How to Get Scouted in Football

It is the dream of virtually every young football player across the world - at some point in their childhood, they all start to wonder how they can go professional at football. The motivation, which can range from donning your favourite team's kit to lifting the World Cup, sees thousands of young players level up each and every year, trying to do anything they can to improve and get noticed.

But how do these young talents get scouted, how does the process work? What is in the young players' control and what isn’t?Let's find out?

How to Get Scouted in Football

First off, there are three different types of scouts: club scouts, who recruit for an individual team; international scouts, who help identify talent for their respective national teams; and agency scouts, who identify talent to offer to a range of teams instead of just one.

These three job roles make or break a young career - scouts can show up at any given time in any location, ranging from a five-a-side pitch to a Sunday league eleven vs eleven.

These scouts look for five key aspects in a potential recruit:

• Technique - this encompasses everything from passing and shooting to touch, finesse, heading and dribbling.
• Physical attributes - scouts look at all the desirable traits that modern football now demands - this means candidates need to have immense stamina, a healthy turn of pace, and a somewhat physical build, although there are exceptions to this rule.
• Tactical awareness - a candidate must also show themselves to be intelligent in a football capacity; they need to have a grasp on positioning and tactics, as well as the different roles that can often occupy the same position on the field.
• Competitiveness and Hunger - This is one of the easier things to identify - a scout can spot a kid with a drive and passion for the game from a mile away, and if technique, physical attributes and tactical awareness come hand in hand with that hunger, then the deal is as good as done.
• Overall Behaviour - with that being said, the candidate must also have his/her head screwed on. They need to show maturity, understanding and level-headedness even when things are not going their way - these are the makings of an exciting future star.

So with that being said, how do you get a scout to observe you?

How do I Make a Football Scout Watch Me?

Firstly, and most importantly, you need to be playing for a team where you are getting regular game time, which maximises the chance of scouts actually witnessing your abilities. Scouts themselves often show up to training sessions and matches unannounced, as their job is to effectively go undercover to ID new talent.

You can also attend open football academy trials - these, usually held by all clubs once a year, are an opportunity to stand out from the crowd. With a number of scouts always in attendance, you will line up alongside likeminded and similarly skilled individuals in a high quality training camp, the perfect opportunity to display your talents.

Social media is another way to get scouted, although it has its pitfalls. While some clips and videos on Youtube, Instagram and Tik Tok are legitimate and show unbelievable skill, other videos are edited, making it difficult for a scout to know whether the individual is worth taking a closer look at or not.

At What Age Can I Get Scouted?

Typically, players are scouted between the ages of seven and 22. The earlier a player is scouted, the better chance they have of making their way into the professional football scene, as they are given more time to develop, and have tactical and positional understanding projected onto them from an early age.

Typically, it is easiest to be scouted between the ages of 12 and 15 - it is at this age that kids are at the height of their school sports abilities, and if an individual excels at this level, there is a good chance a scout recommends their associated club(s) for them to join their academy.

From the age of 18 to 22, becoming scouted is a lot harder. Past the point of significant improvement for most, an individual must effectively undergo a radical (successful) restyling of their game if they are to get a scouts attention, having likely been passed over in previous years.

What Else Should I Know About Football Scouts?

How do I know if there is a scout watching my game/training session?

It can be very hard to tell if a scout is watching you - many of them do not advertise their presence, and sometimes they go to great lengths to fit in alongside other spectators. However, occasionally you will see a scout wearing branded clothing from the club/agency they work for, clear evidence they are there to identify talent.

How Do I Sign up for a Football Trial?

A football trial is effectively you going to the scout instead of the other way around - football trials occur at every club across the country, so simply sign up at a clubs homepage, and make your way there at the arranged date and time.