Every feature in Rugby Chairman

When you take the chair, choose the men's game or the women's game. Same clubs, same money, same pressure from the board, with a women's squad, a women's calendar and a Director of Rugby who is just as hard to please.

• Women's squads and staff

  Every player and coach in the women's game has a woman's name that fits her nationality, and the news, reports and commentary all say she and her.

• Women's internationals

  Your best players are called up for the Women's Six Nations, WXV and the Women's Rugby World Cup, so you plan the season around them.

• Her own Director of Rugby

  A female Director of Rugby with her own traits, moods and demands. Back her, lean on her or sack her.

• One Hall of Fame

  Men's and women's seasons go on the same leaderboard, with the same prize money and budgets. Women's entries carry a W marker.

You're the Executive Chairman. The board judges you on results, money and the fans, and it is not a patient bunch.

• Executive Suite

  Your office: cash, debt, board confidence, fan satisfaction, reputation and a "Needs your attention" list that flags what matters this week.

• Board objectives

  New chairmen get early goals with sponsor bonuses, starting with winning two of your first three games. Then each season brings targets such as promotion, a top-four finish, survival, breaking even, average crowd, academy standard, corporate boxes, cutting debt, international caps or a European run.

• Warnings and the sack

  Miss targets and the board issues formal warnings. Run out of warnings, sink below −£1.5M or lose the board's trust completely and you're removed from the chair.

• The Chairman's Mailbag

  Letters land on your desk every week: fans, agents, the local paper, partner schools and your own staff. Some just want a reply. Others are crises with a deadline, such as a flooded pitch, an HMRC inquiry or an agent after a pay rise. Ignore them and the sender takes that as your answer.

• Takeover bids

  Every so often someone wants to buy your club: a local businessman, an overseas consortium, a private equity firm or a group of former players. Sell up for millions, take a minority stake, or tell them it's not for sale.

• Owners want results

  The salary cap still applies, so their money goes on the ground, the academy and a marquee fund. Every owner has a catch and a target. Miss it and they sack you, or pull out and leave you with debt. Offered a way round the cap? The auditors are watching.

• Season review and Chairman Rating

  At the end of each season you get a Chairman Rating, the board's verdict, prize money and a place in the club's Roll of Honour.

Every home game is a balancing act. Charge too little and you leave money on the table. Charge too much and the terraces empty and the fans turn on you.

• Matchday Desk

  Set prices for general admission, VIP hospitality, pints, pies and merchandise, with sliders and £1 or 10p nudges. A price guide shows what fans expect for the opponent, weather and occasion.

• What could happen

  Scenario charts play each price out over many possible matchdays, so you can see the likely crowd, takings and fan mood before you commit.

• Season tickets, kits and events

  Price season tickets, launch new kits and react to fixture events: TV moving the kick-off, rail strikes, bank holidays, school holidays and local buzz.

• Club events

  Put on fireworks night, an Oktoberfest, a summer barbecue, Christmas lunch or a testimonial day for a club legend. Book them on the calendar, then see how they fill the ground and the tills.

• Fan anger and boycotts

  Push prices too far for too long and the supporters' trust calls a boycott, and sponsors may walk.

• Accounts

  A money-flow chart, an itemised till receipt for every home game, cash projections, a financial audit and attendance trends.

• Running costs, loans and the salary cap

  Choose how much to spend on the pitch, matchday staff, medical team, away travel and marketing. Borrow from a bank that rates your club from A to E: an overdraft, bank loans, stadium loans and fan bonds, with a credit limit that grows with you and an embargo if you overdo it. Stay under a salary cap with home-grown credit and week-to-week trialists.

• Build the ground

  Expand the Main Stand, Terrace, Family Stand, all four corners and the corporate boxes. On harder levels, builds take weeks and close part of the ground while work goes on.

• Facilities

  Upgrade the Training Ground, Youth Academy, Commercial & Market Research and Scouting Network through five tiers, each with real effects on injuries, youth intake, forecasts and scouting.

• Bars, kiosks and the club shop

  Add concourse bars, food kiosks and shop space so queues don't cost you sales.

