4. The 'For Club And Country' Challenge
This challenge has come under quite a few headings and can be done with a huge variety of clubs and their corresponding national sides. It all depends on how hard you want to make it for yourselves. The two most common examples of this challenge that a lot of FM veterans will have attempted are; San Marino and Andorra. Everyone will have their preference and there are a number of other options if you want to undertake this challenge. So what is this challenge all about? I will illustrate the general idea by using San Marino as an example. To undertake this challenge you need to take control of San Marino the club which is currently in the Italian third tier (Serie C1). You then need to show your managerial ability in getting the club side to the Italian Serie A and subsequently European competition. Your aim with the club side is to win every available competition both domestically and continentally. At the same time you will also take control of San Marino the nation and attempt to transform them into a respectable footballing force initially, with the long term goal of trying to contend major international tournaments. The key part of this challenge is using your club's progress to improve the quality of the national side. In order to do this you will need to generate money to improve youth facilities, training facilities, youth recruitment, staff ability and reputation. The only way of doing this is by showing your managerial ability and progressing through the domestic tiers to the top level. The success of both your club and country will be totally down to your management. There are so many goals you can set yourself within this challenge as it is quite a big one, so perhaps start small and then add to your goals each time you reach them. This is a challenge you can do with various club/country combinations so give it a go and any of you that have done it please feel free to leave some feedback and advice for others.