Football Manager 27 adds wheelchair-using manager option

Football Manager 27 will let players create a manager who uses a wheelchair, adding disability representation to the football simulation series as its developer expands accessibility features.

The character option is part of a broader effort by Sports Interactive to make the game more inclusive. The studio says it also adapted parts of the game world and match presentation, including adding ramps to trophy plinths and changing camera angles and the manager’s movements on the touchline.

Will Rees, a 16-year-old powerchair football player for Wrexham, told BBC Newsbeat the new feature was “amazing” and said more wheelchair users would feel included. Rees, who has kyphosis and other conditions affecting his joints, said he hoped disability representation would become more common in games.

Sports Interactive production head Stu Boyd described wheelchair representation as the second stage of the company’s plan, after it added hearing aids and eye patches in 2025. “We can’t do everything in one year,” he said, adding that the team would keep working towards what it considers a gold standard.

The work involved more than adding a wheelchair option to the character creator. Character artist Steve Norgate said it took time to get the feature right, while producer Danny Quin said the developers also adjusted how managers appear during matches. Boyd said the studio had to balance potential features against its limited resources, and that the response to the addition would inform future decisions.

The announcement drew both praise and negative comments online, according to the BBC. George Dowell, owner of Worthing FC and a wheelchair user with a spinal cord injury, said changes like this could encourage more wheelchair users to get involved in football. He said seeing themselves represented in games could help some people imagine trying the sport in real life.

A 2023 survey by disability charity Scope found that respondents wanted more accurate and frequent representation in games. Accessibility advocates have also welcomed changes in Football Manager 27 that make menus easier to navigate and allow players to customise how information is displayed.