Analysis, scouting, portfolio building, and employment skills — the framework that's helped hundreds of people break into the football industry.

Over the past few years, I've spoken to hundreds of people who want to work in football recruitment. The same patterns come up again and again. People who are strong in one area but completely neglect another. People who can code but can't communicate. People who watch every match but never document their thinking. People who are quietly brilliant but invisible to anyone who could hire them.

I've come to think about breaking into football recruitment as resting on four pillars. Neglect any one of them and the whole thing becomes unstable. Combine all four and you become very hard to ignore.

This framework underpins everything I teach in The Recruitment Room. It's the lens through which I evaluate candidates when I'm hiring. And it's the honest answer I give when someone asks me what it actually takes to get into this industry.

Pillar 1: Analysis skills

This is the one most people focus on first — and rightly so. You need a genuine ability to analyse football, whether that's through data, video, or ideally a combination of both.

For data analysts, that means being comfortable with tools like Python, R, Tableau, or Excel at a minimum. You should be able to pull data from sources like FBref, StatsBomb, or Wyscout and turn it into something meaningful — player ratings, shortlists, performance profiles, or visualisations that communicate an insight clearly.

For tactical analysts, it means understanding systems of play, positional responsibilities, pressing structures, and how to extract insight from footage. It means being able to clip video, annotate it, and build presentations that coaching staff can use on a Monday morning.

The analysis is the foundation. But it's only one quarter of the equation.

Here's what most people miss: analysis is a commodity. There are thousands of people who can build a scatter plot or code a basic radar chart. What separates the people who get hired from the people who don't is rarely technical skill alone. It's how they combine that skill with everything else.

That said, you need to be genuinely good at this. Not passable. Good. Pick your lane — data or video — and go deep before you go wide. Know what type of analyst you are and build your skills accordingly. I've written about the distinction between technical and tactical analysts elsewhere, and understanding which one you are will save you years of misdirection.

Pillar 2: Scouting ability

Scouting is different from analysis. Analysis tells you what a player does statistically or tactually. Scouting tells you whether they can do it in a different context — a different league, a different system, under different pressure.

This requires football knowledge that goes beyond numbers. Can the player adapt? What's their mentality? How do they respond when the game shifts against them? What are their physical attributes like in person compared to on video? These are judgement calls that no model can make for you.

I've sat in rooms where data screams that a player is the right fit, but the scouts who've watched them live know something the numbers can't capture. Maybe the player's body language is wrong. Maybe they hide in big moments. Maybe they're brilliant against weaker opposition but disappear against organised defences. Scouting is the layer that catches what data misses.

Developing scouting ability takes time and match observation. Start by writing reports on players you watch regularly. Build a template — I've shared free ones through the Analysis & Scouting Toolkit — and use it consistently. Compare your assessments with how those players actually perform over the following months. Build your judgement through repetition.

Learn positional profiling. Understand what attributes matter for each position and each style of play. A centre-back in a high-line system needs completely different qualities than a centre-back in a low block. A number 8 in a possession side is a fundamentally different profile to an 8 in a direct, transitional team.

Scouting is subjective, but it shouldn't be random. Build a framework, test it, refine it.

The best scouts I know have watched thousands of players and developed an internal calibration that only comes from volume. There is no shortcut for this. But there is a structured way to approach it, and that's what this pillar is about.

Pillar 3: Portfolio building

I've written about this extensively, but it bears repeating here because it is the most neglected pillar and arguably the most important one for people trying to break in.

If your work isn't online, it doesn't exist. This isn't my opinion — it's how the industry operates. When we're looking at candidates for analyst or scout roles, the first thing we check isn't their degree or their PFSA certificate. It's their portfolio. What have they produced? Can they communicate insights clearly? Do they understand positional context? Can they work with data and present it in a way that's useful?

A strong portfolio answers all of those questions before you even walk into an interview.

