FM26: Staff Roles Explained
You can't do everything yourself — here's what your staff do and how to hire the right ones.
Your staff in FM26 handle the work you cannot do personally. The assistant manager, coaches and scouts have the largest effect on results and development — hire the best you can afford, in that order.
The key staff roles
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| Assistant manager | Match advice, team talks and training when delegated, player feedback |
| Coaches | Train players and drive attribute development |
| Scouts | Find players and produce recruitment reports |
| Physios | Treat injuries and reduce how often they happen |
| Data analysts | Supply match and opposition analysis |
| Head of youth development | Shapes the quality and profile of your youth intake |
Assistant manager
Your assistant is the most important hire. They give advice during matches, handle team talks and training if you delegate them, and provide feedback on players you have not watched closely.
Hire for man management, tactical knowledge and judging player ability. A weak assistant giving confident bad advice is worse than no assistant at all.
Coaches
Coaches train players, and the quality and number of them decide how quickly attributes improve. Specialists beat generalists.
- Goalkeeping coaches — shot-stopping and handling
- Fitness coaches — physical attributes and injury resistance
- Tactical coaches — mental attributes and tactical understanding
- Technical coaches — ball skills and finishing
Check the coaching workload screen: too few coaches for the squad size dilutes everything they do.
Scouts
Scouts find players, and the two attributes that matter are judging player ability and judging player potential. A scout with weak judgement produces confident reports about the wrong players.
Assign them by region rather than by one-off searches — standing assignments in South America, Eastern Europe and Africa build the knowledge that surfaces cheap talent. The real-world version of the job is covered in what a football scout does.
Who to hire first
- Assistant manager — affects everything, every week
- Coaches — until the workload screen is comfortable across all categories
- Head of youth development — the earlier they arrive, the sooner intakes improve
- Scouts — enough to cover the markets you actually buy from
- Physios and analysts — worthwhile, but the smallest marginal gain of the five
Common questions
Which staff should you hire first in Football Manager 26?
The assistant manager, then coaches until your coaching workload is covered, then a head of youth development, then scouts for the markets you buy from.
What attributes matter for coaches in FM?
The coaching attributes in their specialism, plus determination and discipline. Match the coach to the category you want improved rather than hiring the highest overall reputation.
How many coaches do you need in FM26?
Enough that the coaching workload screen shows no category understaffed for your squad size — usually five to eight at a professional club.
Does the head of youth development matter?
A great deal. Their judgement and preferred playing style shape the quality and profile of every youth intake while they are at the club.
Should you delegate team talks to your assistant?
If their man management is strong, it is a reasonable delegation and costs you very little. If it is weak, do team talks yourself.
Try it yourself
Gaffa is a free browser football manager — pick a club, set your tactics and play a full season. No download, no account, nothing to install.
FM26 youth development → · What does a scout do? → · FM26 first season guide →