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Sandert0821
Was wondering what the “sortitoutsi.net FM26 Data Update - Age and Contract Years” exaclty does and if it is necessary? Like does it make for example Haaland a year older? Does that not mean that his real life is is different rom his in game age?
Do y'all use this file and why?
nobunobu
If you're starting in 2026, it will be necessary.
Bielsa is a legend
But still starts in 2023 date?
I tried adding future start date but it messes up the promotion / relegation file
Sandert0821
So if I choose to select July 2025 as my start date, then I don't need this file?
And start date of 2026, like January or much later? Because the earliest you can start (without a mod) is I believe august 2025
edit: im using FM26, not FM24
M.C
It offsets ages and contract years by one year in FM26.
This is so that when you start a new game, which starts in July 2025, the footballing world reflected is that of real-life July 2026.
It’s to maintain parity with the fact the season is finished and the next one is starting.
Sandert0821
But is it necessary? I like to have updated teams, like coventry in PL, but dont want the wonderkids I wanna sign to already be a year older
M.C
Well, that file is only offsetting the ages and contracts of players from the default DB and not the newly-created players. It is also worth noting that any players with submissions through the site have their contractual offset set directly.
I would recommend it as ‘necessary’ if you want a cohesive experience. The game will work if you do not enable the file, so you’re welcome to experiment.
But it makes no sense for Coventry to be in the PL (2026/27) and for Player X to still be the age he was when Wolves were in the PL (2025/26). That’s inconsistent.
In general, we are working towards configuring a ‘current’ in-game start date; when we do that, all of the workarounds that help handle an in-game start date that is now a year old will vanish and everything will be simpler.
M.C
@Sandert0821 - just to add, we also offer a No Date Changes version of the update, available here:
https://sortitoutsi.net/football-manager-data-update/no-date-changes-data-update
This just includes the ‘core’ feature of updated transfers and doesn’t do anything that reflects the progression of time. You may find you want to try that and, possibly, combine it with the updated nation files to get the experience you want.
I don’t personally recommend it for the reasons of inconsistency I mentioned in my previous reply - but thought I’d signpost you to it just in case.
Sandert0821
Last question: If I just play with the teams from the start , not the updated ones ( so west ham, wolves and Burnley instead of hull city, Coventry and the 3rd one, do I need the +1 file then?
M.C
I think it really depends on what the experience is that you are after.
The ‘sortitoutsi.net FM26 Data Update - Age and Contract Years.fmf’ file, specifically, adjusts every player in the official database's age by one year and also adjusts the original contractual data by one year. It is intended to support the first scenario I have bullet-pointed above. If you choose not to use it, the game will load - and function - just fine, but those specific changes won't be applied.