New Update: Fitness Overhaul, Player Avatars & a Season-Long National Cup

A major GoalCrest update makes fitness much more important, introduces tutorials and unique player avatars, and transforms the National Cup into a competition that runs throughout the entire season.

Fitness Now Matters More

Player fitness now has a much bigger impact on both squad selection and match performance.

The Best XI system automatically rests players below 30 fitness when a fitter replacement is available.

Fitness also has a stronger effect on player selection:

• Fully fit players perform at their normal level

• Players at 50 fitness receive a significant selection penalty

• Exhausted players are much less likely to start

• Low average squad fitness reduces Defense, Midfield, and Attack strength

A starting eleven averaging 50 fitness now performs at roughly 75% strength, making squad rotation an important part of managing your season.

Use Manual Training, rest tired players, and rotate your squad during busy periods.

New In-Game Tutorials

New managers can now learn GoalCrest directly inside the game.

The first time you visit a major page, a short tutorial explains what it does and how to use it.

Tutorials are available across:

• Home

• Team and Tactics

• Match and Training

• Transfers and Contracts

• Youth Academy and Scouting

• Stadium and Sponsors

• League and Cup

• Club and Manager

Select Got It to dismiss individual tutorials or Skip All Tutorials to disable them completely.

You can restart them later using Replay Tutorials in Settings.

Unique Player Face Avatars

Every player now has their own cartoon face avatar.

Faces appear throughout the game, including squad lists, tactics, transfers, scouting, contracts, match ratings, and leaderboards.

Each face is generated consistently from the player, meaning the same footballer always keeps the same appearance wherever you see them.

Avatars can vary by:

• Hairstyle and hair colour

• Skin tone

• Eye colour

• Facial hair

• Age-related appearance

Shirt numbers and overall ratings remain visible as overlays on each avatar.

National Cup Across the Whole Season

The National Cup has received a major scheduling overhaul.

Instead of playing every round during the first half of the season, all seven rounds are now spread throughout the campaign.

• Round 1 begins early in the season

• Division 5 clubs enter first

• Divisions 1–4 join in Round 2

• Cup rounds are spread across the league calendar

• The Final takes place in the last week of the season

If you reach the Final, your season will not end until the match has been played.

Play Cup Matches Directly

Cup fixtures can now be played directly from the Match screen.

When you have an upcoming cup tie, a dedicated card displays:

• Cup round

• Opponent

• Play Cup Match option

Cup fixtures use the same match experience as league games, including commentary, goal celebrations, and player ratings.

Results automatically update the bracket, progression, and prize money.

Faster Squad Recovery

Manual Training now includes quick fitness presets.

You can automatically set players to Rest when their fitness falls below:

• 30%

• 50%

• 70%

This makes managing tired squads much faster during periods with both league and cup fixtures.

Transfer Market Fix

Players you purchase are now immediately removed from the transfer market, preventing the same player from being purchased again.

Fight on Every Front

Fitness and squad depth now matter more than ever, especially with the National Cup stretching across the entire campaign.

Rotate your squad, develop your players, fight for promotion, and keep your best team ready for the final weeks of the season.