Up and coming streamer Michael Holdford has formed an exciting partnership with Harefield United that will see the team’s roster being played out in the game ‘Football Manager 2021’.

Holdford, who uploads gaming content to his Twitch and YouTube channels ‘SweetLeftFoot’, will collate data from the Hares’ first team squad and virtually take over the reigns from Jason Shaw and Michael Molokwu in a bid for virtual glory!

Fans will also get the chance to play as the Preston Park regulars after a database for the Step 5 side was created by Holdford in conjunction with the club.

A resident of Harefield, Holdford maintains many connections with the Preston Park side as he explains what drew him to want to work with the club in particular.

‘The fact the club is the oldest in Middlesex was something that got my attention, I feel that's something that's a USP for the club!

‘In the UK, I live about a ten-minute drive from the football club, so over the years have often come down to watch the team play.

‘Recently a few of my friends have been playing for the first team (Lee Clark, Sean Mangan, Paul Underwood, Elliot Dobbs), so now having the chance to manage them is something not everyone gets to do!

‘I played against manager Jason Shaw in a memorial match last year for my Grandad, George Holdford also.

‘As a child, I played for the likes of Mavericks and Sandgate, coached by now assistant manager Michael Molokwu at the latter, and often played against Harefield at youth level, which was fun- as many of my friends played for them then as well!’

The ‘SweetLeftFoot’ streamer has been meticulously working on creating a database of Harefield’s players with the aid of Harefield and friend of the club Craig Whitehead.

Football Manager as a game only automatically creates the databases of those from Step 2 upwards, so the graft of putting the information together for clubs like Harefield lies in the hands of volunteers like Holdford.

Upon purchase of Football Manager 2021, the database can be requested to Michael at his Twitter handle @SweetLeftFootFM and sent on by himself for you to download and enjoy at your leisure.

His brainchild ‘SweetLeftFoot’ is in its infancy, having only begun five months ago in the midst of lockdown, but the sky's the limit.

‘I'm hoping FM21 is going to be a big year for me on YouTube as I have some different ideas for content I haven't done before.

‘Creating content around Football Manager was always an idea of mine for as long as I can remember, but I always made an excuse as to why I should wait or do it another time.

‘However, when the pandemic hit, I thought there's no better time to get started and see what comes of it.

‘One of the main reasons I was so hesitant was because I had no knowledge of how anything works, so I put in a lot of hours watching tutorials and learning about all the software to try and produce the best possible content for a beginner.

‘I didn't expect the growth on the channel to be so quick; it's been a really encouraging start to the whole journey!’

Holdford has accumulated a core of 1,708 Twitch and 365 YouTube subscribers in his short time of streaming, and has had a helping hand from other Football Manager gamers such as ‘Second Yellow Card’.

‘For years I watched other FM content creators such as Doctor Benjy, Work The Space, Second Yellow Card, so they were a big inspiration for me.

‘Second Yellow Card was actually a huge help in getting the platform started, he gave up a lot of time to help me with anything I needed which was incredibly kind.

‘I'm fortunate enough now to be in a position where I can reach out to these guys if and when I need advice, and I've been fortunate enough to be invited to participate in an event called 'The FM Streamer Showdown' with them as well!’

Holdford’s love of Football Manager has been ever-present, buying every game since the old ‘Championship Manager 2001/02’.

But he believes the main draw to the game is the community that comes with it, describing it as ‘one of the best he’s ever seen’.

‘Everyone is so welcoming and helpful, which allowed me to reach out to people for help and advice as I was starting out the 'Sweet Left Foot' channel!

‘That's one reason most of the content I stream is Football Manager, the community and the chat are so interactive and want to see you succeed, it makes for a very enjoyable experience.’

Holdford’s aim is to also give back to the club through the partnership, and has a few surprises up his sleeve for budding fans.

‘Hopefully Harefield United as a football club will get some more publicity and grow a little as a result, I'm lucky to have people from all over the world in the streams who I'd assume haven't heard of the club until now.

‘With a bit of luck, me managing Harefield will be a success; and fans will have the opportunity to visualise what could be, lifting trophies and becoming one of the top teams in English football!

‘I'd also like to be able to run some giveaways/raffles etc for copies of Football Manager and other bits in the future for Harefield fans too.’

So, who are the key men Michael has identified as the cogs in the wheel to direct the Hares up the divisions?

‘I feel like I'm repeating myself, but Sean Mangan, Paul Underwood and Elliot Dobbs are the three that I've got my eye on!

‘On the whole, it would be nice to try and have another unbeaten season as well!’

Michael’s dreams of glory hopefully can be repeated on the pitch as Harefield hope resume football against Aylesbury Vale Dynamos on Saturday 12th December.

Michael’s social media links can be found below:
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/SweetLeftFoot
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SweetLeftFoot/featured
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sweetleftfootfm
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetleftfootfm/