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The most boring thing I built at a club

November 9, 2026

Hey,

One of the least exciting things I built at a club was a calculator.

When the recruitment team liked a player from abroad, it worked out whether he'd get enough points for a work permit.

He needs 15, and they come from things like his share of league minutes, how strong his league is, whether his club played in Europe and whether he's a regular for his country. Get 15 and the club can sign him. Get 14 and the deal's off.

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Archive (70 issues)

The most boring thing I built at a club2026 · 11
It decided who we could actually sign
Data analyst, data scientist & data engineer2026 · 11
What's the difference...?
Am I too late to work in football?2026 · 10
Age is just a number
How to write your first scout report when you don't know where to start2026 · 10
It won't be perfect. Put it out there.
Where I'd be scouting right now2026 · 10
GBE and ESC rules impacting recruitment
Post more work2026 · 10
You're not spamming anyone
Retail supervisor to first team scout2026 · 09
How Craig did it with no experience
Does data work if you use AI?2026 · 09
Anyone can build football tools now
I spent two years fixing the wrong thing2026 · 08
Rewriting my CV and cover letters
The network of one2026 · 08
Why opportunities in football don't last
The club that turned me down twice2026 · 08
The positives about job rejection
What a Premier League scout looks for2026 · 08
And it's nothing to do with talent
Everyone's done the course now2026 · 08
Your certificate means little
The Monday morning grind2026 · 07
Fitting football around a day job
Put the salary on the advert2026 · 07
This could be the best thing to happen for football jobs
Post it before it's perfect2026 · 07
Freddie wasted 1 month but got noticed as soon as he started sharing
My first three football jobs paid nothing2026 · 07
You're comparing your day one to someone else's year three
AI wrote my CV. I had to fix it2026 · 06
It can stop you getting jobs
Posting work online isn't enough2026 · 06
Advice from former Director of Data at Man City
Lead with the verdict2026 · 06
What separates a scout from observations.
Why clubs say no without telling you2026 · 05
Why I'd say no to you too. And what to do about it.
Two people you should always message2026 · 05
Hint: you already know them
Why now is the time to move into football2026 · 04
and how you can do it
When Nottingham Forest messaged me2026 · 04
it wasn't luck it was built
We put 15 people in a room2026 · 04
and did something you can't do on a zoom call
Nobody talks about this relationship2026 · 04
The power of peers
9 speakers. 1 common thread2026 · 03
Field of Play conference takeaways
The football job I didn't go for2026 · 03
The question I ask myself every time a club role comes up.
What Bob Dylan can teach you about football2026 · 03
And a basketball coach. And the founder of Shake Shack.
Why you'll probably quit2026 · 03
the football career you want takes time
Why your analysis isn't working2026 · 03
(and how to fix it)
Your reputation arrives before you do2026 · 02
Football is a small industry. People move. And they talk.
Why people get football opportunities2026 · 02
It's visibility, signal and credibility
Same player, three different conclusions2026 · 02
Your role changes how you evaluate a footballer.
AI is changing who wins in football2026 · 02
Technical skills less important.
The traditional pathway is dead2026 · 01
Three routes into football. None of them traditional.
Sunday league to professional scout2026 · 01
What happened when my data model met League One
The problem with football courses2026 · 01
12 actions to start today.
What I'd do to break into football2026 · 01
12 actions to start today.
Did you do what you said you would?2025 · 12
Three questions to ask yourself
You just need to do more2025 · 12
I doubled my LinkedIn posts and got noticed.
Build this or you won't last in football2025 · 12
How to stay when everyone else stops.
Can you afford a 20% pay cut?2025 · 12
That's what I did to break into football.
The time excuse that's costing you2025 · 12
You have the time. You lack clarity.
Future-proof football jobs: What AI can't replace2025 · 11
Here's what help analysts and scouts survive.
What Championship clubs actually look for2025 · 10
Technical scout reveals what got him hired after being completely ghosted
Your work fails in 5 seconds2025 · 10
The layout mistake that kills clarity before anyone reads a word.
Training Ground Guru Live: What I learned2025 · 10
What I learned spending a day with clubs, scouts, and data experts in Manchester
Why going alone kills football careers2025 · 10
How to find the 5 people who'll change your trajectory
Job security in football: It doesn't exist2025 · 09
4 ways to future-proof your career when clubs change overnight
Stop perfecting work - start posting more2025 · 09
Perfect posts don't build networks. Regular ones do.
What breaking into football really takes2025 · 09
Mark landed two football roles without permission - here's his exact process
Data visualisations are too complex2025 · 09
3 mistakes killing your impact + the 30-second test that fixes them
What it's really like being a scout2025 · 09
26 scouts interviewed - here's what I shared about breaking in
Courses won't get you football jobs2025 · 08
PL manager and DoF's brutal truth about breaking in
The analyst job that won't exist2025 · 08
The analyst's job is changing, not disappearing. Here's what survives
The 3 types of clubs that use data2025 · 08
Most say 'we use data' but mean something very different
What stops people working in football2025 · 08
After 150+ calls, the pattern is clear (it's not what you think)
What it's really like working in League One2025 · 07
Every club operates differently - here's what that means for you
Remote football jobs: Think twice first2025 · 07
The hidden cost of being 'out of sight, out of mind' in football
The pay problem in football2025 · 07
Most job adverts in football tell you everything except what matters most - the salary
The €3M lesson: Why your eyes are still important2025 · 07
We signed him for free based on what our eyes saw, not what the data showed. One year later, he's worth €3 million.
The unpaid work trap (and how to escape it)2025 · 06
Hundreds chase every football role, including unpaid ones. Here's how to make free work actually worth it.
The 5 qualities that get you hired in football2025 · 06
Technical skills get you noticed. These 5 qualities get you hired. Most people focus on the wrong things.
What no one tells you about working in football2025 · 06
No two clubs are the same. That’s the opportunity and the risk.
Stuck as an analyst or scout? This is why2025 · 06
Most analysts and scouts quit at the same point. Here’s how to spot it and push through.
Most people fail at networking in football2025 · 06
Genuine networking in football isn’t about asking. It’s about showing up, listening, and giving first.
Luck doesn’t come to you. You create it.2025 · 05
Most people wait for an opportunity. The smart ones create the conditions for it.
Football isn't built for introverts2025 · 05
You don't have to be loud to be seen.
The Portfolio Platform You're Ignoring2025 · 05
You need to try this new platform for your online portfolio