Although you can also select a premade one, it's always a better idea to create your own captain from scratch. Customize the character and give him all the stats you'll actually need.

Get free coins just by connecting your Facebook or Twitter account. Usually they don't post anything on your behalf so don't worry about it.

You can also watch those short ads to get some extra coins. They last less than a minute and are worth your time.

Besides that, you get coins for upgrading your stadium and letting more of the crowd in during the home matches.

Don't skip on the training mode if you're just starting out. It will help you go through all the basics and some minor details you would have missed yourself.

You'll want all your players to be on the correct positions for maximum effectiveness. The color red signifies that they're not where they're supposed to be.

Use the coins to buy some new, promising players. This investment will quickly return to you.

Remember that you don't get any coins for playing in multiplayer mode (to prevent abuse with multiple accounts or farming). You should only play that for fun.