Every Academy player starts at a Total Rating of 35 and a market value of 1 Lonida Coin. What they become is entirely down to how you develop them. This is the pathway from a raw 16-year-old to a first-team asset.
The Lonida Academy lets every manager create, develop and eventually promote young players into their main squad. A new Academy player is inexperienced — they will not immediately compete with established professionals rated 45, 55, 65, 75, 85 or higher. What they have instead is development potential.
How you train, select and expose an Academy player to competitive football decides how quickly they improve.
Training + Match Experience + Quality of Opposition + Competitive Experience + Consistency = Player Growth
A player does not become highly rated simply because the Academy produced them. Every development activity contributes Player Development Points (PDP). As PDP accumulates, individual attributes improve. When enough attributes improve, Total Rating rises — and as rating and experience rise, so does market valuation.
Rolling out in stages
You can create and promote Academy players today. The Training Ground and the development mechanics described below are being introduced in stages — the figures here describe how development is designed to work, and the exact numbers may be tuned as it goes live.
Training Ground development
Training is the most consistent way to improve an Academy player. You can train them in the Academy Training Ground and, after promotion, in your club's main Training Ground.
Each completed session awards development points based on the player's age, current rating, training type, condition and recent training activity.
Training Development Score = Base Training Points × Training Quality × Player Potential × Condition Factor
A normal Academy session produces roughly +1.0 development point. Specialised training pushes specific attributes instead: pace, passing, shooting, defending, dribbling, physical strength, goalkeeping, or positional awareness.
Training alone will not get you there
Repeatedly training the same player without giving them matches produces steadily smaller returns. Lonida deliberately rewards managers who combine training with real football.
Training costs a small amount of Lonida Coin, because the club is genuinely investing resources in the player.
Friendly match development
Friendlies are one of the most powerful development tools you have. Turning out at all earns experience — but how much depends heavily on who you play.
Opposition quality multiplier
- Opponent 35–44Optional×1.00 — a gentle introduction, and the slowest way to improve.
- Opponent 45–54Optional×1.25 — a real test for a young player finding their feet.
- Opponent 55–64Optional×1.50 — established professionals; development accelerates here.
- Opponent 65–74Optional×1.75 — a serious step up in quality.
- Opponent 75–84Optional×2.00 — elite opposition, and double the development.
- Opponent 85–90+Optional×2.50 — world-class opposition, and the fastest development available.
So a player earning 2 base match development points takes about 2.5 points from a 45-rated club, and around 5 points from a 90-rated one. The same ninety minutes, worth twice as much.
The decision that defines your academy
Do you protect your young players against weaker sides, or throw them in against stronger clubs so they develop faster? Both are valid. Only one of them builds a 75-rated player quickly.
Competitive tournament development
Competitive football develops players faster than friendlies. Pressure, stronger opponents and matches that matter all count for more.
Competition multiplier
- Friendly matchOptional×1.00 — the baseline.
- League matchOptional×1.30 — points at stake, and development to match.
- Cup matchOptional×1.40 — knockout pressure counts for more.
- Major tournamentOptional×1.50 — the biggest regular development on offer.
- Final or championshipOptionalAn additional experience bonus on top.
A young player who regularly features in tournaments develops considerably faster than one who only trains. Introduce Academy players into competitive matches gradually rather than waiting until their rating is already high — the waiting is what makes it slow.
Playing time matters
Development scales with minutes played. A player who sits on the bench all match earns far less than one who plays meaningful football.
Minutes played
- 1–20 minutesOptional25% of match development.
- 21–45 minutesOptional50% of match development.
- 46–70 minutesOptional75% of match development.
- 71–90 minutesOptional100% — the full benefit of the match.
Watch their condition
Starting a young player and leaving them on for most of the match is worth far more than a cameo in the last ten minutes. But overplaying them without recovery reduces training efficiency afterwards. Fatigue is real.
Rating progression
The stages of a career
- 35–44 Academy ProspectOptionalStill building basic professional attributes.
- 45–54 Developing ProfessionalOptionalCan compete regularly with lower-rated professionals.
- 55–64 Established ProfessionalOptionalGenuine first-team capability.
- 65–74 Advanced ProfessionalOptionalAn important squad asset.
- 75–84 Elite PlayerOptionalCompetes at a very high level.
- 85–90+ World-ClassOptionalExtremely developed, and extremely valuable.
It gets harder as you climb
Moving from 35 to 40 takes far fewer development points than moving from 80 to 85. That curve is deliberate — it stops players becoming world-class through repeated training sessions alone.
Market value
An Academy player starts at around 1 Lonida Coin. Until they have played and trained they have no real market value, which is why they cannot be listed on the market at that stage. As they develop, their valuation grows.
Rating + Age + Potential + Match Experience + Tournament Experience + Performance + Position + Demand
There is deliberately no fixed price for a given rating. Two players rated 65 can have entirely different histories, ages, potential and performances. A 65-rated youngster who has performed in major competitions is worth more than a 65-rated player with no competitive record — and the market will treat them differently.
The best development strategy
Do all of it, not one of it
- Train them consistently, not occasionally.
- Give them real minutes in friendlies.
- Challenge them against stronger clubs, even when it is uncomfortable.
- Introduce them into tournaments and league matches gradually.
- Manage their condition and let them recover.
- Keep developing their strongest attributes, not just their weakest.
The Academy is not designed to hand you world-class footballers. It is designed to let you build them. A player who begins at 1 Lonida Coin and a rating of 35 can become one of the most valuable assets your club owns — if you develop them properly.
Every training session matters. Every friendly matters. Every tournament appearance matters. Every minute on the pitch contributes to the journey.
Create them. Train them. Play them. Develop them. Build their value.