This game has been designed
to give adults the chance to
practise financial skills in
a setting not related to personal
finances. As a parent there
are often opportunities to work
as a volunteer, whether it is
running a local junior football
team or raising funds at school. Many
of these opportunities can then
lead on to paid employment. However,
often parents are deterred from
volunteering because they lack
the necessary financial skills. The
game provides an introduction
to such skills. It also
provides opportunities to use
literacy and numeracy skills,
either directly through the game
or through possible associated
activities.
As a tutor you can encourage
discussion about how parents
have come to the decisions they
have made during the game. As
with real life, the effect of
the decisions made is not just
down to the judgement of those
making the decisions: there is
always a random element dependent
on a wide range of factors.
Financial
The game supports adults working
towards Basic level (Entry 3)
financial capability skills. Using
the Adult Financial Capability
Framework (AFCaF) as a framework,
financial capability skills
have been identified that are
used during the game. Where
the skills, knowledge or understanding
are not directly used follow-up
activities have been suggested
so that the whole of the Basic
level can be covered, if wanted,
linked to running a junior football
club. If a parent wanted
to take responsibilities for
finances of a club or fundraising
activity then they would need
at least Developing level (Level
1) financial capability skills. The
game could be used as an introduction
to a course looking at such skills.
Literacy
Entry 3 reading skills are needed
to play the game. If players
are at this level then some support
may be needed with the instructions. The
instructions could be used to
create activities to develop
literacy skills at level 1. Having
played the game then links could
be made with junior or adult
football. If this is done
then differentiated activities
could be created to develop Entry
3/Level 1/Level 2 literacy skills,
e.g. reading/writing reviews
of matches and player profiles,
reading advertising material
or fiction linked to football,
discussions, presentations.
Many football clubs have their
own schemes for working with
young people and adults to engage
them in improving their literacy
and numeracy skills. If
you want to follow the football
theme further then look at the
National Literacy Trust section
on how to encourage reading through
links with football - Reading
The Game (RTG) is an initiative
run by the National Literacy
Trust which works to promote
reading, writing, and speaking
and listening for all ages through
the motivational power of sport.
Numeracy
The game requires few numeracy
skills as the calculations are
carried out for the player using
whole numbers. Depending
on how successful the player
is they will have to be able
to cope with numbers over 1,000
(N1/L1.1) or understand negative
numbers (N1/L1.2). These
are both L1 numeracy skills. If
the player wants to plan ahead
then they will need to undertake
some addition, subtraction and
multiplication (N1/L1.3 or N2/L1.11). There
is scope within the game to look
at solving problems e.g. considering
whether it is better to charge
higher fees/subs and have fewer
players or lower fees/subs and
have more players. However,
due to the randomness of the
game you don’t know how
many players are going to sign
up as in real life psychology
would come into play.
Having played the game then
links could be made with junior
or adult football. The
sports pages of newspapers are
rich in data to develop number
and handling data skills at Entry
3 to Level 2, e.g. reading tables,
working out averages, understanding
percentages, reading large numbers.
Links to the Adult Financial
Capability Framework (AFCaF)
Component
of AFCaF
Financial
skill, knowledge or understanding
Example
within game
Different
types of money/
payments (a)
1)
Recognise notes and coins
and understand the differences
in value.
None
directly – could
look at the notes that
would be needed to pay
for different items within
game.
2)
Recognise there are different
forms of money, eg, cheques,
plastic cards, coupons,
vouchers.
None
directly - could practise
writing cheques.
3)
Understand cash isn’t
the only way to pay for
goods/services.
None
directly – could
look at local exchange
systems/bartering to provide
services for football team.
4)
Understand different forms
of exchange, eg, money
for goods/services, in-kind
exchange, etc.
None
directly – could
look at the concept of
time banks for voluntary
work.
Income
generation (b)
1)
Recognise there are regular
and unpredictable sources
of money and identify your
sources of income.
Fees
and subs could be seen
as regular sources of money,
fundraising by parents
as unpredictable.
2)
Understand money is available
when there is no/insufficient
work.
None
directly – could
look at how many hours
voluntary work someone
can undertake without it
affecting availability
for work and therefore
benefits.
3)
Understand ways to increase
income, eg, work opportunities,
benefits, etc.
Fundraising
is possible via having
a team photo taken. But
as in real life there is
always a risk that you
might not make enough to
cover costs.
Income
disposal (c)
1)
Understand the difference
between essential and nonessential
spending.
Several
opportunities within game
e.g. it is essential to
have a kit but not essential
to have training equipment.
2)
Recognise household expenses
and regular financial commitments.
Each
season it is necessary
to pay League Membership.
3)
Begin to understand the
tax, pension, national
insurance systems and how
deductions are made.
None
directly – could
look at what taxes are
used for and whether any
funding comes to Junior
Football from taxation.
Gathering
financial information and
record keeping (d)
1)
Recognise the need to keep
money safe and the options
available, eg, at home,
banks, credit unions, etc.
None
directly – could
look at the need for club
funds to be kept in a bank
account.
2)
Understand the need to
keep financial records
including receipts, benefit
claims, council tax payments,
etc.
None
directly – could
look at the reasons for
keeping records when running
a club.
3)
Appreciate the importance
of bills, etc, as forms
of identification needed
for various transactions
and to open accounts.
None
directly – could
look at identification
needed to open an account
for club.
4)
Be able to keep a simple
record of money coming
in and going out.
