Football Manager 2010

In a football first, Football Manager 2010, the most successful football management simulation, is delighted to reveal that the Glenn Hoddle Academy is the final, officially licensed club in Football Manager 2010.

In a massive coup for the both the Glenn Hoddle Academy and Sports Interactive, it now forms part of the huge database of licensed clubs and leagues featured in the game. Since its outset, Glenn has maintained his vision for the Academy and this is further proof of its existence as an alternative to the professional club system

Football Manager 2010 will feature all players at the Glenn Hoddle Academy Club, the world’s first fully independent, professional football development centre, designed to work with players released from topflight clubs, who would otherwise be lost to the game. The Academy gives talented players a second chance at becoming a professional in real life and you’ll also be able to sign them for your Football Manager 2010 club.

Glenn Hoddle commented, “To have the Glenn Hoddle Academy Club in Football Manager 2010 is fantastic. We have been working hard with the team at Football Manager to make this happen and we are delighted to be the first professional football development centre in the world to become part of the ever expanding game”

Glenn Hoddle further added that, "Our players are all talented professionals, released initially from senior clubs across Europe. They spend time developing their skills in Spain and they play regular fixtures against senior European opposition, including Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid, on a regular basis. To have our squad included in Football Manager 2010 alongside their peers in the professional game, as part of this season's new features, will I am sure add a new dimension for the game."

“We’re really excited to have the Glenn Hoddle Academy in Football Manager 2010”, said Miles Jacobson, studio director at Sports Interactive. “What he’s doing with the academy is fantastic for football, and anything that is good for football is good for our games”.

With Football Manager 2009 being voted the second best game of all time and clocking up 22 weeks at the No.1 spot in the UK PC charts, Football Manager 2010 promises to be the best one yet.

The game’s developer, Sports Interactive, has listened to the Football Manager community and fans to improve all aspects of the game. There are some big additions to improve the ease of use, navigation and feedback from the game with the brand new match tactics system, the debut of a Match Analysis tool, a completely new look and new User Interface among other features. And with improved in-game graphics, the 3D match view provides the most realistic match experience yet.

Football Manager™ 2010 for PC and Apple Macintosh will be released on October 30th.

For further information please go to www.sigames.com or www.footballmanager.com.

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For further information please contact the SEGA press office at Mischief PR on 0207 100 9999 or sega@mischiefpr.com

About Glenn Hoddle Academy:

The GHA is Glenn’s own vision. It is the first independent, professional football academy, offering an alternative to the professional club system. The primary goal of the GHA will be to offer a genuine route back into professional football for some of the youngsters discarded by the professional system. Each year football clubs across Europe release hundreds of talented young players. Glenn is absolutely convinced that the decision on their future is made too early and that many, given a further year or two, would develop into valued professional players.

In only the academy’s first year, six players have graduated to professional clubs in England, Spain and Cyprus, vindicating Glenn’s vision. For more information go to www.glennhoddleacademy.com/

About SEGA Europe Ltd.:

SEGA® Europe Ltd. is the European Distribution arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation, and a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. SEGA Europe’s web site is located at www.sega-europe.com <http://www.sega-europe.com/> .

About Sports Interactive Ltd.:

Sports Interactive (SI), is the world’s leading developer of football management simulations through its Football Manager series of games Founded in 1994 and based in the Old Street area of London, SI has a full-time staff of 60 and employs services of more than 1,500 part-time researchers across the globe. The company’s games have enjoyed an unparalleled history of commercial and critical success, with nine of its creations among the UK's Top 20 fastest-selling PC games of all time, and 5 in the UK’s top 20 best selling PC games of all time. Sports Interactive became a wholly owned subsidiary of SEGA in 2006. Further information on the company and its games is available from the SI website, www.sigames.com