Building The Beautiful Board Game: Q&A With Matthew Shipley

I grew up being obsessed with board games, but I never imagined I’d get to see one centered around soccer.

Well, Matthew Shipley, creator of Best Eleven, is making it a reality. We sat down with him to chat briefly about the game and everything that’s gone into making it.

If you’d like to back the project and grab a copy, you can check it out right here!

What is Best Eleven?

Best Eleven is a soccer management board game for 1-4 players, where in the end, the team with the most points wins. Each player starts the game with a manager board that has an assigned formation that they will then work to fill over seven rounds. Each round, players will choose a free agent card from their hand to put up for auction and then bid for the cards behind their privacy screen. Players need to bid carefully as the winning bid is paid to the player who put the card up for auction, and can give them more resources or strengthen their team.

The game also includes tactical cards that reward you for certain squad synergies, signing bonuses that can be activated when cards are added to your team for special actions, and set collection that gives you more points for building a team with more pace, strength, intelligence, or skill. The game also wouldn't be what it is without all the incredible artwork made by 9 talented artists with nods to players past and present. Whether you like football, board games, or great art, Best Eleven is definitely worth checking out.

Why a board game, and why now?

My wife and I have always enjoyed board games, but during the pandemic, our collection grew as we were at home and needed fun things to do together. We played a lot of games, including a game called Wingspan. My wife loved Wingspan because she is a birder and loves the bird theme, and I loved it too because it’s just a good game.

This experience made me want to design a game with a theme that I love (soccer), but that was just a good game that anyone could enjoy—Best Eleven is that game. I've put Best Eleven on Kickstarter now because after 4+ years of development, it's ready to share, and I'd be happy for it to be on people's tables.

Could you tell us a little about the artists involved and why you decided to collaborate with others?

There is art by 9 different artists in the game, including myself. Initially, I had planned to do all the art myself, but I quickly realized I wouldn't have the time. Obviously, I wasn't going to use AI art, so I used the opportunity to work with friends and artists that I admire. There is a really cool soccer art community where I've built up some relationships, and I was thrilled to convince some really talented people to work with me. The game includes art from: Dan Leydon, Dan Evans, Cuemanche, Alexandra Francis, Chester Holme, Victor Bizar Gomez, David Flores, Conner Gillette, and me. Backing Best Eleven on Kickstarter will allow me to make Best Eleven a reality and hopefully work on more projects like this with more artists in the future!