A UKS2 number and place value maths investigation for Y5–Y6. Build the best football team from 12 players on a £204.35m budget. Active learning throughout.

Pupils take on the role of football manager, selecting 11 players from a squad of 12 international footballers, each with a transfer fee and number of international caps. With a budget of £204.35m and positional constraints to satisfy, they must build their strongest 11 for both a 4-4-2 and a 4-3-3 formation, spending as close to the budget as possible. The challenge: caps tell you who the best players are, but the best players cost the most!

Several players can play in more than one position, which means the same budget can produce very different teams depending on the formation chosen. This creates genuine debate and makes the task feel like a real decision, not just a calculation exercise.

Supports the KS2 Mathematics curriculum (addition and subtraction of decimals, numbers in the millions) and links to financial education through budgeting and prioritisation.

This activity is one of hundreds of resources on the Tykeoons primary financial education platform.

This resource contains:
One investigation sheet with 12 player cards showing position, nationality, caps and transfer fee

Extension challenges:

• If you could add one substitute to your squad, how would you spend the remaining budget?
• If you were entering a 5-a-side tournament with half the budget, who would you pick?
• Pick the worst possible team for your arch-rival club within the same budget