The football job I didn't go for

Hey ,

A couple of senior roles in recruitment and scouting have come up recently. Multiple clubs, across the top levels of football. Good locations. Interesting projects.

Part of me wanted to apply for every single one of them. I didn’t. But I thought about it longer than I should have.

This happens to me more often than I’d like to admit. And if you’re someone who wants to work in football, I’d bet it happens to you too.

The pull is real

There’s something about a club role that gets under your skin. The badge. The training ground. The idea of being part of something on a Saturday afternoon that millions of people care about.

I’ve had that. I worked at a Scottish Premiership club as a recruitment analyst. I loved parts of it. The day-to-day of watching players, writing reports, sitting in recruitment meetings where your opinion actually shaped decisions. That part was everything I hoped it would be.

But there are things about club life that don’t make the job description.

What the job description doesn’t say

Job security in football is a concept, not a reality. Managers get sacked. New managers bring their own people. Restructures happen overnight. You can be doing excellent work and still be out of a job because someone above you changed.

The pay - especially at lower league level - is often less than what you’re earning now. I took a significant pay cut to go into football full-time. I don’t regret it. But I went in with my eyes open, and not everyone does.

The hours are longer than people expect. Evenings watching matches. Weekends at games. Transfer windows where the phone doesn’t stop. It’s not a 9-5. And if you have a family, a mortgage, or commitments outside of football, that matters.

And then there’s location. A lot of roles require relocation. Not everyone can do that. Not everyone should.

Why I keep coming back to it

Knowing all of that, the pull still doesn’t go away.

I think it’s because club football has a sense of purpose that’s hard to replicate anywhere else. You’re not just doing analysis. You’re contributing to something on the pitch. Your work has a direct impact on results, on player decisions, on the potential of winning trophies.

That sense of direct impact is addictive. And once you’ve had it, everything else can feel slightly less meaningful - even when the money is better and the life is easier.

The question worth asking

The question I ask myself every time a club role comes up isn’t “could I do this job?” It’s “does this role fit with what I want my life, family and career to look like - or is it just my ego?”

That’s a harder question to sit with. Because most of the time, the honest answer is that the role excites me but the reality of it doesn’t fit with the life I’m building.

And that’s okay. Recognising that isn’t weakness. It’s clarity.

What this means for you

If you’re at the stage where you’re dreaming about getting a role at a club, I’m not here to talk you out of it. That dream is valid. I had it. I acted on it. It changed my career.

But I want you to go in clear-headed. Not every club role is the right club role. Not every opportunity is worth the trade-off. And there are ways to work in football - agencies, data companies, consultancies, media - where you can still have an impact and work in the game you love without it being in a club role.

The people I see make the best decisions are the ones who know what they actually want from their career. Not just the title or the badge. The day-to-day. The lifestyle. The finances.

Be honest with yourself about what matters to you. Then make the move that fits - not the one that sounds best to other people.

Liam