The idea is good, and it's "free" to play, but after a few weeks the majority get bored and leave. Just 339 teams have managers now, of which many managers have 2 teams. For years there have been empty promises of improving the Transfer Market, Youth Academy, Match Engine etc, you are encouraged to subscribe to keep the game going and support change, but nothing is seen for the money you pay in. If you question improvement or what is going on behind the scenes, you are jumped on by Moderators and their friends in the game. It's a very cliquey group, so you either fall in line or leave. Hence the low number now playing the game.

Have to agree with the posters below, Itsagoal.org is definitely the best free online football management game. There has never been a better time to join. New joiners start with a squad of 23 players and a considerable amount of money in the bank to get you up and running. There are loads of help files to take you through all aspects of the game. There are also some really good chat threads as well with even more advice. Experienced managers are always on hand to help steer you in the right direction. The beauty of the game is that you can play it any way you like. Plan for the long term and build your club up slowly in the lower divisions before hitting the big time with a competitive team. Jump straight in to the top league and try and compete with the best teams in the game or switch clubs to restart and use your knowledge to build on your successes and learn from your mistakes. Everyone finds their level whether it's a Top 10 club, a mid table team in the top division or someone building from the bottom. You get out of the game what you put in. Once you know how the game works then you can progress quite quickly even if you are limited on time day to day. Why not give the game a try and see what you have been missing. Enjoy!!

Itsagoal.org is a fun, challenging, and free to play football management game. You’re appointed manager of a club in one of the ten countries and have the opportunity to build the club up from whichever division you find yourself in (and you can always take a look at the vacancies list if you fancy moving to a different club). You’ll have to work out the best way to improve the club rating if you want to make it to the top. Will you develop players using the youth academy? Or sell the high potential players to create a good all-round team rather than a team with a few future stars? How much will you spend on increasing the stadium capacity and what ticket price will you set to bring in the fans? You can sign staff members, set up the training regime, and watch as your players reach their potential. Transfers are done by blind bidding so you have to judge how much you’re willing to pay without knowing how much others might have bid. The seller doesn’t even know how much has been bid until the transfer listing has ended and contract negotiations have begun. Matches are spread throughout the day so you can even check the scoreline of your team or a rival live. Like a lot of great games, it’s easy to play but difficult to master. I’ve been playing for many seasons now and still get a lot of enjoyment from competing against other managers and trying to get the best out of my team. Anyone who likes football management games is sure to find something to capture their interest in itsagoal.org.

ItsaGoal.org, sitting at number three in this list, is by the far the best FREE online football manager game I’ve played to date. None of the fundamental features sit behind a “pay wall” which you find with most online or mobile games these days, meaning you won’t miss out because you haven’t forked out to access key features. Having been a manager since its first iteration, there are a number of different aspects in the game to keep you hooked from day one. From managing individual players training schedules to train up youth academy graduates, allowing them to reach their potential in your first team, or be sold on for a profit. Or competing against other managers in your local League Cup, battling against 200 other teams to earn local league bragging rights. You have the option to set your ticket price for home games to increase match day income, and, when the time is right, you can build new stands and let more paying fans in to support your team, growing your fanbase and your club profit. Each league has its own Transfer Market, meaning you can sell those you deem surplus to requirements, or scouting for the missing link in the starting eleven who can hit 20 goals a season and fire you to league and cup glory. ItsaGoal.org is THE best free to play online football management game around, don’t miss out!

Itsagoal.org is definitely one of the best free online football simulation games on the internet. Registration is extremely simple and you are allocated a team randomly in a division in one of 10 worlds. The game has an excellent forum which contains very comprehensive help guides which give all new members of the game the best opportunity to find their way around the game. Some of the most successful managers have also provided some useful information on how to build successful teams in the forums also. Once you have been allocated your team, you have total control over everything from selecting your team, selecting the tactics, control over both players and staff contracts, training your players, building a youth academy, stadium expansions, ticket prices. The games come quick and fast as each world is made up of 5 divisions with 20 teams in each. There is promotion and relegation with three teams going up or down. There is also two cup competitions one within your world known as the League Cup and one between all 10 worlds known as the IAG Cup. Additionally there are other cup competitions for those that finish in the top three of each division. It is also possible to play reserve games, which allows you the opportunity to either give games to your squad members or to test out different tactics to see what works best for your team. You can play friendlies as well, but you will need to pay a small subscription fee to utilise this part of the game. There is a continually active transfer market, and this is probably one area of the game which needs improving as players are very expensive, even for average players. You can utilise the excellent filters to send your scouts out looking for specific players, or simply send your scouts out looking at your next opponents or major competitors. Vacant clubs appear on the vacancies list, so you can take over other teams throughout the game. The manager with the best managerial rating will get offered the vacant role. This game isn’t easy. The financial side of the game is critical, mess up with your player contracts and the club starts losing money, your board will soon let you know their disappointment. This isn’t a game to join if you want instant success, you have to build your squad and team up slowly and you will either love the challenge or you will jump to a new team and start again, hopefully learning on the mistakes you made 1st, 2nd or even 3rd time round.

