attributes and make regular appearances, while the loan club might expect goals, assists, starts or a certain number of appearances.

The loan club should also have the ability to bench the player, stop playing them, or even terminate the loan. The parent club should be able to recall the player if necessary.

I would also bring back the ability to request transfers and loans. However, instead of the request automatically succeeding, the manager and board should be able to accept or reject the request depending on the player's situation.

Contracts should also play a bigger role. Players should progress through academy contracts, professional contracts, first-team contracts and renewals. Contract length, wages, squad role and release clauses could all become part of the career experience.

Another major feature I'd add is an agent system. Your agent could help negotiate contracts, identify clubs interested in you, suggest loan moves and advise you about your career. Different agents could have different approaches, such as prioritising money, playing time, stability or moving to bigger clubs.

I would also add a Leadership/Captain system.

As the player's leadership grows, they could gradually gain more influence within the team. At lower levels, they could simply become vice-captain or captain. At higher levels, they could mentor younger players, suggest tactical changes or provide input on potential transfers. Their influence should affect decisions rather than allowing them to completely control the club.

This could connect to a long-term Club Legacy system.

Players could progress through stages such as:

Cult Hero → Fan Favourite → Club Star → Club Legend → Club Icon

Legacy could be affected by appearances, goals, assists, trophies, individual awards, captaincy, important matches and years spent at the club.

International football should also connect to the career progression. A player could progress from U21 football to the senior national team, qualifiers and major international tournaments.

Finally, I think Player Career Mode would benefit from a more dynamic football world. News articles, transfer rumours, rival players, changing managers and competition for positions could make the player's career feel like it exists within an actual football ecosystem.

For example, an unknown academy player could gradually progress from:

Open Trial → Academy Prospect → Senior Football → Breakout Player → National Team → International Star → Club Legend

Most importantly, I think Overall Rating should not be the only thing determining a player's career. Performance, consistency, manager trust, reputation, development and tactical suitability should all influence opportunities.

This would make Player Career Mode feel less like completing objectives and more like actually building a professional football career.

Thank you for taking the time to read my suggestion. I hope some of these ideas can make their way into a future EA SPORTS FC title.