How to become a football scout?
Introducing our scouting director & football scouting course mentor, Steve Simmons.
How I became a football scout
I can relate to anyone who wants to become a professional football scout, particularly individuals who haven’t played professionally nor gone to University as I never did.
Before I became a UK & European Scouting Manager for Premier League clubs, I started in my first role as 1st team football scout over 20 years ago for Wycombe Wanderers, when I was 19 & they were in League 2.
Before that, I was continuously being told I was too young & had no chance in becoming a football scout as I didn’t play professionally or have a degree, which only fuelled my motivation & led me think outside the box!
Rewinding back to when I was in school, I was very much an introvert & only ever interested in football.
In my early teenage years I discovered & literally became addicted to playing Championship Manager, as it was called back then before becoming Football Manager, often planning my tactics & compiling a shortlist of transfer targets for each position at the back of my school books, whilst sitting in class.
It was actually from playing the game for endless hours which made me want to become a football scout.
I’ve always known football was the only industry I ever wanted to work in, however realistically I knew I was never going to be good enough to play professionally, particularly in struggling with anxiety but also, simply not being good enough.
Lets just say my head & my legs were never quite in sync with the ball at my feet.
I’ve never even been particularly confident & certainly not an extrovert, but a very deep & analytical overthinker.
With the above in mind over 20 years ago, I asked myself, what was the next best thing I could do?
Become a football scout!
Through the basics that anyone can do in terms of being hard working, reliable & in using initiative, I went from cleaning tables in my local café at 16 to working in the industry where my heart is, in becoming a professional football scout at 19 years old for Wycombe Wanderers.
Before that, I also worked in a supermarket & also in a 9 to 5 office job, which I didn’t enjoy at all. I can still remember looking around and thinking, I can’t be doing this for the next 40 years!
24 hours in a day and I was working 8 of them, including travel on top of that, which was effectively over 30% of my working week. I was so unhappy deep down so I went all in on attacking the dream to become a professional football scout.
Within a few years, I was then living my dream in working in the Premier League as a 1st team European Football Scout, before moving into senior UK & European 1st team scouting management roles. It wasn’t easy. There were sacrifices to be made and a lot of hard work, but it was absoloutely worth it!
I’ve now been a football scout for over 20 years & nothing has been more rewarding in my professional career then giving back in helping our course attendees / aspiring football scouts, start their own journey in becoming a football scout.
Having worked myself in various 1st team football scouting roles, I’ve enjoyed passing on my experience, insight & own education in working & learning from some of the most respected figures in football, to aspiring football scouts / our course attendees, which has also helped them when becoming a football scout.
If you’re self intrinsically motivated then I believe everything else follows in terms of being hard working, showing a desire to learn, improve as well as going the extra mile. With that, naturally comes opportunity. Without that, you simply cannot succeed.
Football Scouting Worldwide now have 150+ former students scouting for clubs across the world including clubs in the Premier League, EFL, Europe, WSL, A-League & MLS. All of them have 1 key trait in common. They are all intrinsically motivated!
Nothing has been more rewarding in my professional career then bringing everything full circle to when I started my career as a football scout over 20 years ago, to now helping aspiring football scouts start their own journey in becoming a football scout.
If you’re reading this & interested in becoming a football scout, then please get in touch as I personally provide 1 to 1 support, feedback & mentorship to aspiring football scouts & course attendees on our Worldwide accredited online football scouting programme. The exercises you complete are also what I have asked my scouts to do when I’ve been in scouting management roles.
10 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO BECOME A FOOTBALL SCOUT
The question we get asked more then any other is ‘how to become a football scout?’ so below are 10 things you can do if you’re interested in becoming a football scout or remote home based football video scout
1. Read our FREE football scouting handbook guide
Our FREE football scouting handbook guide has been written with the assistance of Managers & Chief Scouts who have worked at the highest level of the respective leagues they have held roles in, including Premier League clubs, which has also been specifically written to help aspiring football scouts & our football scouting course students.
