Bromley have been promoted to League Two thanks to a kid who is an Xbox and Football Manager expert

In November, Nathan Owolabi He signed up for some sort of contest involving the Xbox and the video game Football Manager. The prize is none other than being the tactical assistant to Bromley, a team from the National League, the Fifth division of English football. The jump from video games to reality may seem like a joke or pure publicity, but as Bromley secured promotion to the top of the table this weekend League Twothe dream became reality.

“I gave myself a 5% chance of achieving the goal,” said Nathan, 23, once he got the job and set out to work in Bromley full-time five days a week and on a salary of £13.15 per hour (15 euros) . A challenge. “It’s a risk to sign someone like him. You can’t turn off the console here, a lot of people’s jobs are at stake,” added Andy Woodman, Bromley coach.

Nathan’s job began in January, with Bromley chasing down elusive Chesterfield, ending up winning the league with a comfortable twelve-point lead and with it promotion to League Two, condemning Bromley to a three -game playoffs, including the final at Wembley.

So, with a view to promotion, Nathan set to work and began to analyze Bromley’s rivals, focusing on strengths and weaknesses, to help Woodman with the tactical aspect of the game. As an analyst, he also supervises the games, analyzes the plays and transmits information during the game, from a vantage point on the field, to the coaching staff.

“My dream is to become a coach. I’ve started coaching courses to get there one day,” admitted Nathan, who had to pass a series of interviews with the coach and the team president to secure the position.

It all started with PC Fútbol in Spain

It may seem like an impossible dream, but the relationship between video games and football, and the leap that can be made from one to the other, began in the 80s and 90s, when the first strategy simulators were sold . One of the clearest and most memorable examples is PC Fútbol in Spain, a game that, among others, Michael Laudrup, Quique Sánchez Flores, Míchel and Luis Enrique were hooked on during their playing days. They all became coaches. Even the creator of their database, Gaby Ruiz, has worked at clubs such as Middlesbrough and Leeds United.

Other recent cases are those of Will Still, the former coach of Reims, a faithful manager of Football Manager, and Ange Postecoglou, who in his concentration in Australia rose through the divisions at modest Southend United. “What I can transfer from the game to this is the analysis of data and statistics. The game allows you to be the architect of your own success,” added Nathan, who was one of the witnesses at Wembley of how Bromley entered in professional football for the first time in the club’s 132-year history by beating Solihull Moors on penalties.

Nathan’s future at Bromley is up in the air

The project will take on a new dimension next season, when Bromley will play in League Two, a category with as much history as Wimbledon, and its aim will be to save the category and continue making strides for a club that never been very high in the league. With the jump in quality they have to decide if Nathan is still in the team, if they promote him or if this is the end of the adventure of this Football Manager player who has given himself a 5% chance of getting of work and who has now celebrated promotion at Wembley.