• Fan Zone project

  Buy land near the ground, apply for planning permission, appeal if you're refused, then build a fan zone that earns on matchdays.

• Sponsorship

  Three sponsor slots: main shirt, stadium naming rights and sleeve. Weigh up offers, negotiate, chase new deals and handle renewals.

• Running costs

  Groundskeeping matters: a neglected pitch cuts up, causes more injuries and costs you at home.

• Youth Academy

  The Academy has its own tab: your prospects, each year's class and how far they went. A new intake every season. Promote the best, sell some, release the rest. Home-grown players count for less against the salary cap.

• Grassroots rugby

  Hundreds of amateur players at local clubs. Dual-register them, call them up for cover, or offer a pro deal to one who stands out.

• Hidden gems

  Tips and rumours come in from your scouts. Follow the right lead and you might discover an unattached 17-year-old who could become a superstar. Act before your rivals hear about him.

• Community partnerships

  Partner with local schools and community clubs. Schools send players to your academy every summer, and community clubs let you dual-register their best colts.

• Trials days and scholarships

  Run an open trials day, or offer a scholarship to lock in a young talent before anyone else can.

He picks the team. You pick him, and you decide how hard to push.

• Hire and fire

  Choose from a coaching market. Each Director of Rugby has a playing philosophy, tactical, youth, flexibility and motivation ratings, and wants players who suit his style.

• Personality and trust

  Every coach has traits such as Press-shy, Media darling, Sensitive, Thick-skinned, Ambitious or Loyal. Track his trust in you, the media heat on the club and squad morale.

• Have a word

  Once a week: demand results, give a vote of confidence, send him on press duties, make a promise, back his transfer target or leave him be. Every choice has a cost.

• Press conferences

  When the media heat rises you face three questions from the papers. Back him, hedge or deflect, and live with the headlines.

• Leaks, ultimatums and poaching

  Break a promise and it ends up on the back page. Fail with an ultimatum and you have to sack him or back down. Do well and bigger clubs try to poach him.

• Pixel-art match engine

  Watch fifteen-a-side rugby unfold from above: scrums, lineouts, mauls, breaks, tries, conversions and penalties, all following the laws of the game, with commentary.

• Watch it your way

  Immersive, Quick or Rapid speed, jump to the next big moment or skip to full time. Or take an instant result and get back to the office.

• Match Centre

  Live player ratings and stats, a Chairman's-eye view of who is earning his wages, and the opposition's danger man.

• No do-overs

  The result is locked in at kick-off, so refreshing the page can't change it.

• Three divisions

  A 12-team Premiership, Championship and National League One, all fully simulated, with two clubs promoted and two relegated between each division every season.

• Test rugby

  Autumn Internationals, the Six Nations and a Rugby World Cup are all played out. Your best players get called up and come back tired, injured or with new caps.

• Ask for a release

  Ask a national union to release players outside their matchday squad. You're shown the odds, and every request uses up some goodwill. Release fees help pay the bills.

• European Cup

  Finish in the Premiership's top four to qualify. Six pool games, home and away, then knockout rounds, with TV money and prize money. European nights are their own midweek match, so you can watch them live under the lights.

• Records

  Most-capped players, a roll of honour and a full transfer history build up season after season.

• Hall of Fame

  Finish a season in the top ten for your difficulty and sign the arcade-style leaderboard on the home page with your initials. Records for the biggest profit, most points, most tries, biggest win and biggest crowd go in the book.

• A target on your back

  On the harder levels, rivals are properly stronger. Run away with the league and everyone raises their game against you, a little more for every title in a row.

• Up to three clubs

  Run up to three clubs on one device, each with its own season, squad, mailbag and finances. Back up a club to a file, or move it to another device with a club code.

• Daily challenge

  Play the Daily Chairman Challenge: the same matchday for everyone, every day, with its own leaderboard. Then send your score to a mate on WhatsApp and see if they can beat it.

• Good Causes

  Running a marathon or raising money for your minis? Share your real fundraiser with other chairmen. Every link is checked by hand.

• Your club, your colours

  Name your club, choose its colours and kit, and even rename rival clubs. Play in light or dark mode on desktop, tablet or phone.