📅 Season-long player contracts

In Footium, a player's ability to play for a club during a season is governed by registration. You can think of registration as a season-long playing commitment. Once the unlimited window closes, a player registered to your club is effectively part of your playing squad for that season, unless a limited window allows them to be unregistered.

This article explains how that works, what happens when a player is sold while registered, and how to plan around retirements, training and squad depth.

Registration creates the season commitment

During pre-season, the unlimited registration window lets you register and unregister players freely. This window closes at kick-off on Game Day 1. After it closes, players registered to your club can only play for your club that season, unless they are unregistered during a mid-season limited transfer window.

That means your Game Day 1 squad decision matters. If you keep a player registered when the unlimited window closes, they are not automatically available to a buyer immediately if sold later. They are tied to your playing squad until the next eligible registration change.

Selling a registered player

You can sell a registered player at any time, but selling does not always mean the player immediately joins the buyer's usable squad.

If you sell a player who is still registered to your club during a closed window, the buyer will usually have to wait until the next unlimited window before registering them. Until then, the player remains at your club for playing purposes. You can continue using them in matches, but you cannot train them.

A red icon appears on your Players page for that player, showing that they will leave when the next unlimited transfer window opens. This helps you track players who are still usable now but are no longer part of your long-term plans.

For the buyer, this is an important warning. A registered player may be a good future signing, but they may not solve an immediate matchday problem.

Unregistered players and immediate use

An unregistered player is a free agent. Free agents can be registered at any time, even during closed windows. If you want a player to be usable by a buyer immediately, they need to be unregistered.

The best time to prepare players for sale is pre-season, before the unlimited window closes. You can unregister players you intend to sell, making them free agents. If another manager buys them later, they can register them straight away.

There are also two limited transfer windows each season. In each limited window, a club can unregister up to 3 players. Use these carefully, as they are your mid-season opportunity to make selected players immediately available elsewhere.

Training and season planning

A sold but still registered player can play matches for the selling club, but cannot train. This means you should not rely on developing a player after sale. If they are leaving, use them only if they still help your matchday squad.

For players you are keeping, training should be planned around available potential, condition and match needs. Every training session uses one potential. Potential is unlocked through match minutes. Players cannot train if doing so would take them below the minimum condition of 20%, and finishing training at or below 60% condition creates injury risk.

Retirements

Player age also affects your season planning. Players retire from playing at 32, with their final playing season at 31. A yellow calendar icon appears next to 31-year-old players to show they will not be playable next season.

A retiring player can still help you this season, but they are not a future asset. If you have several players with the retirement icon, use academy signings, free agents or transfer purchases to prepare replacements.

Practical advice

Before the unlimited window closes, decide who is part of your season squad, who should be unregistered for sale, and which positions need cover. During the season, remember that buying a registered player is usually a future move, while buying a free agent is an immediate squad move.

Good managers treat registration as part of squad strategy, not an admin task.

Updated on: 10/09/2026