Bromley FC head to Wembley this weekend as they look to win a place in the English Football League for the first time in their 132 history.
And should the Ravens get past Solihull Moors in the National League play-off final they will have Football Manager and Xbox to thank. Or more specifically, they will have 23-year-old Football Manager gamer Nathan Owolabi to thank.
Anyone who’s ever played the game – and we dare say that’s most of you reading this – will have dreamed of blurring gaming with reality and masterminding your team to glory. But for Nathan, these dreams have come true, after he won a competition run by Microsoft to provide one FM24 player with a working placement at fifth-tier side Bromley FC.
Nathan’s prowess of the popular simulation game led to him applying for the job which then saw him undergo a job interview with Bromley boss Andy Woodman, who gave him the nod and added him to his staff as a ‘Support Performance Tactician’ in January.
Nathan’s role sees him shadowing and learning from the coaching staff to understand what goes into the tactical decision-making that goes into a promotion-chasing team.
Prior to Sunday’s play-off final, McCann London, Craft and Exell Film have produced a three-part documentary for TNT Sports that goes behind the scenes on Nathan’s journey as the club looked to close the gap on runaway league leaders Chesterfield before battling through the play-offs.
“Nathan has embedded himself into our group of staff and his work ethic has been great,” Woodman said. “The benefits of the project are that we have another voice and angle; a different approach to things. Nathan has embraced the opportunity and has really added something to our group”.
In a brilliant twist to Nathan’s story, he was employed as a Wembley Stadium tour guide before landing the job at Hayes Lane.
He now goes back to his former workplace with a chance to earn football glory and a place in Bromley folklore - and just as importantly for the rest of us, proves that playing Football Manager can be good for your career.
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