We see it year after year, a football club needs to recruit some new players for the upcoming season and they invite player ‘X’ in for a trial. A trial is in place for the football club to assess the ability and potential of this player in question and if they are what ‘they’re looking for’. In other cases it can be for the player to observe the structure of the football club and if it will be a good fit for them (they may have numerous offers from different football clubs already).

For some this is the moment they’ve been waiting for, for others this moment could be too much for their brain to handle and the opportunity slips away. One thing for sure though is, that getting into this position is something all players should be proud of, as it requires a lot of dedication previously.

The question now is, what happens once you’ve been identified as a potential signing?

On occasion a scout may have spotted a player in the local park or they could’ve been recommended previously. They could also have been in the academy system previously and it’s now time for them to move on, to another club.

For this blog post, we’ll use the example of being spotted at your local park.

The season has been a resounding success and you’ve been performing to an exceptional standard every week. During the most recent game, a scout notices this and approaches your manager, about inviting you in for a trial to their football club. This is great news and something that would’ve happened to ten’s of thousands of players in the past, up and down the country.
You accept the invitation and await a date for your trial, whether that be in a training context or an exhibition game, to showcase your ability.

Before this all happens though, we have to address the topic of what the player actually got scouted for? Was this just an opinion of a scout watching or did they identify the player in question, using an objective framework?

Just to clarify that if the scout in question thought, player ‘X’ looks good. He showed he was physically strong and made numerous great tackles, is just an opinion. Opinions are someones thoughts, that can be provoked with previous experience and not so much knowledge. There is also the use of non-contextual jargon, that doesn’t fit into the universal reference of the game.

So what would an objective framework look like? This would include the characteristics of the game and how well the player in question can execute them. Is there a bigger impact on one part of the game, than another? Does this player have good game intelligence? Did player ‘X’ get noticed because of something they TRIED to do and not something they DID do? Again, all these considerations should be noted, when identifying a player.

For this example we will take the opinion of the scout as a starting point, as this is what usually happens, opposed to using an objective framework.

Player ‘X’ has now been notified that they have been invited to this professional football club next week, to take part in an exhibition game. This is the moment they’ve been waiting for, for so long and can’t wait to arrive at the training ground, to showcase their abilities. While this date is still a week away, the parent or guardian AND coach, should have a clear understanding from the scout and football club, as to why they’ve been invited to the training ground for a trial. A few questions to ask, could be;

Why did player ‘X’ get this opportunity?
What were the factors considered, to come to this decision?
How many other players are trialling on the same evening?
What will player ‘X’ be required to do, during the exhibition game?

Now, this last question highlighted above is a huge part of this process and will be the focus on the next part of this blog.
Check the next blog, where we continue the discussion of the process in a football ‘trial’.

Park to Pro tips;

When you have been scouted, enquire how long the scout in question has been observing the player in question?
Is the trial for the academy, or a separate branch of the football club?
Do you have to pay for the trial? (HUGE red flag!!)
What characteristics did the scout confirm competence in?
How many other players have been identified for this playing position at the football club? A small amount (quality) vs a large amount (quantity)?

LEARN. TRAIN. DEVELOP YOUR GAME!