Football Scouts Come Along In Different Guises...pupiline's Guide To Football Scouting, From The View Of A Football Scout

Football may be a hobby for some, but to others it's a possible future career, especially if you're gifted with talent. However football is becoming a 'dog eat dog' world, due to the amount of money being pumped into it. So reaching your dream goal of becoming a professional football player may not be so easy. However there are many people who can give you tips and advice.

In another exclusive, pupiline got the views of a Scout for a Professional Football Club to help guide those of you starting out and working towards becoming a professional. Grimsby Town FC Scout, and long suffering Sheffield Wednesday fan, John Stevenson, gave us the low-down on the world of Football Scouting.

"You have 'the scouts' who sit in the plush seats in Premier League Football stadiums, 'the scout' who travels long distances around lower and non-league grounds, looking to unearth a raw unpolished gem who might be the next Owen or Beckham. But at the 'bottom of the pack' you have the 'youth scouts' who search the youth leagues looking for talent to develop or in some cases destroy."

"Many clubs are now looking at players as young as 7 and 8 years old, which is fine if its done in a sensible sensitive way, unfortunately some clubs treat boys at this age as a 'disposable commodity'. I have seen many boys left devastated and deflated at 11/12 years of age, after professional clubs release them. Some get over it and make it with other clubs, but a lot don't and finish with the game all together, which is such a waste."

"The club I scout for, Grimsby Town, have a policy of allowing boys to play with their own Sunday league club, until they are 13. This allows the boys to play games with their friends. but also allows them to receive coaching from the school of excellence coaches and play occasional games against other school of excellence teams. This is a more sensible approach in my view, a boy at 9 years old who is outstanding can be no more than average at 12 or 13 level."

"As puberty kicks in boys change physically and mentally, some lads grow overnight others clap on weight and some don't grow at all. These things all affect a players performance that is why I think the most important age for a budding footballer is between 13 and 15, which are the ages I tend to look at."

"So what does a boy need to be spotted? Definitely ability, it's no good having a strong fit player who can't trap or kick a ball (I wish some coaches take notice of that), awareness and pace are also important along with attitude. A player with a bad attitude is no good to any one, or themselves, the great players all have a strong mental toughness and can cope with the physical side of the game without wanting to fight their opponents."

"The internet is now also playing an important role for us scouts (well me anyway). I have built up a small ring of contacts, outside my immediate area, who can keep tabs on players and send regular reports their progress. My most ambitious project to date is to bring a 14 year old Indian Under-16 international player to England for trials and coaching, during October. This could be a major find for us but what ever happens it will be a great experience for the lad and hopefully it may encourage more Asians to play the sport."

"To any of you lads out there who hope to make it in the game don't forget always give 100%, even if you are having a bad day, keep going never, give up. A good scout will recognise a lad who is giving his all but just having an off day. If you think you will never be spotted just remember two of 'England's Greats' did not get picked  until their early twenties, Who's that? IAN WRIGHT and STUART PEARCE so if they can do it, so can you."

"Good luck and enjoy the game."

John Stevenson