Footium raised US$600k with Dimitar Berbatov among investors, backing a real-time football management game focusing on community.
British studio, Footium, announced a US$600,000 strategic angel round featuring former Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur striker Dimitar Berbatov, coinciding with the hard launch of its multiplayer football management game.
After four years of development, live testing, and a soft launch with more than 3,000 clubs, Footium is positioning itself as a challenger in the football management genre. Unlike traditional single-player titles, the game focuses on real-time, multiplayer competition where users manage clubs and compete against other human managers.
Footium’s leagues run in real time with daily live matches, promotion and relegation, dynamic transfer markets, and club progression. A growing social layer has emerged, with over 400 clubs already operating their own X (Twitter) accounts. Clubs can also earn cash rewards based on seasonal performance, funded through in-game spending.
Dimitar Berbatov, now an angel investor in the project, said: “I’m excited to back Footium because it’s the closest thing fans can get to managing a football club other than becoming an actual manager. Playing against real people for cash rewards brings a unique experience for football fans.”
The round also includes support from gaming, sports, and technology operators. Footium has additionally appointed Andy Watson, CEO of Hutch Games and creator of titles such as F1 Clash and Top Drives, as an adviser.
Watson commented: “They’re a young, engaged team meeting a real demand with a new kind of experience, and they’re using emerging tech in a way that actually makes sense for players.”
Since selling out its initial 3,000 clubs in 2021 and raising a seed round led by BACKED VC in 2022, Footium has iterated closely with its community through multiple playtests.
BACKED VC co-founder Alex Brunicki said: “We think the true economic and IP ownership for players is a fascinating combination for sports management as it allows markets to be freely created by players, thus better mimicking the football industry.”
The game has already attracted high-profile fans, including World Cup–winning cricketer Carlos Brathwaite and leading Football Manager creator TomFM. Footium’s founders aim to build a persistent “digital world of football” where fans can participate as club owners and managers, not just spectators.
“The vision for Footium has always been to build the digital world of football – Somewhere the average football fan can participate in the football ecosystem as more than just a fan, but also as a Club Owner and Manager. This funding round and support from Berbatov helps us bring that world to the masses,” said CEO and Co-Founder George Benton.
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