As a new scholarship season begins, countless young footballers are stepping into the next phase of their development, joining professional academies as full-time scholars. Having spent over 15 years researching this space, I’ve had hundreds of conversations with players and families navigating this stage. If I had a son entering a scholarship today, there are three key areas I’d want him—and his support network—to focus on.
Three Essential Lessons for New Football Scholars
A football scholarship isn’t just about the game; it is about growing into the kind of person who can thrive on and off the pitch throughout a career.
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"But they may as well take the extra training"
Research often flies in the face of "common sense". For example, we've all been told that practice makes perfect, so it stands to reason that the more we practice becoming a footballer, the more chance we have of "making it". Unfortunately, that is a very simple way of looking at things.
Do clubs have plans for their players?
It remains the case that in most academies, career planning is absent, leaving young players and their families vulnerable to clubs that, in many cases, also have not planned a player's career.
Do we medicate the fish or clean the tank?
I hear a lot of discussion about culture in clubs - clubs love to find "culture carriers" for their teams, but how often do they reflect on the environments that have given rise to certain cultures?