Now it’s a goal.Org. Not a fast paced game by any means and it’s one you need to stick with to get the most enjoyment from it. Manage your club in all aspects from stadia size to ticket prices, youth academy to senior squad. Unearth rough diamonds in your academy and watch them grow in your senior squad if they accept promotion. Tackle like minded managers in your quest for glory, competing against them in the league cup or the prestigious IAG cup. It’s definitely not an easy game to master, but other managers are there to assist and help if required and you can ask questions in the iag forums there’s always someone around to help. The game updates at 8pm uk time, and I still get the buzz waiting to see if I’ve been successful in the transfer market or not. Still, the game is not without its niggles, hence the 4 star review. Requires certain updates in order to make it great but I’ll take it in it’s current guise and happily carry on playing it.

I have been playing this game for many years and still find it just as enjoyable as when I first started. It only requires a little bit of attention each day but covers all aspects of running a football club. I particularly like that you can choose the path you want to navigate, whether its to slowly build a club up from the bottom to the top or try and win as many games as possible from the off. Its a challenging game, where planning is important if you are to succeed long term. I would highly recommend it.

This game is really quite impressive. You manage a simulated football club in a world against other online football managers and play 5-7 matches each week with one played each day. You are in control of everything - tactics, training, contracts, finances, staff, youth academy, etc. You can spend as little as a few minutes each day getting your squad put together for the next match and training set, or you can spend hours trying to sort out which attributes matter the most and how to squeeze that extra little bit from your players. A major update happened a few years ago and now matches are played live with minute-by-minute updates that can leave you on the edge of your seat in key league or cup matches. Definitely a great game. Super simple to sign up and lots of friendly managers to help you get your footing.

If you are after a game which takes dedication and hard work to get to the top, itsagoal.com is the game for you. It is probably the hardest online manager game to be successful at. Even if you work out those all important game secrets and make the right decisions at the right time, still expect it to take a few years to make it to the top. If you make it, you can really call yourself the best online football manager ! Sure the game has faults, the developers are, lets say in the background and let the game plod along. However despite there absence no other game comes close. The game is free to play, no better value than that. For £10 a year you can get a few extras to make your gameplay a little more enjoyable. The main problem is user retention, those that can stick around for a while, more often than not, find themselves addicted. On a final note, if you are after quick success, dont bother signing up. This is a game for real hardcore managers who are willing to put time and effort in to gain success.

The developers are now back in town and the game is moving forward. Loads of bugs have now been fixed and the future of itsagoal.com is very bright indeed.

With a possible merge of leagues, vacant teams in the game will be reduced considerably and competition will be increased.

The future of itsagoal.com looks brighter than ever, the game is free to play, but subscribing for just £10 a year, is well worth the value. Want to play the best online manager game that's not so easy, get signed up.

Great online football management game. It's not easy to get your finances right but if you keep focused on slow building the club you'll be flying up the divisions. The transfer market is by far and away the best of all the online management games - bidding wars have kept me going well into the night.

Great online community too.

There has been no development or bugfixing for Itsagoal.com for years. This is reflected in the users base, currently there are around 2,400 active managers. Recently the subscribers were given the benefit of managing a second team, in a desperate effort to liven up the game. So the real managers are probably around 300 or so less. The effort didn't work well, users have fallen even faster than usual recently.

With 4,400 teams, it means that almost 50% are unmanaged. The quality of the divisions is very poor. So league play is a bore.

The game has loads of bugs, which again results in a poor retension rate of users.

Don't waste £10 to subscribe to this game. There are better around which actually have some real competition and where development is done.

Its A Goal is by far the most addictive in depth football managing game out there. Its completely free, you can subscribe if you wish but subscribers have no gameplay advantage over non subscribers.

It can be played for a few minutes a day or a few hours a day.

Its a Goal is the best footie management game on the internet. It looks good and you get a lot of matches to keep you interested. You have a lot of options including training, tactics and stadium expansion so there is plenty to do. Optional 10 pound a year subscription if you want to play friendlies and some other features. Great for those who like a challenge.