Your portfolio should contain scouting reports, data visualisations, written analysis, recruitment dossiers, or whatever best represents your skillset. It should be public, updated regularly, and easy to find. X, LinkedIn, Medium, a personal website — the platform matters less than the consistency.

Here's the thing that changed my career: I started sharing analysis publicly during lockdown. I had zero connections in football. No network. No credentials. No inside track. I just started posting data visualisations and scouting reports on X. Within months, I was getting DMs from other analysts. Then freelance opportunities with clubs. Then part-time work alongside my day job. Then full-time employment.

None of that came from a CV. It came from proof.

Your portfolio is your CV. It's your interview. It's your network builder. It's everything.

When I hire now, I can tell within thirty seconds of looking at someone's online presence whether they're serious. Not because the work needs to be perfect — it doesn't. But because consistency and clear thinking are visible. And they're rare.

Start where you are. If you watch League One every week, write about League One. If you're good with Tableau, build a dashboard. If you understand positional profiling, write a scouting report on a player you've watched ten times. The bar isn't perfection. The bar is proof that you're serious.

Pillar 4: Employment skills

This is the pillar most people ignore entirely. And it's the one that costs them the most.

Networking, interview preparation, CV formatting, communication skills, understanding how clubs actually hire — these are not glamorous topics, but they are the bridge between having ability and getting employed.

I've seen brilliant analysts miss out on roles because they couldn't articulate their thinking in an interview. I've seen average analysts land jobs because they networked effectively and presented themselves professionally. The gap between knowing and getting hired is almost entirely about this pillar.

Here's what employment skills actually look like in practice:

Networking that isn't cringe. Go to conferences. Engage with people's work on social media — thoughtfully, not just "great post." Comment on articles with your own perspective. DM people with genuine questions, not requests. The football analytics community is smaller than you think, and people remember who engages meaningfully.

A CV that works. Your CV for a football role should look different from your CV for a corporate role. Lead with your portfolio and relevant projects, not your education. Show what you've produced, not just where you've been. Keep it to one page.

Interview preparation. Clubs don't hire based on vague enthusiasm for the game. They want to know how you think. Prepare specific examples of your work. Be ready to explain your methodology, your reasoning, and your recommendations. Practice presenting your analysis out loud — if you can't explain a player rating model to someone who doesn't code, you're not ready.

Communication. This is the meta-skill that underpins everything. The ability to translate data findings into football language. The ability to present to a room of coaches who don't care about expected goals — they care about whether a player can do the job. When I presented to a football club board, I learned that simplicity wins. Always.

The people who get hired aren't always the most talented. They're the ones who know how to position themselves.

The framework in practice

Here's how I'd use this framework if I were starting from zero today.

Month 1–3: Pick your lane. Are you a data analyst or a tactical analyst? Learn the core tools for that lane. For data: Python, FBref, basic visualisation. For video: a clipping tool, presentation skills, a scouting template.

Month 3–6: Start building your portfolio. Post one piece of work per week. It doesn't need to be long or complex. A scouting report. A data visualisation. A short thread comparing two players. Consistency beats quality at this stage.

Month 6–9: Start watching matches with intention. Build a scouting database. Write reports using a structured template. Track your assessments against reality. Start developing your judgement alongside your technical skills.

Month 9–12: Network. Go to a conference if you can. Engage with the community online. Start applying to roles — even ones that feel like a stretch. Use your portfolio as your lead.

Throughout all of this, keep refining your employment skills. Update your CV every time you produce something new. Practice talking about your work out loud. Ask for feedback from people already in the industry.

The honest truth

The people who break into football recruitment aren't necessarily the most talented. They're the most complete. They can analyse. They can scout. They can show their work. And they can position themselves professionally.

Audit yourself honestly against all four pillars. Where are you strong? Where are you weak? Build a plan that addresses the gaps rather than doubling down on what you're already good at.

If you want structured guidance on all four pillars, that's exactly what we do in The Recruitment Room. But even without it, this framework will give you a clear picture of what it takes — and where to focus next.