Our football scouting guide covers all the aspects of football scouting, including key attributes to be assessing, for player’s playing in a particular position or role within a formation, as well as the different types of football scouting jobs, which will help you identify what type of football scout you want to be.
Many football clubs across the Premier League, EFL, SPL, WSL, Europe, A-League, MLS etc often advertise different football scouting job roles, however Football Scouting Worldwide work directly with many football clubs across the globe in assisting clubs directly with their recruitment of football scouts, which has ultimately been key to us having 150+ former students scouting for clubs Worldwide.
2. Play Football Manager
Yes, seriously! Playing Football Manager will help you develop a very basic understanding of how a clubs football scouting department is set up, whilst helping you develop a clear understanding of the key attributes to be assessing for player’s playing in a particular position or specific role within a formation type.
3. Watching games across different levels
Watching players across different leagues & levels will help strengthen your knowledgebase of players & help you identify stand out players in a league who could player higher, which will then help you when you begin scouting for a club in making recommendations.
4. Listen to pundits including pre & post match analysis
This can be key to developing your understanding from a tactical & analytical perspective, whilst creating new ways of thinking in watching games & players from a scouting perspective.
5. Real Life Practise
Practise scouting report writing in focussing & watching 1 player from a game when you start either off TV or live.
This can sound a lot easier then it is but it takes discipline to be watching a game or player from a scouting perspective as well as a high level of concentration, observation & attention to detail.
Football Scouting Worldwide recommend scouting a specific player off video / TV first to aspiring football scouts, as this will make it less overwhelming, then starting with a live game.
It’s also important when note taking to make shorthand abbreviated notes. Every moment you’re looking at your notepad are key moments & details that you’re potentially missing. Make use of stoppages, injuries, VAR checks etc to make notes.
If watching off Wyscout / video then make use of pause & rewind. You can also breakdown watching a game in 15 minute intervals, which will help when starting.
6.Sacrifice watching the ‘glamour games’
When starting, watching Champions League games for example will be less beneficial for your own development then watching games across the EFL, PL2, UEFA Youth League etc.
Instead of watching the ‘El Classico’ for example, an EFL game will be much more beneficial to your own development in becoming a football scout.
7. Don’t be influenced by media sources
Keep open minded & write or say exactly how you feel about a player. Do not allow yourself to be influenced by other football scouts or media sources.
8. Mentorship
Football is a unique & fiercely competitive industry. The reality is, that it’s often who you know / contacts, who can really help.
1 of the key benefits of our Worldwide accredited online football scouting programme, is that course attendees are instantly connected to our Football Scouting Director Steve Simmons, who has over 20 years experience with contacts of key decision makers at football clubs across the World, including Premier League, EFL, Europe, A-League, UAE & MLS clubs.
Steve also provides 1-1 support, advice, tips, insight & feedback when course attendees complete online scouting exercises/scouting reports, that replicate exactly what a football scout would do for a club, which as a result, helps individuals who begin scouting for a club in making the transition easily.
9. Football Scouting Worldwide VLOGS
Watch VLOGS & content across Football Scouting Worldwide’sTikTok, Facebook, YouTube & Instagram social media channels which include tips, insight, advice, common mistakes made & to avoid.
These have helped individuals who are looking to become a football scout and in also giving our football scouting course attendees a head start, when they begin scouting for a football club.
You will also be able to watch videos of what an actual day, weekend & week in the life of a Football Scout looks like.
10. Accredited Football Scouting Course
If you’re really serious about becoming a football scout, consider investing in our online Worldwide accredited football scouting course, which includes Steve Simmons as your own mentor.
Since 2019, Football Scouting Worldwide have provided football scouting consultancy services to clubs across the Premier League, EFL, Europe & MLS, which since 2020 has included assisting scouts with their recruitment of traditional in person football scouts & home based remote football video scouts. Many also have hybrid football scouts, which involves doing a combination of both live & video scouting.