The day Championship Manager died

So as shared by somebody on the Amiga Addict Discord, today is the day that – if you play Championship Manager 97/98 for 30 seasons, on the 15th July 2026, you get an endgame screen, and encouragement to sign up as a play tester and a researcher for future games.¹

I played Champ Man 97/98 loads growing up, and really got into the 97/98 version. I would have been 14 when it came out, the cusp of France 98, and me starting to follow Colwyn Bay Football Club, I was at probably my peak fandom. I used to scour the leagues and guides for hidden gem signings (waves at Rob Taylor from Brentford), dress up for cup finals in a shirt and tie, and believed it was bad luck to watch the final.

Although Bobby Robson (in the background) is no longer with us, it’s good to see that Compulink is still going as a South London based ISP. That’s nice. Was worried I’d get a virus. The website was captured by web archive as well.

Anyway, with the universe death of the greatest football game of all time, it’s safe to assume that no football from this day forward counts. It’s true, not just me being a bitter Welshman. Sorry England.

1. Incidentally, I did this role myself when I was the social media manager for Colwyn Bay about 10 years later. Mainly it was confirming the club colours, crest and various elements were true. Very much a highlight of the season, though sadly I never got into the credits for it! ↩︎