So You Just Got Promoted in FM...

Summary

After getting his Colombian club promoted to the top flight, Zealand shares advice for adjusting to a higher level. His team was performing well in its first top-flight season, but he emphasizes that newly promoted sides should assess their situation rather than assume last season’s approach will still work.

Key Tips for Surviving Promotion

• Reassess your finances when the season rolls over. Check how promotion affects TV income, prize money, sponsorships, budgets, and spending power. Some revenue, such as Premier League promotion payments, may not appear immediately.
• Consider how convincingly you earned promotion. A team that only scraped through may need substantial upgrades to avoid relegation, while a side that performed strongly may need fewer changes.
• Compare your squad with the new division.
  • Review your performances against higher-division teams in cup competitions. If you could hold your own, your squad may already be competitive.
  • Use Team Report → Comparison to see how your players’ attributes stack up against the league average. If your squad falls below average in many areas, you’ll likely need reinforcements.
• Recruit carefully. Experience at the new level can be valuable, but avoid spending more than you can afford. Zealand recommends looking for loan players and requesting a senior affiliate to access free or inexpensive loans. These can fill several gaps without requiring a complete squad rebuild.
• Expect to be weaker relative to the competition. Lower your team-talk expectations to avoid putting extra pressure on players. Consider starting with a more defensive tactic while you learn how the team handles the new level, then shift toward a more attacking approach if results and confidence allow.
• Protect team morale and cohesion. A promoted team often starts with strong cohesion and a positive atmosphere—an advantage over established top-flight sides. Don’t keep players just for sentimental reasons if they aren’t good enough, but avoid upsetting the dressing room unnecessarily. Praise good conduct and training, and address poor training carefully rather than criticizing too often.
• Plan for either outcome. Staying up may be easy, difficult, or beyond the squad’s reach. Even if the club is relegated, the experience and promotion-related income can help it make a stronger attempt next time.

Gamers and Sources Featured

• Zealand — Host and creator; discusses his Football Manager save and Twitch streams.
• Reece the Editor — Briefly mentioned in a joke during the video.
• Zealand Live — Zealand’s second YouTube channel, where full streams are uploaded.