Football scouting

There are some really good courses out there. Some give you an introduction while others will try to teach you everything from start to finish.

Don’t misunderstand, you have to work really hard. But having taken lots of scouting courses over the last two years I can also say that some of these courses are better than others. Much better.

By far the best in my opinion are those run by the International Professional Scouting Organisation (IPSO).

Disclaimer: I am not in any way affiliated to IPSO. But I do really like everyone at IPSO. They’re good people who want the best for anyone who takes their courses.

Their website has all the details you need.

Start with their workshops. They’re ludicrously cheap, but packed with information. Just taking these will vastly improve your knowledge. I remember learning more in 90 minutes than I did in a three-day weekend course run by a company claiming top-spot in Google searches.

Once you try the workshops you’ll want to do the full courses, and you can do those live or online. They’re affordable (especially online) but most importantly they’re jam-packed with the detailed lessons you need.

There are others out there. You should definitely take a look at the Association of Professional Football Analysis website for their courses. I took some when they were previously known as Coach Tech, and they were very good.

Then it’s up to you. The courses will set you up well even if you just want to be a more knowledgeable football fan. But if you want to go further it’s the perfect place to start.

It’s a lot of work. But if you’re up for that you should try it. And let me know how you get on.

Stephen