A football scout is someone who attends matches on behalf of a club. Their purpose is to gain knowledge of the talent that is out there and report back to the football club with their findings. There are two types of scouts, a player scout and a tactical scout.
Player Scouts
Scouting Young Players
A player scout evaluates a player’s performance and works out whether they would have what it takes to play at a higher level. If the scout is not sure then they or another representative of the club could come and watch a football player play. However, if they are sure a scout would approach the manager of the team the player is playing for explaining who they are and stating their interest. They can also speak to the parents if they are present again explaining who they are and stating their interest in taking the player to a development centre or academy. A development centre is somewhere where the coaches from the club monitor player’s basic skills and see if they need to work on a few things or if they are good enough to go straight in to the school of excellence/academy.
Scouting Players Already On Semi – Professional/Professional Contracts
When scouting a player already contracted to a semi-professional/professional club, the player scout still does all the things he would do when scouting a young player however, what is different is when it comes to making the initial approach/showing interest. If after evaluation of the players performance the scout feels the player would be a good addition to the club he works for, they will report back to their club stating so and from there, the manager or chairman of the club will have to make their interest known with the players club and get permission to speak to the player/players agent first. If the manager/chairman goes directly to the player or their family before going to the player’s club first, it can be considered as pouching and result in a legal case/fine. Once the club is given permission to speak to the player negotiations between the chairman and player and their agent begin.
Most player scouts are part-time, basically as and when the club want you to look for new players. There are a select few higher up at football clubs who are on a salary and can get sent around the world to scout players.
Tactical Scout
A tactical scout is someone who attends matches on behalf of a club but instead of assessing talent of players alone, they analyse and assess a team’s tactics they play. What they look for is things such as formation, style of play, each individual player (danger men, weak links), set pieces, height, leaders etc. Their role is to provide intelligence on up coming opponents, give information to the manager which can help them to structure their teams to exploit the opposition’s weaknesses. Tactical scouts are usually full-time as their knowledge is valuable to the club and their league position.
How To Become a Football Scout
It helps when you have been in the game for a few years, whether it be coaching or managing, it shows that you have general knowledge of the game. This is something that could work in your favour as it would look appealing to potential clubs you approach looking to work for as a scout. I would suggest you search for the club whom you wish to work for and get in contact with them stating your interest in becoming a scout for them. Once you are linked with a club they will send you on a talent identification course which is run by the Football Association. Once you have completed the course and got registered you can then work on behalf of the club as a football scout.
Do Football Scouts Get Paid
Many people tend to wonder if football scouts get paid, how they get paid and how much they get paid. Well I am here to tell you that there are two different types of football scouts and each will get paid according to which type of scout they are.
Player scouts get paid once a player they have brought to the club signs academy/professional forms.
Tactical scouts are usually on a fixed salary that is agreed upon by the club and the scout.
Nowadays not every football club pays their player scouts, however there still are a few clubs that offer their scouts incentives such as player incentives, so every time a player signs a contract with the club, the scout gets paid some money. The amount of money paid varies depending on the club.
