Old Lady Plays Interview – The Grandma Who Creates Football Manager Content
I am sure you’ve already heard of Old Lady Plays, and if you haven’t, now is the time to hear from the 53-Year-Old Grandma. Cait has been a fan of the Football Manager series for over 20 years, making videos, live streams and writing articles along the way. After adding Old Lady Plays to our writing team, Cait has been industrious with contributions to all things Dictate the Game.
We sat down with the Streamer, Writer, YouTuber and everything in between to get to know her on a more personal level. We hope you enjoy this interview and get to know Cait the way we have. A complete breath of fresh air within the community!
What made you give Football Manager a go? What was the first version you played?
The first version of Football Manager I played was the first one. I’d played the older games before that, and was actually writing on the SI website and forums around the time of the switch to the name Football Manager. What made me start was my enjoyment of a competitor, Premier Manager 98, which a friend in the UK had mailed to Canada to give me something he knew I’d enjoy. He was right.
We know that Kevin Chapman (better known as Lollujo) was one of the reasons you got into streaming FM, but who would you say are you favourite creators right now?
Most of the time these days I watch small creators, people with under 100 subs, or not much more than that. I particularly enjoy watching creators become better at their craft, and the best place to see that is when they’re just starting out. So, I have a huge list of small creators I watch. Of the larger, grayhairgaming is the one I enjoy probably the most, and Custard Prophet not only has two fun series running, he’s also a huge promoter within the community, always helping others to improve and get more subs.
What do your family make of you making Football Manager content?
My grandkids think it’s kind of cool and also weird that Nana is a YouTuber. None of them are subbed to my channel, though, that I am aware of. The older parts of my family just sort of shake their heads and say something like, “Well, I always knew it would come to something like this…”
What do you enjoy most about making content?
I love the interaction with the audience. It’s funny, I don’t do much live streaming, but I enjoy the comments and the conversations I get to have with people. I mean, it’s a gamer’s dream, in a way: I get to talk about the game I’m enjoying, and people listen. That last part is always the trickiest.
What’s your background in football? Did you play or coach previously?
I played from the age of 4 to 47, I had to quit when my back gave out. I played right-back when I was younger, moving to centre-midfield and goalkeeper (I’d alternate halves with someone else) as I slowed down some. As a player, I was known for a great dead-ball prowess, except at penalties. As a keeper, for being a good shot-stopper. I coached kids’ and womens’ football, getting the lowest badge available in the process – it’s literally a badge – and refereed as well for about 17 years.
Has playing FM given you greater knowledge of football?
Undoubtedly. Tactically, it’s improved my understanding of the game immensely. But it’s also, in more recent years, taught me much about how to interact with players as individuals, and how what works with one player will be disastrous with another. That was a huge and important lesson, in football and in life.
What’s your thought process when starting a new save? Do you enter with any preconceived ideas or do you just go in and assess what you’ve got at your disposal?
It kind of depends on the save. For most, yes, I just assess what’s there when I arrive. In my ongoing Athletic Club (Bilbao) save, I began with the idea that I’d like to win a European trophy, despite the obvious difficulty of only playing Basque players.
Don’t we all have a save we remember seven years later in detail? I bet we do.
You’ve just gone over 1.3k subs on Youtube? What series are you currently working on and what future content plans should the community be looking out for?
I’m currently doing three series on YouTube, with another on hiatus. The first has been running since the game dropped, and that’s Basquing in Glory, my Athletic Club save. That’s gone to half-season updates this week, on Sundays. The Journeyman is a regular journeyman story, but with a twist: I’m playing in the language of the countries I move to. My first club is in the Netherlands, SBV Excelsior, and I’m playing the game in Dutch, which I do not speak. The CCL is a group of creators running a draft league. And the one on hiatus is my 5-minute Tips for Advanced Football Managers, which will be returning when I’ve accumulated enough topics to make a string of videos possible.
Have you ever thought of visiting any of the clubs you’ve managed in the virtual world?
ALL. THE. TIME. I live in Canada, where football means a game played with a pointy egg-shaped thing by large men in much padding. Being a Spurs fan, and having grown up in England as a child (I moved here when I was 10), I went to White Hart Lane in the early 70s. But since then…not so much. I’d love to do the 92 someday, visiting every club in the English Football League. Alas, I am not so wealthy that I could afford the flights, let alone the tickets to so many matches. So it will have to remain a virtual goal.
Why did you choose to join Dictate The Game?
Great reputation in the community, and when I looked it was largely the kind of articles I want to write – informative and entertaining.
What is your go to formation and favourite role on Football Manager?
I don’t have a set formation. When I arrive at a club, and again yearly thereafter, I assess what players I’ve got, and put them in a formation that puts the best ones in their favourite roles. So Bilbao had several good wingers, but a shortage of CMs. I decided on a 4-2-3-1. Excelsior, OTOH, had lots of good forwards, so I wanted two up top. They had no CAM to speak of, so a 4-2-4 wide was the answer. Favourite role probably mezzala. I’ve done tactics with twin mezzalas and a CM support, and really liked the football we played.
Do you follow any football clubs?
As to whom I support, I am, as I like to say, womb to tomb, cradle to grave, Spurs now and forever. Been a fan since 1973.
You can find Old Lady Plays:
As well as our podcast, you can also find Cait writing for the website. Since joining Cait has wrote several articles. You can visit her website profile here. Articles that have been wrote so far by Cait, can be found here:
- Canadian Premier League: An FM20 Guide
- Playing Athletic Club: A Guide to Hard Mode
- Players Are People Too
Despite Cait being a Tottenham fan, we can live with that. We are incredibly grateful to have spoken with Cait and really get to know her. It is truly inspiring that a Grandma is playing Football Manager and producing content regularly. We would like to thank Old Lady Plays for this interview, and being part of this team. A definite breath of fresh air within the community, a lady who always makes time for those in need and a genuine asset to the team.
We’d love to know your thoughts on our interview with Old Lady Plays. You can let us know: