Have you ever wondered how talents like Ronaldo and Messi were discovered? A Portuguese playing in Madrid, an Argentinean in Barcelona and we have a hundred such examples in all the leagues across the world. Yes, as most of you would know this comes from football scouting. Thanks to thousands of scouts whose daily job is to discover the best talent for the future and get them in touch with the right club, we get so see the superstars of today’s football enjoy the limelight.
So what does a scout do and how does he do it? Simple -by definition scouts are experienced talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization. Is it really that simple – not actually! Even if a scout has an eye for talent and can get the right players to the right club, there are a number of hurdles that he has to overcome just to get to see the right players – Which locations to scout? How to get more players tried out at the same time? Is it worthwhile travelling a distance to see a player? And many more such questions. Let’s look at some issues on how the scouts get to their players.
Old School Methods
Scouts are usually assigned to a location. They then set up their network in that area and gather information using multiple methods like word-of-mouth, Local Youth Academy products, etc. They also watch local matches, local tournaments and leagues in search of local talent. Small clubs only scout in a specific region but larger clubs have been known to hire multiple scouts who are working for them in multiple regions.
Let us assume that a scout needs to attend a tournament as he has been informed about the potential of the players participating in the tournament. The information he receives is dependent on external factors. There’s usually a small chance of finding a player as the data collection is not done by him.
If this information was readily available for him to view online, it would make the job much easier. It would not only save money but would save time. Scouting has been done in the traditional ways since many years However, with the use of technology it can be made easier.
A Win-Win Situation
The best place to showcase one’s talent is a tournament or a talent hunt. One’s true ability to perform under pressure, to perform when the competition is tough, to perform when it matters the most can all be judged on the basis of their performance in the tournaments or talent hunts. Special Tournaments and Talent hunt shows are organised for the same reasons which help scouts or club representatives find probable talent and help them identify the abilities of the player which would not be visible if one is looking just at the player’s stats. It is necessary to look at multiple elements while scouting as stats do not reveal everything about the player.
In popular culture, Nike has organised multiple talent hunt programs which have players from all over the world showcase their talents and win an opportunity to be a part of the Nike Academy. Their recent success was a victory over Barcelona’s B team, thus showing the power of these methods to get the outcome.
Old School Methods With A Twist
Players approach scouts as well. Players who wish to play professionally frequently hire agents or go to agencies which will help them set up trial with clubs. Scouts who represent different clubs interact with these agencies, helping the player in return to get the opportunity to give trials. The agency keeps all records and results of these players which help the clubs narrow the players down.
This time consuming process is dependent on multiple external factors like agent’s relations with the club, relation with the scout, etc. Its’ dependency on these factors can be beneficial as well as non beneficial; Where good relations with scouts or clubs can make a player’s career however, a mistake made by the external factors can ruin a player’s career. Scouts and Agencies have both been known to take advantage of the situation at times and this may put the players’ career in jeopardy. It is always better for the player to contact the club directly but it is not easy for any club to handle the trials and other transfer related activities hence it is outsourced to reduce the responsibility on the club.
Scouting From Academies
Some well known academies are known to churn out bright players every year. These players are tracked from a young age and their consistency is studied; all valuable data for a scout to choose a talent. But in a lot of cases this data is not available to a scout. The academy usually only promotes its top players to scouts, but there is no way for a scout to evaluate the potential of players in an academy before going there, except the word of the academy officials. An online portal that gives not only player data but also gives the scout data related to how worthwhile it is to travel to the academy at a particular time would be invaluable.
La Masia is one of the most popular Academies from which produces world class talent and scouts are known to frequent their matches. The search for “The Next Ronaldo” or “The Next Messi” is always on and clubs are involved in cut-throat competition to sign new and young talent, scouts help the clubs’ academies by searching for the same.
New Age Methods
Paper/file based methods were used long after the introduction of technologies that are capable to handle the data on its own. It is still one of the most prominent ways by which clubs with lesser budgets track player. These methods are not only time consuming but their safety and durability are major issues. Books/papers/files all need to be updated time and again, which more often than not, leads to data redundancy as well. Data in this case can also be second hand in nature which may lead to non reliable/ unauthenticated information, which may cause the clubs not only in terms of time but also monetarily.
The internet has made it easier for players to upload their profiles online in which they provide all the necessary data online, helping the clubs track their progress and send scouts accordingly. This helps the club in by saving their time and money.
Sites like soccercv.com, sportslobster.com, thefootballmind.com help the player and the scouts alike by providing them a platform on which scouts can view players and players can upload their profiles.
The process of scouting has a number of variables. Location, logistics, data and availability play a vital role in timing for a scout. All aspects of this sector need to be more organized to make the life of a scout easier. This will also ensure the right players get a trial. Teams without budgets right now have one of the most powerful tools at their disposal, the internet. Communication becomes complex when multiple parties are involved; with the involvement of scouts, player’s manager and the club itself, the issues that arise are higher than direct communication. The Football Mind helps players, clubs, coaches and academies all on the same online portal. All the entities have a specific sector wherein which there are tools which help them. The process of scouting becomes easier on the whole when everything is available at one location. It is ultimately upon the clubs to select the methods which suits them the best, availability of resources online is a boon and one which must be used for our benefit as it makes all the tasks easier and requires minimum efforts.
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