Loans and club debt

The bank lends on your club's scale. At the reference level — division 3 of a strong football nation — a single loan runs from 100,000 to 50,000,000; in division 10 of the same nation it runs from about 580 to 290,000, and in division 1 from about 540,000 to 270M. The Bank tab shows your own sizes, and the money is credited immediately. Use loans sparingly: a loan is a lever to fund one specific move, not a way to run the club.

The two rates

The interest rate depends only on the size of the loan within your range — not on your reputation or league position:

• Up to a fifth of your range (10,000,000 at the reference level) — 2% per period, charged six times, i.e. 12% total cost.
• Above it — 3% per period, charged six times, i.e. 18% total cost.

That creates a cliff: at the reference level, borrowing 10,000,000 costs 1,200,000 in interest and borrowing 10,100,000 costs 1,818,000. If you are close to the line, stay under it.

What the instalment looks like

The total repayment (principal + interest) is split into 26 weekly instalments, taken in the weekly finance pulse until the loan is cleared; the Bank tab shows what is still owed. At the reference level:

• 1,000,000 → 1,120,000 total → 43,077 per week.
• 5,000,000 → 5,600,000 total → 215,385 per week.
• 10,000,000 → 11,200,000 total → 430,769 per week.

One loan at a time

The club can carry only one active bank loan. Until it is repaid you cannot apply for a second — so size the loan for the whole move you are funding, not for the first half of it.

What the repayment competes with

The weekly pulse pays the instalment out of gate receipts, TV and commercial money and sponsor fees, after the wage bill. A typical division-3 club in a strong nation takes in around 35,000 a week, so even the smallest loan of its range is a heavy instalment — the Finances page shows how many weeks your balance can absorb before it runs dry.

When a loan makes sense

One case: buying a young player whose resale value will clearly exceed principal plus interest before the 26 weeks run out. Raising cash for a specific, quantified return — a promotion push where the division prize and TV money alone repay the loan. Loans to cover wages or plug a budget gap are almost always a mistake; you are trading short-term comfort for a long squeeze.

The alternative: sell to buy

Before borrowing, check the squad for saleable depth. Transfer income is interest-free and permanent. The transfer market article covers how listings and bids work; the finances article covers the weekly pulse you should protect.