None
directly – could
look at how the records
within the game could be
set out on a spreadsheet.
1)
Begin to understand that
saving can offer options
for future spending
In
the game it is necessary
to save in order pay for
more expensive kit or a
better ground.
2)
Begin to understand the
different ways of saving.
None
directly – could
look at different savings
accounts that would be
suitable for voluntary
organisations.
3)
Be able to consider different
possibilities for spending
money.
Main
focus of game.
4)
Identify items that may
not be bought from regular
income.
Several
items cannot be bought
from the amount of regular
income that can be received
in the form of subs.
5)
Use simple budgets to plan
and control spending – begin
to plan ahead.
The
game provides and updates
the budget so that the
player can concentrate
of controlling the spending
and planning ahead.
Risk
and return(f)
1)
Understand the consequences
of losing money.
The
player needs to decide
whether to pay a hefty
sum for insurance or take
the risk that there will
not be any accidents.
2)
Understand that you need
to pay to borrow money
and will be paid money
if you save money.
None
directly – could
look at rates for savings
accounts and whether or
not voluntary organisations
can borrow money.
Personal
choices and the financial
implications (g)
1)
Balancing needs and wants,
prioritising spending.
Main
focus of game.
2)
Begin to prioritise within
the constraints of limited
resources.
Main
focus of game.
3)
Begin to understand the
implications of debt.
If
the club is in debt then
at the end of the season
it has to fold.
4)
Begin to be able to discuss
how satisfaction from purchases
can vary.
Main
focus of game – morale
is seen as key. However,
the player may choose to
pay for more expensive
kit and then the morale
rating is not increased. A
useful discussion could
be based on the possible
effect of the financial
decisions made. Maybe
the players didn’t
like the colour of the
more expensive kit.
5)
Begin to consider choices
based on personal financial
information gathering,
identifying needs, what
needs to be spent, and
what is left if any.
Players
need to give thought to
thinking ahead as to what
is going to need to be
spent, based on knowledge
of the different costs
within the game.
Consumer
rights, responsibilities
and sources of advice (h)
1)
Begin to understand different
sources of advice/information,
how to access such info/advice
and know some local contacts,
including advice on managing
debt.
Within
the game there is information
provided on the possible
consequences of sending
decisions.
2)
Be able to identify product
information and be aware
of the purpose of such
information.
None
directly – could
look at product information
for kits for junior football
clubs.
3)
Know that consumers should
expect to receive good
service.
None
directly – could
look at the service you
would expect when paying
fees for using a football
pitch.
4)
Understand that consumers
have rights and responsibility
for paying for goods ordered.
None
directly – could
look at the terms and conditions
when ordering football
kits.
Implications
of finance (i)
1)
Begin to understand the
consequences of having
more or less money.
To
succeed in the game it
is likely to be necessary
to build up funds.
2)
Begin to understand the
roles of financial organisations.
None
directly – could
look at role of banks/building
societies in sponsoring
junior football teams.
Note: shaded boxes show indirect
links with the game.
Thinking behind the
design of the game:
1) The game has a sophisticated
gaming engine which realistically
simulates a full game for all
teams in the league for every
game your team plays. Within
this is integrated randomness
to simulate the real world.
In addition, you as the manager
can influence results by the
financial decisions you make,
many of which feature randomisation
in their own right. The influences
and random elements again simulate
the ‘real world’ with
many requiring an analysis
of ‘Risk versus Return’.
A couple of the more extreme
examples of this are:
a) INSURANCE:
Just as in day-to-day life,
much insurance is optional,
for example, home contents
insurance. You can ‘risk’ not
taking this out and benefit
for many years on not paying
premiums, but when a serious
event happens the results
can be catastrophic, the
same rules apply to the
game, sometimes they will
happen frequently, sometimes
they may never happen.
b) PLAYING
A RINGER: One of the mid season
options is to ‘Play a ringer’,
an unsigned player with
great ability who can boost
your team’s performance
temporarily. Whilst this
decision can get you out
of a hole, or boost your
chances of promotion at
the back end of the season,
it is a big risk as if
you are found out the consequences
can be dire, resulting
in a substantial fine,
so understanding ‘risk
assessment’ is important.
2) Due to the complexity and
randomness of the game it will
never play the same twice so
you can play as many times
as you want attempting to gain
your team promotion and silverware
trying various financial strategies,
as an alternative you could
even forego league position
and try to accumulate as much
money as possible without going
bust through lack of players.
3) Within
the game sometimes things may
happen which may seem illogical.
This is usually the result
of the fact that other teams
in your league play their own
games every time you do and
their results can affect factors
of your game. For example,
you may lose a game but actually
move up a position in your
league! This actually happens
occasionally because before
the game your team and another
team may have the same number
of points and therefore share
a league position. You then
both lose the next game but
they lose by more goals than
you so you go above them in
the league on goal difference
alone, even though both teams
actually have the same number
of points, just like real football
leagues. This could possibly
be used to teach the fact that
sometimes factors beyond your
control can affect your finances
(interest rates, loss of job
etc).
4) The ‘compounding’ nature
of the game could be used to
indicate how bad financial
decisions early on can affect
later performance. For example,
if you fail to gain promotion
in the first two seasons you
can never reach your goal of
being champions of Division
one, so you need to compound
your success year on year.
Morale is compounded as a portion
of it transfers from one year
to the next. This could be
related to pensions.
