🧠 Hint Sheet #11

⭐ Supporters & How to Grow Them

A guide for managers who want bigger crowds, louder noise, and stronger home advantage.

Supporters are the lifeblood of your club — they drive atmosphere, boost income, and add prestige. While you won’t suddenly gain thousands overnight, steady and consistent performances will build your fanbase over time. Here’s how the system roughly works:

🎯 1. Your Division Doesn’t Matter — Your Performance Does

Supporter growth does not look at what division you’re in. You can build a strong following regardless of level.
What matters is how you perform relative to your opponent in each league match.

⚖️ 2. Expected Performance vs Actual Performance

Before each match, the game engine compares your league position with your opponent’s. This sets the “expected outcome.”

👍 If you’re higher in the table:

Your supporters expect a solid performance.

Win comfortably → fans impressed → supporter growth
Scrape a win or draw → fans underwhelmed → growth slows or stalls
Shock loss → fans not happy → potential supporter drop

👊 If you’re lower in the table:

Now you’re the underdog.

Strong showing (even in defeat) → fans impressed → growth
Pull off a shock win → big supporter boost
Get hammered → no surprise → little to no growth

Supporters react to how well you performed compared to what they expected.

📈 3. Small Clubs Grow Faster — Big Clubs Grow Steadier

If you have a small supporter base, it’s easier to gain new fans quickly.
As your fanbase grows:

Growth naturally slows
You need increasingly impressive performances to keep the upward trend

This mirrors real football — everyone loves a rising underdog, but established clubs must perform consistently to keep growing.

🏟️ 4. Stadium Size & Attendance Matter

You can’t grow a massive following if supporters can’t get through the gates.

While the effect isn’t huge, your:

Ground capacity
Stadium condition
Facilities

…all play a small part. A poor stadium limits how big your supporter base can realistically become over time.

🔥 5. Results Alone Aren’t Enough

It’s not as simple as:

Win match → Get fans
The quality of performance relative to expectation is what counts.

For example:

You’re top of the division and lose to the club in last place → fans unimpressed
You’re bottom and give the top club a tough match → fans take notice

Momentum and consistency are key.

🔁 **6. Streaks may become a factor** (future feature)

Win streaks and losing streaks are likely to play a role later on — but they’re not currently a major part of the calculation.

📌 SUMMARY — HOW TO ATTRACT, GROW & KEEP SUPPORTERS

Perform as expected or better than expected
Surprise stronger teams, avoid embarrassing results
Keep improving your squad and maintaining consistency
Invest in your stadium when possible
Remember: small followings grow quickly, big ones grow slowly

Play well, impress your fans, and the supporter train keeps rolling! 🚂⚽